Barnes & Noble

For every Mission: Impossible there are at least ten TV show–based films that land on the screen with a thud. But with hyperkinetic Australian eccentric Steve Irwin at the helm, The Crocodile Hunter's big-screen premiere would be hard-pressed not to entertain. For his foray into filmdom, Animal Planet's Irwin plays it close to the khaki vest, and the result is surprisingly engaging -- if you think nature's pretty cool and get a bit of giddy delight each time he shouts "Crikey!" The plot follows Steve and his wife-cum-adventure partner, Terri, as they traverse the Outback, interacting with animals and preaching conservationism. Unbeknownst to the Irwins, part of a U.S. government satellite has crashed to earth, where it was swallowed by an ornery 12-foot croc. When covert agencies come looking for it, Steve thinks they are poachers and outmaneuvers them at every turn in order to keep the croc out of their hands. Director John Stainton devotes most of the 89 minutes to letting Steve be Steve. Like a Tasmanian Devil on his fifth cup of Joe, Irwin whizzes through the movie, tangling with a venomous, bird-eating spider, rescuing a helpless kangaroo joey, and wrestling crocs with characteristic aplomb. If Collision Course often seems like little more than a long installment of his show, it is an especially good one. Irwin is no Mel Gibson. He’s not even a Paul Hogan. He is simply himself -- a uniquely fearless, affable adventurer on a mission to educate and amaze. The Special Edition DVD offers a making-of documentary, a featurette on working with wild beasts, and several deleted scenes with introductions by director John Stainton. Peter Marchand

All Movie Guide

Crikey! Following a brief cameo in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), hyperactive, high-energy cable television star and native Australian naturalist Steve Irwin parlays his success as a confronter of all things scaly, fanged, and venomous into this feature-film adventure. Irwin and his wife Terri Irwin play themselves as animal activists who rescue an endangered crocodile, not realizing that the critter has swallowed a downed top-secret satellite beacon that's the subject of an intense search by CIA personnel. Believing that the spies are poachers out to steal the animal's precious hide, the Irwins evade their pursuers while attempting to get the crocodile to safety in a remote area of the Outback, adopting an orphaned joey (a baby kangaroo), and grappling with bird-eating spiders and poisonous snakes along the way. In the meantime, the secret agents mistakenly believe the Irwins are enemy operatives trying to steal their highly valuable technology. The real-life Irwins donated all of their fees from The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) to wildlife conservation efforts. Karl Williams

Product Details

• UPC: 027616880567
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:29:00
• Sales Rank: 14,560

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