Natural Disaster Horror Thriller On Hulu You Have To See To Believe
There was a time in my life when I thought the Sharknado franchise was the be-all and end-all of laughably bad disaster thrillers. I’m shocked, horrified, and genuinely tickled over that The Flood is a worthy spiritual successor rife with terrible CGI, stilted acting, and unreal levels of forced tension and suspense. If you’re into this kind of thing, The Flood should be the next movie on your watch list because this movie makes Sharknado look like an Oscar contender by comparison.
Turn Your Brain To The Off Position
The Flood introduces every single character by pausing and writing out on the screen who they are, where they’re from, and what they do. If there’s any indication that you’re supposed to switch your brain’s switch to its “off” position, then this is it. After being spoon-fed exposition in the most blatantly insulting way possible, we can get to what’s at stake in The Flood.
A group of prisoners is being transported by bus through Louisiana during a hurricane. They have to make an emergency stop at the Lutree Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Jo Newman’s (Nicky Whelan) supervision while they wait for the storm to pass.
A Flood And Killer Alligators
Among the prisoners is a supposed cop killer named Russell Cody (Casper Van Dien), who is willing to serve his sentence until his old criminal accomplices try to break him out so they can find his hidden stash of cash from the botched heist that landed him in prison. But wait, there’s also murderous alligators circling the Sheriff’s Department in The Flood.
It Doesn’t Look Great
Set entirely in the run-down jailhouse from this point forward, The Flood does the unthinkable and shows the antagonistic alligators on-screen despite the fact that they look like they were rendered in Blender by undergraduate film students who stayed awake for days on end in order to submit their final project on time. At least Anaconda has the excuse of being filmed in the ’90s when CGI in creature features was questionable.
Handcuffs Don’t Work On Alligators
Foreshadowing an explosive finale by letting the viewer know that canisters of propane are floating around in the flooded building, The Flood heightens its premise to ridiculous proportions because Russell is supposed to make a daring escape by jet ski without getting eaten. However, since Russell is ex-military, Sheriff Newman needs him to ensure her own survival as the rain pelts down on the precinct, and handcuffs don’t work on alligators.
The Flood is contrived, predictable, poorly acted, and the furthest from realistic.
B-Movies Are Still Getting Made Today
Lumping The Flood into the “fast food movie” category, I enjoyed this movie for its novelty and willingness to be mindless entertainment for a rainy day. Sure, I’d like a steak, but I’ve also overpaid at nice restaurants and felt ripped off. At least with fast food, you reliably know what you’re getting into, and you can sleep off the shame of having picked up a bag of greasy fries against your better judgment.
Streaming On Hulu
REVIEW SCORE
That is all to say, The Flood gives me the same level of enjoyment as a cheeseburger that’s been sitting under a heat lamp for three hours. I know I shouldn’t consume it, but sometimes I can’t help myself. If you want to punish yourself for the sake of mindless entertainment, then The Flood comes with strong recommendations, and you can stream it on Hulu right now.
