24 years after Jaws became a massive hit, the “giant man-eating monster” genre got a boost. 1999 brought another shark flick via Deep Blue Sea as well as Lake Placid, a tale that involved a different kind of critter.

While he researches wildlife in Maine’s Black Lake, a mysterious beast kills diver Walt Lawson (David Lewis). A museum sends paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) to investigate this unknown species.

When she arrives, Kelly pairs with Fish and Game Officer Jack Wells (Bill Pullman) and Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson), though the locals don’t welcome the New York-based outsider. Eventually mythology professor Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt) arrives as well and need to fend off potential doom as they seek this unusual aquatic creature.

Even though I’ve yet to find another flick that remotely compares to Jaws, I maintain an inherent affection for the “killer creature” genre. I saw Lake Placid theatrically in 1999 and found myself underwhelmed, to say the least.

26 years later, I admit I struggle to remember what I disliked about Placid when I first saw it. I just know that it didn’t do much for me.

Would my second screening more than a quarter century later encounter different results? No, as my 2025 viewing of Placid left me cold as well.

Though Deep Blue Sea came with some comedic beats, Placid more fully embraces potential laughs. That said, it awkwardly straddles the line between standard “wild predator” flick and actual spoof.

The main issue stems from the manner in which Placid seems so tentative. It doesn’t really commit in either direction.

This leaves it as an uncomfortable combination of genres. Rather than embrace one or the other, it feels like Placid never makes up its mind.

Of course, movies can combine scares and laughs. Indeed, Placid emerged in the post-Scream world where films packed horror and comedy regularly.

Director Steve Miner attempted a similar mix of genres 14 years earlier via House. He failed to deliver the goods there and he continued his reign of mediocrity with Placid.

That said, Placid doesn’t become a truly bad movie. It comes with a good cast and they add life to the proceedings, especially when Gleeson and Platt turn into an amusingly antagonistic pair. Betty White also pops up in a funny turn as a profane local oddball.

Fonda becomes the weak link, unfortunately. While Placid straddles the line between serious genre entry and spoof, she camps up a storm.

Indeed, Fonda appears to emulate Kate Capshaw’s Willie Scott role from Indiana Jonea and the Temple of Doom but in an even less endearing and likable manner. Fonda tones things down some as the movie goes but remains a net negative.

The biggest issue here remains tone. Placid takes itself a bit too seriously to become a quality spoof but it also never becomes funny or clever enough to satisfy as a comedy.

All of this connects back to the likely reason I don’t remember much about my screening of Lake Placid in 1999: it simply doesn’t offer a memorable film. Though it gives us moderate entertainment across its brief 82-minute running time, it just doesn’t really click.

Lake Placid appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a largely satisfying presentation.

Overall sharpness worked fine. A few wider shots felt a bit tentative but the majority of the flick became accurate and concise.

I witnessed no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes remained absent. Grain seemed light but natural, and the movie lacked print flaws.

Lake Placid came with a palette heavily influenced by a golden amber tone, with a blue-green tint for nighttime shots. The colors came across as warm and rich.

Blacks seemed dark and dense, while low-light shots brought good clarity. Outside of a little softness, the image fared nicely.

In addition, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack suited the story. This meant a soundscape that kicked to life well during sporadic violent scenes.

Much of the flick emphasized satisfying stereo music and general ambience that depicted the outdoor setting. Croc attacks and other action beats used the five channels to create a vivid sense of the material.

Audio quality appeared positive, with speech that came across as concise and distinctive. Music sounded full and rich.

Effects delivered accurate elements and packed a nice punch when the loudest parts hit. All in all, the soundtrack became more than satisfactory.

As we shift to extras, we launch with Making of Lake Placid. Created for this Blu-ray, it runs 31 minutes, 20 seconds and brings notes from director Steve Miner, cinematographer Daryn Okada, editor Marshall Harvey, production designer John Willett, effects supervisor Nick Marra, makeup effects Toby Lindala, and actor Bill Pullman.

The reel looks at the script and the film’s tone, photography, sets and locations, various effects, cast and performances, and the movie’s afterlife. “Making” misses a few key cast/crew members but it still offers a reasonable overview.

A Vintage Featurette goes for five minutes, 38 seconds. It involves Pullman, Miner, and actors Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson and Betty White.

We get thoughts about story/characters, cast and performances and methods used to bring the crocodile to life. Nearly no substance arrives via this promo piece.

Croc Test Footage goes for seven minutes, 21 seconds and offers silent video of the reptilian animatronic. This proves oddly boring and would benefit from some narration.

In addition to the film’s trailer and three TV spots, the set wraps with a Behind the Scenes Gallery that presents 40 shots from the production. These turn into a pretty good compilation.

A mix of genre parody and standard killer creature movie, Lake Placid doesn’t blend these two sides well. Though it occasionally sputters to life, too much of the movie seems awkward and unsure of itself. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and audio along with decent bonus materials. Lake Placid comes with potential that it doesn’t quite fulfill.