Steve Irwin takes on Hollywood in 'Crocodile Hunter'

By Marshall Fine
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

THE CROCODILE HUNTER: COLLISION COURSE: (Rated PG for violence, profanity, scatological humor). Two and One-Half Stars (Fair-to-Good) The attempt to wrap a conventional plot around one of Steve Irwin's nature adventures proves to be a pitiable one. Still, when Irwin goes one-on-one with wildlife, there's no denying his appeal. If only they'd trusted that and spared us the lame comedy that's been so crudely grafted on to this film. Starring Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin. Directed by John Stainton. MGM., 89 minutes.

"Look at 'im — isn't he gorgeous? He's a Hollywood studio, and he's sniffed the bait of me TV show. Now here he comes, wanting to make a tasty snack of me popularity and turn it into a big-screen adventure. Oy!"

OK, that's enough of that. I'm sure it's hard for even Steve Irwin to be Steve Irwin all the time, at least at the level of energy he displays on his various cable TV shows — or in his first film, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course."

An odd hybrid of nature documentary and a bad 1960s spy comedy, "Croc Hunter" is at its best when it simply lets Irwin be Irwin: a wide-eyed daredevil with an insatiable need to put himself in the immediate vicinity of wild and dangerous animals. This, as his fans know, is not an act so much as an extrapolation of the Australian's larger-than-life personal reality, where he is a wildlife specialist who runs a preserve called Australia Zoo.

The appeal of Irwin's antics is unmistakable. The boyish, blond, Beatle-maned Aussie is like a big kid run amok in some forbidden playground, pursuing a career that's part Marlin Perkins, part Tarzan, while working to help wildlife and smooth the interface between man and other species.

And, to a surprising extent, that's what director John Stainton taps into with the "Croc Hunter" movie. The director of Irwin's popular TV series, he understands that Irwin is at his best when he's being good ol' Steve-o, a ruddy good bloke who likes to wrestle reptiles, go nose-to-nose with huge spiders and hold poisonous snakes by the tails. Stainton understands that Irwin isn't an actor; he's just being himself. So he constructs a movie around him that allows him to go on one of his expeditions, even as the script constructs a forgettable plot that intersects with Irwin's adventures. The latter — written by Holly Goldberg Sloan — is remarkably canned drivel about two hapless CIA agents tracking a satellite part that's been swallowed by the croc that Steve is chasing. The script also offers a cranky rancher (Magda Szubanski) who wants to kill the same croc for gobbling her cattle.

As corny and lifeless as these attempts at comedy are, they're offset by the wild encounters Irwin has with a colossal spider that can kill and eat birds, and by the huge rogue crocodile at the center of the plot. No matter what happens before or afterward, it's impossible to resist when Irwin starts wrestling this ornery reptile.

Irwin is so earnest that it's hard to resist his pleas to spare wildlife and respect their environs. There are far worse messages to teach a young audience, which will probably be perfectly happy with the sloppy slapstick comedy.

Rated PG for violence, profanity, scatological humor.