mp4s making VLC crash?

Hey, all.... I recently downloaded an mp4 video file, and was told that VLC was the program of choice for such things. Nevertheless, when I try to play the file, it works OK for a few seconds, then “freezes," much as a DVD player might when trying to play a defective disc. A blurry, pixellated still shot persists on the screen a moment as the audio keeps playing, but eventually the program just crashes.

Is this a corrupt file? It’s the right size, so it looks like it’s all there. But I can’t fer the life of me figure out what’s going on. Something wrong with my copy of VLC?

Advice? Thanks!