LAKE PLACID, or is it "Lake Plastic"? What we have here is another superbly enhanced freak of nature out on the run and killing off left and right. The only difference between this movie and previously similar ones is that technology is playing a larger and larger part in creating those effects of the ultimate super monster. But wait, creating that first class monster has already been tried in "Godzilla" and "Deep Blue Sea"; and we have to admit, those failed terribly in being credible.

Let's be honest, I did enjoy this movie. In fact, I was stunned by some of the visual effects and there were a pretty number of invigorating tense moments. But just how much I enjoyed it, there are loads of criticism too. First the story.

Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) is sent to Lake Placid to investigate a mysterious finding of an enormous tooth from some creature in a lake that bit a diver in half. There is more to her going out on this field trip, because, you see, Kelly was dating her boss. And of course, then he dumped her for Kelly's best friend. So in the best interest of working conditions, they (boss and friend) decided to send Kelly away for a while. That's how she came to be at Lake Placid.

While this is going on, the sheriff (Brendan Gleeson) and the warden Jack Wells (Bill Pullman) has assembled a team to discover what exactly is lying at the bottom of this lake. On Kelly's arrival, another character makes his entrance: it's the madman Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt) on his never-ending quest for the perfect crocodile. Weird huh? But this guy is actually known to have swum with crocodiles and if it is a crocodile at the bottom of that lake, then he is sure to take a refreshing dip with it. That is if he doesn't become a nice little snack for it.

For extra comic relief, there is "Golden Girl" Betty White who plays a rather interesting role in LAKE PLACID, and is more than once responsible for quite a few shocks.

Even with all these interesting characters and the momentarily tense moments, you feel cheated upon leaving the cinema. Not only was the movie barely over an hour, the whole ending is one massive anti-climax. You are in fact sitting there waiting for something else to happen, and only when the credits start rolling you realize that, hey buddy, this is the end!

Now you start wondering about things like Bridget Fonda s bad acting. You think of the supposed electricity between the characters of Fonda and Pullman, and the fact that there was none. And is his surname "Pullman" because he can only pull one facial expression come high or low water? You chuckle at the few terrible visual effects. Finally you think of the whole credibility of the story: exactly why do they want to remove this creature from this lake where it is totally harmless if undisturbed?

The main problem with movies like these is they become predictable. You always know how they end and there is always some wacko character for the lighter side of things. And everytime you are more disappointed than you were the previous time you went to see a movie of this genre. Usually it is only the endings that disappoint, because throughout the film you actually catch yourself holding your breath, clutching the chair or even a covered- up little scream, but it is the end and anti-climax of the whole affair that spoils everything.

The best approach would be to tackle this movie as a comedy and then you ll be more than surprised at how much you actually will enjoy it. If you are scared by the horror scenes, see that as a bonus. And if you are ecstatic by the ending, see that as a miracle.

-- Jean-Pierre Pellissier