“Cryptid” MOVIE REVIEW

 

“Cryptid”

MOVIE REVIEW

Similar to Jaws and Alien, "Cryptid" writer/director Brad Rego teases the audience with attacks by the unseen or, at best, faintly visible creatures to heighten the suspense. Like those two movies, he tells the plot slowly and allows Cryptid to finish in under two hours. For the movie and its audience, this is somewhat of a mixed blessing.

A cryptid is described as "an animal that has been claimed to exist but has never been verified to exist" in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Former big-city reporter Max, played by Nicholas Baroudi, is currently working for a newspaper in East Nowhere. Somewhere in Maine, a reporter for a small-town newspaper discovers a police investigation into an animal assault. He doubts Sheriff Murdoch's assertion that it was a bear especially when a local woman and her dog are killed in a second attack.

With the aid of the newspaper's photographer, Harriet (Ellen Adair), he quickly has proof that whoever committed the crimes most definitely wasn't a bear. Similar attacks have occurred in the past, starting in the 1950s. A past that some individuals would like to keep hidden.

On the one hand, it gives him the opportunity to give Cryptid a number of suspenseful, expertly filmed attack scenes, with cinematographer Kevin Provost making the most of the darkness and rain to build tension and mood.

Watching the two leads attempt to put the puzzle pieces together is entertaining as well. Based on tracks and a fleeting glance of an eye, they assume that it is not only a bear but also that it is a reptile creature.

However, although being well-developed and realistic, the relationships between the primary characters are not original. The conflict between Max and the sheriff over a now-deceased woman and the attraction Max feels for Harriet despite his frantic need to forget about her. And without cinematographer Kevin Provost, what movie like this would be complete?

Although the movie never really drags, there were a few times I hoped they would just stop talking and get on with it. Even when they finally pursue the beast, everyone remains frozen in place for a while.

The creature is pursued back to its lair, where a surprise awaits its pursuers, and Cryptid does offer a gripping final act with plenty of realistic creature effects and some gore once they stop talking. Depending on how believable you prefer your creatures, the identity of the cryptid may certainly cause some controversy when it is revealed.

When all is said and done, Cryptid is an above-average creature feature that was close to achieving its full potential. We can only hope that director Rego finds a decent editor at the scriptwriting stage because the movie finishes with a clear setup for what seems like a fantastic sequel.

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