The Land of Smiles is trampled by an amphibious monster in Lee Thongkham and Aqing Xu’s creature-feature The Lake. After a mysterious egg washes ashore, an unknown predator rises from the Mekong River and goes on a rampage. The massive stars of this Thai-Chinese co-production are an achievement in modern kaiju effects, and a few set pieces are engaging, however the film as a whole is weighed down by a nondescript story and a cast of dreary characters.
The Lake is a contemporary update of all those straightforward kaiju classics of yesteryear, such as Mothra and Gorgo. Here a larger than life monster’s offspring is also stolen by humans, driving the parent to take drastic measures. This includes the near decimation of a Thai village toward the film’s beginning. The mayhem born from this ferocious attack alone is elevated by animatronic and suitmation effects as well as forceful editing. The overall film certainly doesn’t avoid CGI later on, although it’s used more sparingly than expected.
It just wouldn’t be a kaiju film without a human story or two to keep everything else happening somewhat grounded in reality. After all the initial chaos, a cop and single father (Theerapat Sajakul) hunts down the kaiju while also protecting his rebellious teen daughter. Then there are the siblings (Sushar Manaying and Thanachat Tullayachat) who experienced the village attack firsthand and are now dealing with the bizarre ramifications. Them and all these other characters are aggressively thrusted upon the audience in an attempt to make them seem more compelling. Rather than feeling like actual people, though, they are cutouts with nothing but problems to remember them by. As for the film’s main attraction, the monsters are gradually pushed aside.
That scene of carnage near the outset is eventful and hard to forget. Victims literally go flying in the air as the nimble and elusive monster snares villagers with its tail, or it chews up anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path of destruction. This short but intense sequence, which was undoubtedly inspired by The Host, is a lot to live up to, and sadly The Lake never finds that same energy again. The closest moment is when the film tries to emulate the famous jeep scene from Jurassic Park, although the adult creature is not anywhere as intimidating or violent as the juvenile. That missing sense of fearsomeness isn’t the result of shoddy effects, either. Once past the first act there’s an increasing shortage of action to help communicate danger.
Viewers will surely admire the practical means utilized to make Jordu Schell’s striking monster design come to life. Even the digital effects are a grade above the usual quality seen in these kinds of films nowadays. This should come as no surprise, seeing as The Lake boasts a significantly higher budget. Yet as impressive as the cinematography and effects are, an insufficient and unfocused story holds the film back. The human drama is uninteresting and, worst of all, the monsters become neglected over time. This “Thaiju” entry has merit as a technical exercise, but it ultimately ends up being too tame and unguided for its own good.
The Lake will have a limited screening in U.S. theaters on March 10th before heading to Digital starting on March 14th.
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