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The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course

The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course on DVD

The main problem with a movie like this is there was absolutely no reason for it to be made.

Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course clocks in at 89 minutes, less than half an hour longer than Steve Irwin’s TV show. To add insult to injury, the only parts of the movie that are worth watching are the parts with Irwin doing his schtick, which you can see on TV for free (well, for the price of cable, at least).

But they had to add a fictional story, supposedly, and this is it: A United States satellite beacon has fallen from space and landed in Australia. Before the Americans have a chance to retrieve it, it’s swallowed by a crocodile. It just so happens that this particular croc is becoming a nuisance, so Mr. Irwin takes it upon himself to relocate it. The U.S. government is on the trail of the croc and the Crocodile Hunter, intent on getting back their beacon.

Except for the bits with Steve and Terri Irwin doing what they do best, this is a pretty terrible movie. Its major flaw lies in the fact that it needed good actors acting poorly, rather than bad actors acting very poorly. The way it is, it almost looks like it wants us to take it seriously.

Steve Irwin is always fun to watch, if for no other reason than to see what he’ll do next. This time around, he’s catching snakes, spiders, and of course, crocodiles. He’s perfectly comfortable on camera, with a great on-screen personality. His wife, Terri, however, doesn’t seem quite as comfortable. She’s not bad on the show, but in the movie she seems like she’s reading from a cue card.

Collision Course is not a bad movie if you take it for what it is, but when you can watch The Crocodile Hunter on cable and avoid the terrible supporting cast, bad screenplay and superfluous plot, why bother?

For some odd reason, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course has been given a fantastic DVD, while movies like Windtalkers that deserved one, didn’t get one. The audio and video are both excellent, and there are a ton of supplements to keep you somewhat entertained for a while.

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, the picture is outstanding. It’s crisp and clear, and looks as good as many of the best DVDs these days. The Crocodile Hunter scenes, interestingly enough, seem to have been filmed in full screen. Black bars appear on either side whenever it switches to Steve Irwin, but the black “letterbox” bars still remain. This is much better than it would have been had they switched back and forth between widescreen and full frame. Since Irwin filmed many of his antics himself, it’s understandable he didn’t have a high-tech, widescreen camera to use.

The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital, and most is restricted to the front except for some minor effects. But they can be misleading, since it sounds as if there are insects flying around the room. At one point you’ll pause the movie to find the bugs, but they’ll no longer be there. It’s just a very subtle use of surrounds.

The many extras include a short making-of documentary hosted by – you guess it – Steve Irwin, a “Lights! Camera! Animals!” featurette, deleted scenes introduced by director John Stainton, some behind-the-scenes effects footage, a music video, a pop-up croc track (sounds like a croc to me), some interactive games, a photo gallery, and trailers. It’s a very generous array of supplements, especially considering the movie didn’t break any box office records. Most of them are short, but for the most part they’re fairly enjoyable.

It’s a great DVD; now if only MGM would give this kind of treatment to more deserving movies.

The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, from MGM Home Entertainment
89 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, Magda Szubanski, David Wenham
Produced by Arnold Rifkin, Judi Bailey and John Stainton
Screenplay by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Directed by John Stainton

 

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Updated May 13, 2006