Alligator (1980)

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It's so cheesy and the bad acting makes a cheesy classic the movie for time had some impressive effects but there are some really awful effects the alligator looks real on a technical level it was pretty good for 1980 but the acting ruins that for me hardly anyone remembers this film at all i wish that it was in theaters worldwide so people could know about this film i could see this being remade in today have it directed by Denis Villeneuve and these guys to write it Michael Green, Hampton Fancher but yeah the movie itself is just that so bad it's good thing.

I was informed that this is considered a classic within the genre. I'm not sure what genre that is but either way it was somewhat of an anti-climax.A baby alligator is flushed down the toilet and twelve years later its big and it's angry! It's one police officer & his scientist buddies job to track it and kill it while surrounded by people who simply don't believe them.Is it wrong that I was cheering on the alligator? After all it's not some evil monster, it's just an abandoned hungry animal.Alligator isn't bad, it's just not that exciting. It looks decent considering it's 37 tears old but it hardly grips you.The Good: Creature effects aren't that bad considering it's age The Bad: No consistency regarding the Alligators size Robert Forster's hairThings I Learnt From This Movie:Alligators can be easily purchased as pets Alligators make great jump ramps

Alligator is a fantastic movie. A girl gets a pet alligator as a baby at an alligator wrestling show and her dad flushes it down the toilet because it gets out of it's terrarium and poops places. The alligator ends up in the sewer and survives and eats dead dogs that were thrown end there that were experimented with growth hormones. The alligator grows way larger than normal as a result and eats people. It busts out and is gone after by people. A scientist and a police officer follow it back into the sewer and it is blown up by a time bomb. The movie is very scary and entertaining. It's got some ridiculous scenes and continuity goofs but it is good.

RELEASED IN 1980 and directed by Lewis Teague, "Alligator" chronicles events in Chicago after a baby alligator is flushed down the toilet and mutates to great size from eating chemically contaminated dog carcasses in the sewers. A policeman (Robert Forster) and a beautiful reptile expert (Robin Riker) team-up to track down the beast when it escapes the sewers and preys on citizens."Alligator" is kind of boring for the first half hour or so, but the last hour perks up and generally keeps your attention. Unlike "Jaws" (1975), which is completely serious and scary, most adults won't take "Alligator" too seriously or find it remotely scary. In fact, I busted out laughing numerous times when the creature would attack people. Speaking of which, you'll sometimes hear Jaws-imitation suspense music as the creature approaches its prey. Some viewers understandably compare "Alligator" to another "Jaws" rip-off flick, "Piranha" (1978), but that movie's all-around more entertaining.What makes "Alligator" mandatory is the awe-inspiring Robin Riker, who doesn't appear until half an hour into the story. From thereon she's featured prominently. Robin was 28 during shooting but possesses such a mature and classy air that she seems at least 35. While I'm on the subject, watch out for the blonde reporter in a red jacket and jeans at about the halfway point (43 minutes). Like Robin, she has an exquisite buttocks sculptured by God Himself. There are also some highlights that you won't likely see in pictures nowadays. For instance, a kid gets chewed up in a suburban pool. And a "great white hunter" (Henry Silva) amusingly corrals three black dudes in the urban jungle to assist him in his hunt. Of course this wouldn't be "politically correct" today.THE MOVIE RUNS 87 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River. WRITER: John Sayles.GRADE: B-