The movie Crawl (2019), directed by Alexandre Aja and produced by Sam Raimi, is an engaging survival horror film that brings the audience a sense of suspense and tension from beginning to end. The film not only exploits the fear of nature, but is also a story about intense survival instincts and touching family affection.
Crawl revolves around the main character Haley Keller - a young swimmer. When a category 5 hurricane hits Florida, Haley defies evacuation orders to search for her father - Dave Keller - who has lost contact. She finds him injured in the flooded basement of their old house. However, what is more terrifying is not the floodwater but the appearance of giant alligators lurking around. Both father and son are trapped and must fight to survive amid rising water, power outages and ferocious alligators.
One of the highlights of Crawl is the way the director creates tension continuously and realistically. The cramped, dark space in the basement combined with the sound of running water, whistling wind and the growling of crocodiles always keeps the audience in a state of suspense. The action scenes are staged reasonably, thrilling, but still maintain reality, not too absurd like many other monster movies.
Kaya Scodelario's performance as Haley is a big plus for the film. She successfully portrays the image of a strong, resilient, intelligent daughter but still full of emotion and courage when she decides not to abandon her father in a life-threatening situation.
Besides the horror element, Crawl also carries a message about family ties, courage and survival instinct. In the harshest of circumstances, people can reveal hidden strengths beyond expectations.
In short, Crawl is a quality entertainment film, smoothly combining horror, action and family affection. With a fast pace, suffocating and dramatic atmosphere, this is a work not to be missed for those who love the survival - monster genre.
