Orca (1977)

I love this movie so much

Overrated and overhyped

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Made just two years after "Jaws", this isn't the crowd-pleasing blockbuster its predecessor is; it's a more adult film, turning a whale-seeking quest into a mystical journey to the end of time. There are all sorts of ways to read this film metaphorically (maybe the whale represents Harris' desire to die because of his grief, or maybe it represents everything he would like to have done to his own wife and baby's killer), but it's also effective at a simpler level; it can't be easy (much less in 1977) to create the illusion of a whale systematically preying on humans, but they do it here. Harris is superb, and Morricone's music is magnificent. It's not a pleasant film to watch, but it has made a strong impression on me (and left me with conflicting emotions) ever since I first saw it, many years ago. It's probably one of the top 5 "when animals attack" thrillers ever made. *** out of 4.

This film was made during a time when Orca whales were not too well studied and known about. That being said, it puts a whole different sense of fear into the one watching the film. I'll call this the "boat scene" when a key point in the movie occurs, which is one of the most disturbing scenes in any film I have ever seen. It leaves you with a feeling of sorrow and pity for the antagonist (or protagonist?) and can only imagine the pain he must be feeling. The movie is so complex in its situations that it leaves the viewer with mixed feelings on who the overall winner should be. It remains one of the best marine horror movies in my book. I definitely recommend it.

This is a "paycheck" movie in every sense of the word starting with the scenery chewing lead performance by Richard Harris. Add in Keenan Wynne (as a wily old seaman), Will Sampson (as a wise Inuit), a young Bo Derek (as the requisite "cute girl") and you have the makings of a cookie cutter studio film designed to cash in on the Jaws phenomenon. Only Charlotte Rampling, as Marine Biologist Rachel Bedford (the Matt Hooper of this film) rises above the drek of this film. It is one to avoid.5 (out of 10) stars - and I'm being generous - and you can take that from the Bank (ofMarquis). PLEASE...take this from the BankofMarquis!

Although warned about the dangers of hunting a killer whale a fisherman by the name of "Captain Nolan" (Richard Harris) disregards the warning and sets off with a small crew to capture one alive. Unfortunately, things don't turn out as planned and he ends up accidentally killing a pregnant female killer whale and its unborn offspring as well. Having witnessed their deaths, the male killer whale now wants vengeance. So he follows the boat back to its port and attempts to create enough havoc offshore to force Captain Nolan to come back to sea and settle the score once and for all. Now, while I certainly have no doubt that killer whales are quite intelligent, I have to admit that this particular movie went more than a bit overboard with this entire scenario. To that end, I thought that the talents of Charlotte Rampling (as "Rachel Bedford"), Bo Derek ("Annie") and the aforementioned Richard Harris were completely wasted by this ridiculous plot. I have rated the film accordingly.