Dark Age (1987)

"I don't know whose skull is thicker, yours or that crocodile." - Cathy

A park ranger tries to stop a killer crocodile.
Starring: John Jarratt, Nikki Coghill, Burnham Burnham, David Gulpilil, Max Phipps

Link to IMDB

For thousands of years, the Australian aborigines have respected the fearsome saltwater crocodile, which they name "Numunwari." But sometimes the violence of nature goes out of control...

Deep in the outback a group of hunters have been attacked by the biggest crocodile that anyone has seen in decades, so a park ranger named Steve Harris gets called in to assess the situation.
Arriving at a small village he meets up with two aboriginal men, Oondabund and Adjaral, and together they begin to track the crocodile. While Steve wants to simply kill the animal, the aborigines are very spiritual and believe that this Numunwari is immortal. Steve's a thoughtful guy, and soon finds himself in the grey area between respecting Oondabund's beliefs and doing his job.

The crocodile kills again, but this time it's an innocent child in the village where Steve's friend Cathy is doing her anthropology research. Steve feels the weight of his responsibility increasing, and as news spreads of a "killer croc" more park rangers are called in with bigger guns.


The Numunwari is nowhere to be found, and Steve feels powerless and angry as dozens of rangers and hunters blindly attack the swamps, but his boss is demanding results before anyone else dies.

Oondabund and Adjaral

With the media causing a panic, Steve heads into the wild with Oondabund and Adjaral for a serious attempt at luring the crocodile back to its proper home. A rival group of hunters are making their own plans, intent on killing the beast, and it becomes a tense race to find the croc.
Just when you think the resolution is in sight you notice there's still 20 minutes left, and the story takes a turn as Steve and Cathy decide they need to protect the Numunwari at all costs!

"No white man can kill Numunwari." - Oondabund

Cathy

Although it mostly just follows the Jaws premise, it has an added layer of originality by implementing the aborigine's mythology into the story. It wisely borrows similar pacing too, meaning that the crocodile is used sparingly, but effectively, until the climax. It also arguably looks better than the shark ever did.

Except for the occasional romance stuff, the plot moves fast and is very engaging. It's all kept realistic and practical instead of outrageous, and this makes the danger feel real, and the tension between Steve and the ignorant mentality of his peers makes perfect sense.
Definitely an above average monster adventure, relying on solid characters and story to keep you interested, instead of just gore and violence.

Be sure not to miss:
- How exactly do you mistake a beer can for a 30' croc?
- Once again, another enthusiastic synth laden score worth hearing.

Internet review:
"Don't write it off as just a Jaws knockoff, or you'll be missing out on a hell of a film." - JDFrew

Should I watch it?
Recommended.

Where can I find it?
Links here.

Dark Age gets...