Simply Perfect

Admirable film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Dark Age (1987) *** (out of 4)The setting is the Australian outback where a twenty-five foot crocodile begins attacking and killing people. Steve Harris (John Jarratt) is a park ranger who has been trying to get people involved in a protection plan for the crocs but now with the help of two guides he must try and track down the large creature.Where has DARK AGE been all of my life? I love the various creature features that followed the success of JAWS and there have been several that had crocodiles running loose killing people. This one here is certainly one of the better ones and in all honesty I'm a little shocked that the film isn't better known. After going through some of the extras on the disc I learned that the film never got a theatrical release and it pretty much sunk onto video shelves and never made much of an impact.That's really too bad because this works perfectly as a killer crocodile movie but also as an Ozploitation picture. The Australian outback makes for a terrific location and we get some beautiful views of the wetlands. I thought the film really played the location up nicely and it was great getting to see the characters go through these various areas. It just adds a level of suspense to the picture when you feel and believe the setting your watching (aka not being shot in a studio soundstage).What makes the film so entertaining is that the director was willing to have anything happen. That means you've got attacks on countless adults and even children are at risk! The movie really didn't play any games as this was a killing machine and the attack sequences were quite good. It was clear that they were dealing with a fake crocodile in several scenes but this didn't take away from the entertainment value. I'd also argue that Jarratt was very good in the lead role and helped carry the film.Some of the non-croc stuff isn't quite as entertaining but if you're a fan of these types of movies then DARK AGE is certainly a must see.

There's a massive crocodile the Aboriginals call Namunwari which attacks a trio of poachers, killing two of them, with the third, John Besser (Max Phipps) demanding its demise. Croc conservationist, Steve Harris (John Jarratt, Wolf Creek), and two Aboriginals, Oondabund (Burnham, Burnham) and Oonabund's son, Adjaral (Aussie great, David Gulpilil) will attempt to tranquilize, capture, and transport the Namunwari to a place where it will not pose a threat to civilization. Meanwhile, Harris has his hands full with Besser and other hunters who want to kill the Namunwari, or any other crocodiles for that matter. As Aussie films often do, the racism towards Aboriginals is once again referenced, while the feeling of hate towards crocodiles in general is established strongly in the storyline. Harris and other "croc lovers" want to save them from extinction. With Nikki Coghill as Jarratt's spunky and spirited ex-lover, who returns to support him when the Namunwari becomes a target for the poachers. Phipps is a perfectly loathsome heavy, the real villain of the film and certainly a thorn in Harris' side. Good showcase for Aboriginal actor Burnham Burnham who speaks of the Namunwari as if it were a mythical creature and will not assist Harris if his goal is to murder the croc in cold blood, believing the animal was once man. Particularly memorable is seeing Jarratt speaking "Aboriginal" with Burnham Burnham who often communicates in "broken Aussie". Definite similarities to Jaws are unavoidable such as the hunt for the croc and the monster's approach to shallow waters where Aboriginal children are playing (the film's most shocking scene shows the Namunwari eat an Aboriginal kid with a shot from the camera afterward showing a toy boat without its owner!). I'm sure many will gripe and belly ache that the croc is fake looking, but I thought its size and girth was quite impressive.

The story of a ranger and two local aborgines who are trying to stop Numunwari (a giant Salt-Water Crocodile) from causing further havoc in their local waters. Throw in some violent poachers and a side story with a love interest and you have Dark Age.Dark Age is basically Australia's answer to Jaws. There are even some scenes that seem to be totally ripped off, but obviously executed in a different manner. Actually, I think I preferred some of the cinematography in Dark Age over Jaws. I think I liked a couple other aspects maybe a little more or at least as much as Jaws. Don't get me wrong, Jaws is a 10 (in my book) and this is a 7.5 (in my book, which is titled These Balls Be Jigglin!) The flick like I said had a side story with some lovey doveyness, and to be honest, it had completely care free results. Totally could have been done without. Though I do appreciate the sex scene. And overall, the acting was kinda hit and miss. Some guys had it, some people didn't. And damn, maybe it was my copy, but I had a toughass time understanding our aboriginal friends. Though I do like how they talk. It was a film that had a decent amount of horror and action, but it all felt a tad lackluster and the film would have seriously been memorable if it just had a couple more death scenes. Being such a big fan of our cold-blooded aquatic pals, I almost had to see this rare gem of a flick. With a nice twist on the monster animal genre and what seemed to be some under lying messages, the flick delivered more than just an action/horror/adventure flick. If you have any interest in giant animal flicks, you should definitely check this out. 7.5 outta 10

I might be one of only a handful of people, to have seen this movie in Australia. I had read about 'Dark Age' in Fango, many years ago, and had knowledge of the production.(it was shot in my home town- Darwin) So I waited patiently, time pass, but nothing! Then one fateful day, a friend came back from East Timor with a bunch of bootleg DVDs. Amongest them was 'Dark Age', with the alternative title- 'Lake Placid 3: Dark Age'. It was a really dodgy copy, that fell apart towards the end, but it was enough to get an idea of what I had been missing. Hopefully with the release of 'Rogue', someone might dig up the rights to this gem and get it out there.