Super Gator: Roger Corman still knows how to make a creature feature!

There's a bit more gore in Super Gator than I like in my movies, but it's Roger Corman as executive producer, so there's plenty of humor to make me overlook it. Since I watched it on Sci Fi I was also spared the gratuitous flashes of nudity, but again, it's Roger Corman, so I can forgive. He's the reason there's a t.v. series of The Black Scorpion that I hope to own one day. But I digress.

The film is set in Hawaii, so there's plenty of pretty young things wandering around in skimpy attire, or making out with their boyfriend at the edge of beautiful waterfall. We don't have to wait long for the Super Gator to start snacking, and it's in typical Corman style. Lots of blood, some crunching, lots of screaming, and a flash or two of teeth and eyes before we get a full on view of one nasty reptile. The CGI on the critter is fluid, reflecting either a better budget than the days of Carnosaur, or just more dedicated programmers.

The premise is simple. There's a geologist observing a volcano, hoping to learn better how to predict an eruption. Meanwhile, a local animal preserve specializing in genetic tinkering have lost track of one of their projects. This is all happening awfully close to a busy resort, so you have tourists wandering around blissfully unaware of their future as an hors d'oeuvre. The volcano begins to rumble, the gator is running around chomping on anyone hapless, drunk, or scantily clad enough to get in its way. We quickly get to even more creature action as the paths of the scientist and geologist cross.

Kelly McGillis plays the role of Kim Taft, the woman in charge of finding the wayward gator. The beauty from Top Gun is showing her age, but she fits the role of a tough, no-nonsense broad very well. I have to place her in the "You Poor Bastard" category since she had a solid career going back to the '80s and then... Who knows what happened? She's at least still working, but it seems random, and occasionally desperate. Hopefully things will shape up as she comes back with roles on series like The 'L' Word, which I guess is a hit.

John Colton plays the hunter with a grizzled sense of humor. I rooted for his character right up until the end only because he reminded me of my grandpa, albeit with a lot more booze in his system. He plays off Kelly McGillis, and the two of them parlay their lines back and forth like pros. Their scenes together are brief, but a lot of fun.

Brad Johnson, Bianca Lawson, Mary Alexandra Stiefvater, and Josh Kelly all deserve honorable mentions as the main characters. I cringed a little bit at the hinted romance between the older geologist and the younger journalist, but I do that when it happens in any movie. The chemistry wasn't there, but the hint was mild enough to overlook. The four of them together provided a lot of entertainment, and some more good one-liners.  Even when they split up to go in separate directions, the actors still keep you focused on the movie, and wondering which of them, if any, will survive for a sequel.

The first half of the movie is setup for the last half.  It's not boring because this is where a lot of the cheesy humor is placed, including a scene with models at a waterfall with a sleazy photographer telling them to flap their arms like birds.  There's another scene with a trio of idiot friends trying to make up a local cure for a hangover, and naturally having to test it by getting sloppy drunk themselves.  We also have a pair of college girlfriends wandering around the lake bemoaning how boring their trip is, only to encounter...dun, dun, dun, dun! Super Gator!

The second half picks up the pace with some lava, even more Super Gator, and the requisite 'We're running out of time!' plot lines.  Between the volcano and the Super Gator, there's plenty to keep our characters busy, and the viewer entertained.

Overall Super Gator is prime Roger Corman. He's still going strong mentoring up and comers in the fine art of b-grade horror and camp. I may prefer less gore and sexual overtones than this dirty old man seems to like, but he's a legend, so he can put his name to just about anything and I'll watch it at least once. If you're a fan of Roger Corman, Super Gator is a must-see. The grand master is still going strong!