Wordiezett So much average

Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

quridley Its a decently made and not totally stupid monster movie cashing in on Jaws. The plot is lifted directly from Jaws except Richard Dreyfuss' character is female. Interestingly, Alligator uses the mayor's mafia subplot from the Jaws novel that was left out of the film.While this is atmospheric and the acting is good (especially the great Robert Forster), the film doesn't add much to the genre and its not very entertaining. To its credit, it lifts from more than just Jaws, borrowing elements from Godzilla and THEM!. Kids might like it if they can't handle Jaws yet.

nuoipter termer Alligator is a fantastic movie. A girl gets a pet alligator as a baby at an alligator wrestling show and her dad flushes it down the toilet because it gets out of it's terrarium and poops places. The alligator ends up in the sewer and survives and eats dead dogs that were thrown end there that were experimented with growth hormones. The alligator grows way larger than normal as a result and eats people. It busts out and is gone after by people. A scientist and a police officer follow it back into the sewer and it is blown up by a time bomb. The movie is very scary and entertaining. It's got some ridiculous scenes and continuity goofs but it is good.

gavin6942 A baby alligator is flushed down a Chicago toilet and survives by eating discarded laboratory rats injected with growth hormones. The small reptile grows gigantic, escapes the city sewers, and goes on a rampage.Although the film gives the location as Chicago, the police vehicles in the film appear to have Missouri license plates. When the young Marisa returns home with her family from their vacation in Florida, they pass a sign that reads "Welcome to Missouri." Later, the voice of a newscaster identifies Marisa as "a native of our city," implying the location is a city in Missouri other than St. Louis. Script error, maybe? So, maybe this was a "Jaws" ripoff and maybe Ebert thinks it is only a 1 out of 4, but sometimes (though not often) Ebert is wrong. There was much more going on here, and just making the "alligator flushed" story actually make sense was well played.

Wuchak RELEASED IN 1980 and directed by Lewis Teague, "Alligator" chronicles events in Chicago after a baby alligator is flushed down the toilet and mutates to great size from eating chemically contaminated dog carcasses in the sewers. A policeman (Robert Forster) and a beautiful reptile expert (Robin Riker) team-up to track down the beast when it escapes the sewers and preys on citizens."Alligator" is kind of boring for the first half hour or so, but the last hour perks up and generally keeps your attention. Unlike "Jaws" (1975), which is completely serious and scary, most adults won't take "Alligator" too seriously or find it remotely scary. In fact, I busted out laughing numerous times when the creature would attack people. Speaking of which, you'll sometimes hear Jaws-imitation suspense music as the creature approaches its prey. Some viewers understandably compare "Alligator" to another "Jaws" rip-off flick, "Piranha" (1978), but that movie's all-around more entertaining.What makes "Alligator" mandatory is the awe-inspiring Robin Riker, who doesn't appear until half an hour into the story. From thereon she's featured prominently. Robin was 28 during shooting but possesses such a mature and classy air that she seems at least 35. While I'm on the subject, watch out for the blonde reporter in a red jacket and jeans at about the halfway point (43 minutes). Like Robin, she has an exquisite buttocks sculptured by God Himself. There are also some highlights that you won't likely see in pictures nowadays. For instance, a kid gets chewed up in a suburban pool. And a "great white hunter" (Henry Silva) amusingly corrals three black dudes in the urban jungle to assist him in his hunt. Of course this wouldn't be "politically correct" today.THE MOVIE RUNS 87 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River. WRITER: John Sayles.GRADE: B-