Rogue (Dvd, 2008, Unrated)M Radha Mitchell, and similar items

Factory Sealed Brand New DVD Our SKU H2-1B-4oz (INC onal) Rogue brings Australian filmmaker Greg McLean, whose previous effort was the harrowing thriller Wolf Creek, back to the horror fold with an effective and well-crafted monster movie that pits a boatful of tourists against the title beast: a king-size crocodile with an insatiable appetite. McLean wisely follows the paradigm outlined by Jaws and other notable giant creature features by keeping his croc largely offscreen for the pic's first third, focusing instead on his human cast, which includes Michael Vartan(Alias) as a coolheaded American travel writer and Silent Hill's Radha Mitchell as the tour guide (Wolf Creek fans will note that film's antagonist, John Jarrett, among the ill-fated travelers). Once the monster makes its spectacular entrance by capsizing the boat, the suspense kicks into high gear as the tourists are faced with an unenviable choice: swim for their lives or wait until the tide overtakes their refuge on a tiny island. Surprisingly, McLean doesn't sacrifice quality in his pursuit of broader audience appeal; the award-winning special effects are top-notch, but so are the performances and photography, which capture the rough beauty of Australia's Northern Territory. Likewise, characters are not simply bodies waiting to be chomped; McLean's script takes the time to build them into full-bodied people, which adds a level of substance and sympathy to the story. All in all, Rogue is the meatiest in the spate of killer croc pics of recent years, and worth a look for those who were intrigued by Lake Placid or Primeval. The unrated DVD includes commentary by McLean as well as a battery of making-of documentaries, which cover the film's inspiration (a real-life croc attack on an Aussie riverboat in the '70s) as well as its impressive technical aspects.