Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Released to TV in 2012 and directed by Don Michael Paul, "Lake Placid: The Final Chapter" chronicles events at the crocagator-infested Black Lake, Maine, after the entire lake has been fenced-off with a huge electric fence. Things go awry when a bus containing the Marshfield High swim team accidentally goes to Black Lake instead of Clear Lake. Elisabeth Röhm plays the sheriff, Poppy Lee Friar her daughter, the heroine-by-accident, and Yancy Butler the sassy & droll game warden. Paul Nicholls plays the sheriff's beau and Benedict Smith his son, the latter seeming to have a thing for the heroine. Robert Englund is also on hand as a greedy poacher. This is the fourth movie in the Lake Placid series and it's about on par with the original 1999 flick, as far as story goes, but it lacks that one's production values. The film features an interesting group of females in the cast, but they're sub-par compared to the previous two installments, although Röhm (the sheriff) and Scarlett Byrne (Brittany) are worthy. As the third sequel hindered by a TV budget it's a throwaway horror flick, but it's generally entertaining for what it is, part serious, part amusing and part campy. It surprisingly even tries to throw in a couple of reverent, moving moments. The film runs 86 minutes and was shot in the sticks outside Sofia, Bulgaria.GRADE: C

It is, by no means, a movie I would refer to as "great", but, compared to the other "Lake Placid" sequels, this is, indeed, a significant improvement.I liked the original with Jane Fonda; that's why I kept watching the sequels, but, up until now, the sequels have been simply horrendous. Perhaps, that's the reason why I actually liked this one; it was a significant upgrade from the previous sequels.Yancy Butler was, of course, the highlight of the movie. I don't think it would've been worth watching without her.I thought the main downside was the fact that the movie lacked the subtlety of the original. This one was clearly going for more action and more gore. And that was a mistake if you ask me.Also, I'm not sure why they called it "The Final Chapter" as the ending suggests a potential sequel.To summarize: A below-average movie if viewed by itself. If, however, you watch it having seen other "Lake Placid" sequels, you will be pleased to find that this is basically the only sequel that's watchable.

Miraculously surviving from the previous "Lack Placid 3" (2010) movie, salty and snarling Yancy Butler (as Reba) kills the offending crocodile. After the credits, Ms. Butler's marksmanship has landed her a job assisting beautiful blue-eyed Elisabeth Rohm (as Theresa Giove), the new Lake Placid sheriff. The killer crocodiles are still around, but have grown bigger and more blood-thirsty than ever. Authorities have enclosed them in a fenced area, hoping to starve them to extinction. They've survived by eating each other, but still prefer humans. Butler thinks handsome fencer Paul Nicholls (as Ryan Loflin) has a "nice ass." We never receive positive confirmation of this from director Don Michael Paul, but female buttocks are very nicely represented...Butler takes a back seat, as we focus on two co-starring couples. First up, an attraction develops between Ms. Rohm and Mr. Nicholls. Then, their grown-up children also become attracted to each other. Her daughter is pretty Poppy Lee Friar (as Chloe) and his son is cute Benedict Smith (as Max). The four are individually well-cast, but there is a problem with Nicholls and son Smith. Whenever they share the screen, they send off a strong gay vibe. This is mostly due to the two actors appearing too close in age to be playing father and son. They also look nothing like a father and son – in fact, in all their scenes together, they look like a couple. Nothing wrong with this, of course, but it seems slightly off-kilter...Possible subtext aide, writer David Reed and the Syfy TV movie team make this sequel a little better than the last two. The story has better development and the characters are generally appealing. Continuity is provided in a nice scene with Ms. Friar's swim team (aka crocodile bait). As a bonus, "Nightmare on Elm Street" star Robert Englund shows up as another nutty member of the "Bickerman" family. None of these improvements are earth-shattering, however, and they don't make "Lake Placid: The Final Chapter" much more than mindless trash. The special effects are worse, if that's possible. The cheap-looking monster crocodiles are unimpressive. You get blood and gore, but no suspense. Finally, this doesn't seem like "The Final Chapter"...**** Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (9/29/12) Don Michael Paul ~ Elisabeth Rohm, Paul Nicholls, Yancy Butler, Benedict Smith

Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Lake Placid still has a croc problem but it's apparently safer now that the government has put up a huge electric fence around the lake. The only problem is that a group of teens are on a field trip and end up behind the fence so a group has to go in after them. Also within the gate is a poacher (Robert Englund) needing some baby croc eggs to sell. LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER is a major improvement over the last two installments and for a SyFy production it's actually very well made. I was really shocked to see the film rebound so well and especially after the previous film, which was just downright horrid on all levels. I thought this film offered up plenty of a fun, a decent story and several characters that you could actually root for, which is rare for this type of film. Horror fans are certainly going to love the kills in this because they're rather graphic and extremely gory for a TV movie. We're given quite a few croc attacks including one poor guy who gets his junk bitten off. Another memorable scene has a young woman hanging upside down and the aftermath isn't all that pretty. The story itself has one major logical problem after another but do we really need to be thinking during a film like this? For the most part I thought we had some pretty good characters to root for with the main focus being on a Sheriff (Elisabeth Rohm) and her teen daughter (Poppy Lee Friar). Both characters are ones you enjoy but both actresses also deliver fine performances. Yancy Butler returns from the previous film and manages to get across a few good jokes and even Englund is good here. The fourth film in the Friday THE 13TH series had "The Final Chapter" added to it and I'm going to make a prediction that this series keeps on moving just like it.