In Alligator, a rarely-remembered creature feature from the post-Jaws era, we find a pet baby alligator being flushed down the toilet for committing the heinous crime of doing a poo behind the laundry basket. Surviving on toxic sludge, stray animals and overly-inquisitive humans, it grows to an immense size and eventually makes its way from the sewer to the surface, running amok while the police and army try to track it down as alligator fever sweeps the city.
Alligator is absolute rollercoaster of a movie, full of humour, action, explosions, snappy (no pun intended) dialogue, well-observed characters, many cast members with extremely pleasing faces, and one of the most enjoyably chaotic weddings you could ever wish to see. Its sequel, Alligator II: The Mutation, despite appearances by genre favourites Dee Wallace and Kane Hodder, fares slightly less well, being little more than a retread of the original but with slightly less heart and enthusiasm. Nevertheless, it still provides 90 minutes worth of entertaining nonsense and it’s certainly nice to see both films being brought together in one place.
This set – the UK release of Shout Factory’s 2022 US edition, with the added bonus of Alligator II thrown in – includes the original film on separate 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, along with the TV cut which is eight minutes longer than the theatrical version and features a handful of clever and highly amusing scenes. 70 minutes of interviews with cast and crew (including production assistant Bryan Cranston) and a handful of trailers and TV spots round off the package nicely along with a poster, booklet, and some nifty wraparound artwork.
101 Films’ release of Alligator in 4K UHD is out on February 12th
