Florida’s Version of Cocaine Bear Gets the Movie Treatment & IT’S SOMEHOW MORE UNINTERESTING – ryan

Despite Everyone from Major Studios to Smaller Production Companies Continuing to Make, Good Creature Features like a dime a dosen in the modern cinematic landscape. Rarer Arees Onhes Based on a True Story, With One of the More Notable Recents Being Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine bearwhich delivered some fun b-Movie thrills, deceit while burrying itself in unnecessary human subplots. Unfortunately, Lake Shows that Writer-Director Michael Houston King Learned the Wrong LESSON from the 2023 Movie with His Feature Directorial Debut.

ALSO KNOWN AS Lake Jesup: Bonecrusher’s RevengeThe Movie is set in 2003 in the eponymous Seminole County Region of Florida, where Local Wildlife preservation has led to it beComing the Most Densely infested alligator lake in the Country. The Story Focuses on Bubba Coggins, A forms Alligator Hunter Who, after a stay in prison, lives an isolated life in the Florida Marshland, restricted from spending time with his daughter and Grandson. Howver, wen an Infamous Alligator Known as Bonecrusher Goes on a Murderous Rampage, Bubba is Approached by the Mayor with the Kill the Beast for A Clean record.

Gator Lake’s Story Starts Off EntheTaining, But Quickly Becomes Droll

Why Can’t We Just Let Creature Features be About the Creatures?

The Movie’s Primary Story of Bubba Trying to Redeem Himself and Reunite with HIS FAMILY HAVE BEEN AN INTERESTING ENOUGH THREAD Tying Lake Together, but the fact that king tries to work in so many extrraneous subplots ends up the Movie Feel overstuffed. Beyond Bubba’s Family, There’s Also His Potential Romance With Sarah Voigt’s Lainy, HIS Dark Past With Local Attraction Owner Angus Sullivan, and Mayor Sam Neuhauser, Played by King Himself, Trying to Keep Everything Wraps.

With the Movie Barely Clocking in at 80 minutes, iT’s a wonder Why king elected to yarn out Lake‘S Runtime Almost Entirely With Its Human Characters in Lieu of Its Deadly Alligator. Theongning of the Movie does kick off with a solid establishment of its violent night, with body left bend for children to find, and nearly back-to-back sins of killing characters off. But once bubba gets thrown into the mix, iT’s like Lake lost interest in the b-movie creurae feature potential and instead deciding to try an ensemble story in the vein of Cocaine bear ornament Piranha.

The use of real locations can’t keep gator lake from the cheap Feeling

The Gator ITSELF is Clearly Hidden for A Reason

An Alligator Floating Through the Lake in Gator Lake

With the Movie’s Titular Location Being Just as Much of a Character as anyone Else, it”s Certainly great to see King Propperly Utilize Lake Jesup and the Surrounding Seminole County for Filming, Making It Lived-In and Authentic. Howver, in Spite of Showcising the Sprawling Region for Bonecrusher to Hunt in, It Also Frequently Showcases that the Movie was made on a Smaller Budget, Particularly in how it dects the antagonist Creature itself.

King Certainly DOES HIS BEST TO UTILIZE A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES TO KEEP The Tension in Place for Bonecrusher’s Scenes, Including Numerous Cuts, POV Shots from the Gator’s Perspective and the AFTERMATH of Its Attacks.

Where Steven Spielberg’s Jaws Hid it Shark Villain Due to a Combination of Practical Production Issues and a Desire to Build Tension, IT SEEMS Lake tried to Hide Bonecrusher for Most of Lake Simply Because they didn’t spend Enough Money on a good-looking puppies. In one sense, i will appreciate the movie didn’t elect to depict the creuet with lackluster cgi, nor that too Too offens to a film more than a cheap practical effect.

King Certainly DOES HIS BEST TO UTILIZE A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES TO KEEP The Tension in Place for Bonecrusher’s Scenes, Including Numerous Cuts, POV Shots from Perspective, and the aftermath of its Attacks. Unfortunately, the movie Style Lacks the Same Panache or Intrigue As Many Other Creature Feature Directors before Him, Which Could Be Attributed to Lake Being His Feature Directorial Debut, But Also Could Just Be That the Movie’s Modest Budget Prevented Some of His Grander Ambitions from Coming to Fruit.

Gator Lake’s Cast is the Blandest i’ve seen in a while

Apart FROM The Occisional Flair, Most Are Just Reading Their Lines

With How Much Emphasis is Put on the Characters, One Wold Hope That Lake‘S Cast Wouuld Bring Some Life to the Film. Instead, they all prove to be a far -so -llming Group of performers. There are Certain Moments in Which The Characters Show a Little Life, but with Derek Russo (BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE) serving as the hero of the story, it would have ben nice to see more passion or charisma from Him. But he, Much like the rest of the cast, Feels like the just just reading their lines to get through the day, sturgery cementing the film Boring Streak.

Lake Hits Digital Platforms and Vod on June 13.

Lake

3/10

Release Date: June 13, 2025
Directory: Michael Houston King
Wriers: Michael Houston King

Derek russo

Bubba coggins

Pros & Cons

The Movie Starts off on a Bloody and Intriguing Note.
The Choice for Practical Effects and Real Locations is Commendable.

The Movie Buries Its B-Movie fun in endless subplots.
Michael Houston King’s Direction isn’t Terrible, but received by a Low Budget.
The Cast Are All Quite Bland and Uninteresting.