Crawl

Crawl is a 2019 American disaster survival "horror" film directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. It stars Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper as a daughter and father, who along with their dog are hunted by alligators after becoming trapped in their home during a Category 5 hurricane.

Plot
When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters. With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level -- a relentless attack from a pack of gigantic alligators.

Why We Should Crawl Away From This Movie

 * 1) First of all, this movie has an extremely inconsistent tone and can't tell if it wants to be a horror comedy or a disaster film. Combining that with the movie not being very scary and having every cliche in the disaster movie book isn't a good thing either.
 * 2) Due to the movie having a very simplistic and barebones storyline, it was very clear that the writers were having trouble coming up with certain plot ideas due to the fact that such a barebones concept would offer minimal plot to begin with; making the script poorly written. More reasons as to why are below.
 * 3) There's a bunch of cheesy and campy moments in the film to the point where it's no longer scary.
 * 4) A ton of plot holes are dug up in the movie. First of all, how can an alligator not break a shower door that Haley was in? Second of all, apparently serious injuries can't stop you from swimming like an Olympic swimmer. And third of all, no person can out-swim an alligator. They'd be eaten up in seconds if they try. But apparently Haley and her father can, right? Heck, even her dog manages to.
 * 5) The characters are banal and lack any character development. There's also no reason to even feel for them due to their utter stupidity and unlikability, so you wouldn't care if they lived or died.
 * 6) Haley's father is only there just so the movie can provide someone in need of rescue. Nothing else. You can easily write him out of the script and it won't affect the plot even the slightest.
 * 7) Haley herself is poorly written too and is seen to be way too overpowered. For example, an alligator bites down on her leg, and this 80-pound woman manages to kick it in the face with her barefoot.
 * 8) * Also, for some reason, she can swim faster than those chompers, even though they can swim about 20mph, faster than a human being.
 * 9) * Also also, she nearly gets her arms and legs bitten off by them, but she can still swim faster than them.
 * 10) The characters continuously make dumb choices throughout the movie. There are multiple times where they could easily get to safety, but no. They decide to just keep on trying to fight the alligators just to put in some more action in the movie.
 * 11) * When Haley, her father, and her dog escape, instead of going on the roof and get to safety, they decide to just make a run for it.
 * 12) * What's the point of yelling for help during a hurricane? It's not like anybody's gonna hear them.
 * 13) The movie overuses jumpscares, with about 15 in total, mostly coming from the alligators.
 * 14) It breaks the rule on not showing the antagonist early in the film, with the first alligator being shown way too early, effectively killing off any suspense.
 * 15) The supporting characters/extras are completely pointless since we already know they're going to be eaten up by those chompers even before they develop. In short, they're only added just to be alligator fodder and to be killed off.
 * 16) Continuity errors. For example, there was a scene where some college kids were trying to escape from a motorboat when an alligator kills them and destroys it. But when Haley and her father escape, it's somehow in perfect condition!
 * 17) There are so many stupid things going on in the film to the point where it feels more like a comedy rather than a film that should be taken seriously.
 * 18) After Haley, her father, and her dog FINALLY get on the roof and the rescue helicopter comes, the film ends. Right there. No aftermath. Nothing.
 * 19) The film can get boring for some viewers.
 * 20) The film once again wasted the talent of the producer Sam Raimi, and also it started the dark age of Sam Raimi and Ghosthouse productions.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The only really interesting character is the dog. He's really the only character the viewer can feel for.
 * 2) The CGI on the alligators is well-done and very detailed.
 * 3) * The backgrounds and environments are very good and detailed as well.
 * 4) Kaya Scodelario's performance is amazing, but that doesn't make up for all of the bad stuff and can't save the movie.
 * 5) The bathroom scene is a pretty neat part of the film.
 * 6) The concept of a daughter and father trapped in their home during a hurricane while being hunted by alligators is pretty interesting.
 * 7) Despite the given flaws and over usage of jumpscares, the movie does a legitimately good job at being suspenseful, as it can easily make viewers very tense and nervous due to the movie's multiple moments of dead silence and claustrophobic scenes. This is one of the best parts of the movie.
 * 8) Very cool and genuinely creepy soundtrack.
 * 9) Unlike most other horror films -- this movie is at least self aware and doesn't take itself seriously.

Reception
Despite receiving a generally positive response from critics, it received a more mixed response from audiences, who criticized the script, characterization, and the lack of logic or common sense.