Aussie icon John Jarratt, best known to the modern audience for his scary villain in the "Wolf Creek" films & series, is highly engaging here as Steve Harris. Steve is a wildlife ranger who's been working hard to maintain the crocodile population in Australia. Then he hears of a particularly large and bloodthirsty reptile that is occasionally feasting on people (including children).
The catch here is that given Steves' profession and ideology, he wants to take this croc alive if at all possible. His idea is to move Numunwari - that's the name given to the croc - to a remote area, away from most humans. This he does with the assistance of wise, amiable Aborigine Oondabund (Burnham Burnham, "Howling III") and Oondabunds' son Adjaral (played by another Aussie icon, David Gulpilil ("'Crocodile' Dundee"). Opposing him is macho, moronic poacher John Besser (Max Phipps, "The Road Warrior").
"Dark Age" is a quite solid "Ozploitation" feature that actually succeeds in having its cake and eating it too. It's both a tried-and-true creature feature with a mild body count, and an appreciation of and ode to nature. Much like "Lake Placid" a dozen years later, its main hook is the fact that we have characters like Steve who don't want to kill the croc if they can help it.
Excellent location usage, photography, and music are heavy assets, with the cast doing creditable work. Jarratt is a personable hero, and the lovely Nikki Coghill ("The Time Guardian") is appealing as his ex-girlfriend. Burnham delivers the standout performance as the man who feels possessive towards the reptile, although Phipps gives him some competition as a repugnant heavy.
The screenwriters, working from a novel by Grahame Webb, and director Arch Nicholson don't linger too long on things like character development, preferring to get to the meat & potatoes of the story. The result is an agreeable little picture that wraps up in just over an hour and a half.
In the 33 years since its release, it started to become something of a cult favourite, and buffs will know that Quentin Tarantino considers it one of his top Ozploitation features.
Seven out of 10.
The catch here is that given Steves' profession and ideology, he wants to take this croc alive if at all possible. His idea is to move Numunwari - that's the name given to the croc - to a remote area, away from most humans. This he does with the assistance of wise, amiable Aborigine Oondabund (Burnham Burnham, "Howling III") and Oondabunds' son Adjaral (played by another Aussie icon, David Gulpilil ("'Crocodile' Dundee"). Opposing him is macho, moronic poacher John Besser (Max Phipps, "The Road Warrior").
"Dark Age" is a quite solid "Ozploitation" feature that actually succeeds in having its cake and eating it too. It's both a tried-and-true creature feature with a mild body count, and an appreciation of and ode to nature. Much like "Lake Placid" a dozen years later, its main hook is the fact that we have characters like Steve who don't want to kill the croc if they can help it.
Excellent location usage, photography, and music are heavy assets, with the cast doing creditable work. Jarratt is a personable hero, and the lovely Nikki Coghill ("The Time Guardian") is appealing as his ex-girlfriend. Burnham delivers the standout performance as the man who feels possessive towards the reptile, although Phipps gives him some competition as a repugnant heavy.
The screenwriters, working from a novel by Grahame Webb, and director Arch Nicholson don't linger too long on things like character development, preferring to get to the meat & potatoes of the story. The result is an agreeable little picture that wraps up in just over an hour and a half.
In the 33 years since its release, it started to become something of a cult favourite, and buffs will know that Quentin Tarantino considers it one of his top Ozploitation features.
Seven out of 10.