Rogue is an Australian movie about a lot of people getting eaten by crocodiles. It’s a simple concept and not a new one. But it’s not the story it’s how it’s told. Does Rogue bring something new to the angry anime subgenre?

• Directed by: Greg McLean
• Written by: Greg McLean
• Starring: Michael Vartan. Radha Mitchell. Sam Worthington

Creature Feature Rule Number 1: the guy in the suit gets humbled by his new circumstances…or eaten. Since Rogue starts with a man in a suit getting acclimated to a small town in Australia, he’s our main character: bitter travel writer Pete.  Pete is in Australia to write about crocodile tours and other things. Joining him on this tour are happy families, couples, and a very cute dog. Don’t get attached to the dog. 

About Australian Horror

To say that there are common elements to all Australian horror movies would be to do a disservice to the country and its artists. However, there are a few trends I have noticed. Filmmakers take full advantage of the environment and landscape to emphasize the horror. Rogue does this well with sweeping shots of the river and parched landscape. It’s beautiful and effective. 

There is also a frankness and irreverence to Australian movies, tiny bits of humor in the darkness. It may seem like disrespect to serious subjects, like kids being eaten, but in context it reads differently. It’s about survival when all the odds are stacked against you. In those circumstances, if you don’t find ways to release the pressure, you will go mad. Sarcastic humor and rebellion show up in a lot of classic Australian films. 

The decision was made not to show the crocodile early on. In the first 30 minutes of the movie, we’ve seen other crocs, beautiful shots of them lounging, swimming, and snacking. The rogue just takes people and vanishes, unseen. The reveal is slow and deliberate; a tail here, open jaws next.  It’s well done and well-paced. When it finally makes its presence known, it’s larger than imagined, but somehow also less monstrous. 

The Cruelty of Nature

Rogue is not about a mutant, and it’s not demonic. It’s just a big crocodile protecting its territory.  There is a helplessness to all of that. It’s random and unpredictable. Nobody summoned anything or read from a book they were warned against. This was a tour they had done hundreds of times before.

That’s the point of this type of creature-feature. Nature will turn on you without notice. It’s what makes it beautiful and tempting. It’s also what pulls us into movies like Rogue. This was inspired by a real-life incident from the ‘70s. Of course, the real-life crocodile named Sweetheart was never known to eat people, although he did ram quite a few boats. Sweetheart was also two meters shorter than his on-screen representation. 

Although no one has specific reported a 22-foot crocodile eating a boatload of tourists, there are plenty of individual reports of tourists being eaten by saltwater crocodiles. Similar to shark attacks, the realism in these scenarios adds to the fear and the thrill. It’s one thing to watch this unfold while I’m cozy and safe in North Carolina.  It would be quite different if I was heading somewhere known for free-roaming predators. Oh…wait… more on that later.

So Is Rogue Any Good? 

It’s a very effective giant crocodile movie. It balances realism and suspense with just enough bait to keep things interesting.  The crocodile looks convincing enough, and there are genuinely tense scenes.  It’s not Jaws, nor is it trying to be.  This feels more like a survival movie.

I especially dug the final confrontation. It’s not sentimental in a way a lesser movie could be. Rogue takes every opportunity to remind the audience that this animal is a predator and will do what predators do best:. hunt and eat.  If you turn your back on it or drop your guard, there will be consequences. 

We’re About Survival

Survival is about making hard choices and doing difficult things. Rogue for a lot of reasons, down to small character moments, is about survival.  We get some idea of this early on when one of the tourists uses the boat ride to spread the ashes of a deceased loved one. After the croc wrecks the boat, the urn is left behind as well.  The camera lingers on it, reminding the audience that whatever we brought on the boat is less important than getting through the night,  even a task as significant as honoring final wishes. Death is literally left behind.  

Slightly more on the nose, but no less significant, is the shot after Pete escapes the crocodile’s cave. The tide has come in, and water has covered many of the trees and shrubs. A lone grasshopper has avoided the flood and found a safe perch, ready to fly away. After an hour and a half of water equaling death, it’s a nice peaceful moment. 

Final Thoughts

Rogue is a pretty decent time. It’s low on gore and big on quiet moments of dread. If you like your horror more survival-flavored and slightly more realistic, give this a shot. If you are looking for something more action-based, this might not be for you. 

Rogue is available on streaming.