In Bad CGI Gator, six friends take a weekend trip to a secluded cabin in South Georgia. The plan is to drink, party, and fool around, with no hassles from the outside world.
Shortly after arriving at the cabin, the group decide to make a TikTok video, which they hope will go viral. In the video, they throw their old school laptops into a nearby lake, to make a statement about their transition from students to adulthood.
But residing in the lake is a baby alligator who becomes greatly effected by one of the laptops. After the alligator touches the discarded device, a surge of electricity causes the animal to grow in size.
The now adult-sized gator leaves the water and after feeling rather peckish, decides to go on a killing spree. It has six teens to feast on, and it won’t settle until all of them are in its belly.
Directed by Danny Draven, Bad CGI Gator stars Michael Bonini, Maddie Lane, Ben VanderMey, and Rebecca Stoughton. Bad CGI Gator is a low budget horror comedy, which is currently streaming on Full Moon, and as the title makes clear it features a bad cgi alligator.
How bad? Suitably bad. The titular gator looks like it has been lifted from a PlayStation 2 game. It is of course rubbish, and terribly animated, but it gets a pass because it doesn’t hide what it is.
Had the movie been called Really Good CGI Gator or Award-Winning CGI Gator With Unmissable Special Effects then it would be another matter entirely. But that’s not the case here, and at least you know what you’re in for before pressing play.
However, despite the honesty of the film’s title, this doesn’t make this a good movie. Yes, its B-movie status is signposted from the get-go, but this doesn’t excuse the fact it is undercooked schlock, which uses its title to try and get away with too much.
To put things simply, the acting is awful, the story is practically non-existent, and not a great deal happens in the film. There is no real value in here, nor is there any excitement, tension, or suspense, and all logic gets completely abandoned in the bayou.
The movie also ends rather abruptly, suggesting either the writer didn’t know how to conclude the film, or the production simply ran out of cash. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually a combination of the two, but either way it is another example of why this film fails.
This is not just low-rent stuff, it’s cheap, half-formed nonsense. It hopes to entice curious audiences with its whacky title, but it fails to deliver anything beyond its name, and the end result is a waste of everyone’s time.
The shortcomings of Bad CGI Gator are a shame because despite its issues the movie does demonstrate some potential. The script offers up a few moments of satire, there is a knowingly playful tone present in the picture, and the villainous gator could easily be far more fun with a few tweaks.
It’s also important to recognise there is a market for daft horror like this so it can’t be completely written off as a poor idea. Just look at something like 2014’s Zombeavers, which is an entertaining low budget horror comedy, and it becomes clear that with the right development some fun can be had.
But this film isn’t Zombeavers, nor is it fun. It fails to reach any level of enjoyment, meaning it merely exists and nothing more.
I genuinely believe with more money, stronger actors, and a better ending, Bad CGI Gator could be a decent film. However, as it stands, it’s mostly just a few ideas chucked at the screen and that’s it.
If you wish to see a great gator movie, then I’m afraid Bad CGI Gator isn’t it. You’d be much better off watching the 1980 cult horror, Alligator, and avoiding this one entirely.
What we have here with Bad CGI Gator is something cheap and underdone. Yes, there are moments when it shows hints of promise, but even if the film acted on its potential it still wouldn’t be able to elevate itself above what it is.
With the name Bad CGI Gator this film was never going to be the Citizen Kane of creature features, but it could be better than it is. Unfortunately, it’s simply not good, and not a worthwhile way to spend an hour of your life.
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