Crawl takes audiences on an emotionally thrilling journey surrounded by alligators.

Kaya Scodelario stars as Haley in Crawl. CREDIT: Paramount Pictures

This post for Crawl is spoiler-free.

When the opening scene of Crawl (2019, directed by Alexandre Aja) started rolling, it immediately felt suggestive of a typical sports genre movie about an Olympic athlete; but as the next 15 or so minutes go by, the movie shifts its tone to something more apocalyptic as the main plot becomes centred around a Category 5 hurricane set in Florida, in which Haley (Kaya Scodelario) must go and check on her father Dave (Barry Pepper) to ensure that he is safe and sound.

Scodelario puts on an incredibly emotional performance like you’ve never seen before. In Crawl, her character Haley is a college swimmer who has been training since she was a child. It’s apt that her character’s swimming skills are put into good use in the movie, as she has to escape the dangerous floodwater that is surrounded by multiple alligators. 

Her father, Dave, portrayed by Pepper, also adds on to the emotional weight of the movie. At some point in the movie, Dave does get bitten by the alligators and his physical performance is so realistic and convincing that it will leave you squirming in your theatre seat (something which I am guilty of).

Despite a gripping climax in the second act, there are some unrealistic scenarios in the movie that I can’t get into as this is a spoiler-free review. But let’s just say that—the ones who survived the hurricane are just unbelievably lucky.

Crawl is definitely a satisfying thriller movie to watch in theatres, as it features jumpscare scenes that are bound to shock you; but what makes Crawl even more shocking, is its starving apex predators and realistic on-screen injuries.

Rating: 4/5