Michael Vartan as Pete looking for a crocodile in the river in Rogue 2007.Image via Dimension Films
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Jasneet Singh
Published 9 hours ago
Jasneet Singh is a writer who finally has a platform to indulge in long rants about small moments on TV and film in overwhelming detail. With a literature background, she is drawn to the narrative aspect of cinema and will happily rave about her favorite characters. She is also waiting for the Ranger's Apprentice novels to be adapted... but the cycle of hope and disappointment every two years is getting too painful to bear.
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Horror loves a good creature feature, and the most iconic is definitely Jaws. There's always been something so uniquely terrifying about what the deep blue waters of the ocean could potentially hold, and a killer shark is at the top of that list. Arguably, what made Steven Spielberg's film so terrifying is the anticipation of it all; knowing the sharp-toothed monster was gliding underneath the surface, but never quite knowing when it was going to lunge out at its prey.
Another creature that channels the same kind of fear in murky waters is the dreaded crocodile. So, if you want an equally suspenseful crocodile equivalent to Jaws' island beast, look no further than the Australian outback horror, Rogue. It has the same psychological intensity and brutality that made audiences scream during Jaws, but instead of razor-sharp teeth, think gnashing, gnawing chomps that savor each bite of human flesh.
What Is 'Rogue' About?
LikeJaws, the film follows an unsuspecting group that is suddenlyattacked by a large underwater sea creature, one that would generally stay out of a human's way, but not this time. InRogue, a group of tourists go on a river cruise in the Northern Territory, the home of crocs. However, in the middle of the tour, the passengers spy a flare in the distance, and the tourist guide, Kate (Radha Mitchell), is obligated to check the source. To take this detour, they have to travel on sacred Aboriginal land, something that is strongly advised against in Australia, so the atmosphere is already tense.
They finally find the potential source of the flare, an upturned boat in the middle of the river. Before Kate can decide what to do next, a huge force slams against their boat, and they barely make it onto a small island in the middle of the river. They soon realize it was a huge crocodile that attacked them because they were in its territory, and now they are stranded. This is where the almost serene film turns into a horrific fight for survival, as the desperate group figures out how to get home while staying away from the strong jaws of the crocodile that is waiting to take them half-alive to its lair and feed on them slowly.
'Rogue' Gives Australian Crocodiles the Suspenseful 'Jaws' Treatment
Rogue may initially come off as a cheesy Australian outback B-movie with its opening scene of an American journalist, Pete (Michael Vartan), butting heads with the locals and eyeing up the families of tourists. But as soon as the main crocodile is introduced, the Jaws-like atmosphere takes over, where all we feel is white-knuckled anticipation and stomach-churning terror. The main technique it shares with Jaws to achieve this is by not allowing us to see the crocodile early on. Instead, all we get are ripples in the dark water that could potentially spell out danger or a flashlight desperately swinging back and forth on the river banks, searching for a glimpse of the scaly creature. The cameras are fixated on the awful possibility of its presence, only to be confirmed at the very last second with a blinding flash of teeth.
Another way Rogue builds a tense and panicked atmosphere similar to Jaws is by blending haunting realism with the obligatory fictional hyperbole of a creature feature. The start of the film may be a tranquil cruise down the river, but it sets up the foundation for the terror to come as Kate casually points out wild croc facts. From the fact that they can vertically propel their entire body out of the water to leap up and catch their prey, to how they can take live prey to their lairs to munch on later, all these skin-crawling facts are at the back of our minds when the horror begins. Like Jaws, it stretches truth all the way to the cusp of being unbelievable, but maintains balance through psychological tension.
'Rogue' Has All the Psychological Thrills of 'Jaws,' Plus Crocs
Michael Vartan and Radha Mitchell in RogueImage via Third Rail Releasing
So, like in Jaws, if the big scary creature can't dominate the screen, then it's Rogue's cast who have to convey the visceral terror of being hunted down. From fathers who act irrationally to save their children to wives sinking to their knees as their husbands are dragged into the river, the tension is rapidly built by their individual performances. But it is John Jarratt who stands out among the group, playing a local grieving widower, whose initial mournfulness is replaced by desperate fear. It's the second time Jarratt and director Greg McLean have collaborated after the latter's feature debut, Wolf Creek. Instead of the crude serial killer, Jarratt's features are softened, and there's a quiet dependability to his character on the cruise. So, witnessing him spiral into panic, as he yells at irrational decisions others make or bitterly references that he has nothing to lose, carries its own spine-tingling weight.
But what's even more terrifying than seeing the tourists lose their heads (figuratively and literally) is seeing the wildlife experts also descend into terror. The group is joined by local Neil (Sam Worthington), and he and Kate have to set aside their differences for the group to survive. Worthington and Mitchell give balanced performances, trying to rationally plan escape routes, but their fear of these large creatures threatens to break through their facades at every turn. If the experts are panicking, what chance do the others have?
Even as we watch with the safety barrier of the screen between us and the croc, the undulating tension emanating from the cast and storytelling is just as potent as Spielberg's 1975 classic. Rogue has all the hair-raising psychological thrills that made Jaws such a gripping watch, even as we replace the deep blue ocean with a murky river, and sharp shark teeth with the croc death-roll. If you've ever wanted to fear crocs the same way Jaws made us fear sharks, then this Australian horror is for you.
Rogue is available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.
Rogue
Like R Horror Thriller Drama Action Adventure Release Date November 8, 2007 Runtime 99 minutes Director Greg Mclean Writers Greg McleanCast
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Radha Mitchell
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Michael Vartan
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Sam Worthington
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John Jarratt
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