The Crocodile Hunter: Collison Course
Directed by John Stainton
Starring Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, Lachy Hulme, Kate Beahan, and Magda Szubanski
Rated PG for action violence/peril and mild language

It seems that Australia really has something for crocodiles. First there was Crocodile Dundee, then there was Crocodile Dundee II and then there was Crocodile Dundee III and now The Crocodile Hunter. The only other thing that it seems Australia likes as much as crocodiles is Fosters (which is Australian for beer (note the irony in the fact that Australian is not an actual language but is really just funny sounding English)). But based on the success of Animal Planet's TV show of the same name as the film, Americans must really love crocodiles too. And when something gets popular enough, its not long before the movie comes out. Combining the entertainment and education of the TV show with a plot creates a movie that is mildly entertaining and interesting. If you are a big fan of the show, you will surely enjoy the film, but the rest of the world may just want to wait till this film hits Blockbuster.

Director John Stainton made his film debut with this movie after directing Steve Irwin's Croc Hunter show on Animal Planet for 6 years, and he doesn't exactly break much from the style of the show. While this film differs from the TV show in that it has a plot and not just Steve talking about, chasing after and trying to avoid being killed by animals, it still has the feel of the show. In fact, this film even models itself to look like a TV show. In the sequences where the plot is created, the film is shot in widescreen like the typical movie. But the plot is interrupted on occasion by sequences that are modeled directly after the TV
show. The director puts Steve Irwin right in front of the camera and has him talk about animals. But when these shots are done the aspect ratio of the film is switched from widescreen to the ratio of a normal TV screen. I don't remember ever seeing a film that has done this is the past, but since it isn't done for artistic purposes it becomes a little more annoying than interesting. The action sequences and other widescreen sequences are shot relatively well and are shot from distant angles allowing everything to remain in the frame. Since many directors these days fail to do this, I was glad to see John Stainton do this.

Steve Irwin is his usual self in this film. He's crazy and overly excited about animals and bugs. Which, if you enjoy the TV show, will be fun for you. He continues behaving this way during the non-TV show sequences and continues to entertain. His wife, Terri, has a little more trouble switching from the TV show acting to the movie acting. She has some really bad moments in this film, but I guess since she isn't really an actress she can be forgiven for this. The rest of the cast is nothing really impressive. You've never heard of any of the actors and most likely never will again after their below average performances.

There is no way possible in my mind that if you enjoy the TV show that you will not enjoy this film. It is almost exactly the same as the show, except for having a plot tacked on to it. The plot is silly, but certainly isn't bothersome enough to keep away any true Steve Irwin fans. This will also be a film that kids can enjoy. But don't look for this film next March at the Oscars. That obviously doesn't matter because if you are at the film you are only interested in having some fun and maybe learning something. If you want to see a film that you'll think is artsy see Road To Perdition. But this film isn't the kind of movie you need to see on the big screen, so if you aren't really eager to see the film, just wait till it comes out on video and save a few bucks.

Rating 40%