The Last Jaws - Der weiße Killer

This movie is really worth the money! I went to a DVD store one day and found this movie amongst splatter movies. I read the cover describing it as a real success at the 80's and how mad Spielberg was when the movie got released. I can't believe this movie got that low rating! It may be cheap, it may be campy, but it's really truly entertaining! When I watched the movie I almost smiled the whole time. And that scene with the helicopter... the gore... his legs! Amazing! Laughed my tears out! Sure it isn't as great as Spielberg's Jaws, but it sure beats the guts out of the bad Jaws sequels! Those who thinks my comment is stupid are just the ones who don't understand how bad can be good. Worth watching!

A quaint little beach town is terrorised by a bloodthirsty great white shark.

Universal Pictures' Jaws law suit aside, the film became the 72nd highest-grossing film in Italy 1980-1981. Enzo G. Castellari's offering suffers from the usual Italian ripoff trappings poor editing and ill-fitting music. Sadly the cut away stock footage of sharks really spoils an already chummy film. That said, it has some redeeming features including some of the shark special effects and James Franciscus performance.

Holy CRUD! I couldn't wait to see this flick since I heard it was yanked from theatres by Universal for being such a Jaws rip-off. Good Lord... if they even LET it play it wouldn't have cut the mustard. There ARE some cool directorial elements (like the wide slo-mo) but I think they belong elsewhere...like >another movie. This film is so bad, with an awful Soundtrack, that I kept my finger on the fast forward button after the first 8 minutes. James Franciscus looks as great as ever... he and Morrow both try...Morrow a bit TOO much with an overly acted "Quint" impersonation. There is a great scene on a shattered dock and part of the finale is not to be missed because it's so damned hysterical; But despite it's one or two laughs and it's serious attempts by the director and editor to save it, The Last Shark is bad to The Last Frame. A combination of Tentacles, Piranha and Jaws all rolled up into one hell of a rotten script. As usual, though, an "A" for effort.

I was fortunate enuff to see THE LAST SHARK on a double bill with BEYOND THE DOOR (an Italian ripoff of The Exorcist) ad as many have commented here - Last Shark was threatened with a lawsuit by Spielberg's studio and was yanked from theatres so it is not always easy to see it. For fans of bad movies that are soooo bad that they are enjoyably hilarious - this is a winner. There are many long, drawn out scenes where absolutely nothing happens and yet there are tons of scenes of really bad special effects, hammy acting, and some decent attempts at gore. I love the fact that they try and tie the whole plot around a WINDSURFING CONTEST! So lots of talk about windsurfing, who is the best windsurfer, how excited the whole town is, etc. Vic Morrow (god rest his soul) shows up as the obvious Robert Shaw Cap'n Quint character but Morrow (who appears good and soused) does one of the worst accents I've ever heard - sometimes it's Irish, other times it is a thick Scottish brogue, other times, who knows what it is - the mayor of the town - sorry the Governor in this version - is this fey, badly dressed guy who looks like more of a fashion designer than a powerful politico. The scenes of the actual attacks (especially when the Governor's snotty assistant gets it) is hysterically bad. So as long as you don't go in thinking you are going to see anything of true quality, you should have fun. It is a mess - a true frothy shark toothed mess!!!

The Last Shark would actually be pretty great if it had a better editor: the heroes leave port to kill the shark and return unsuccessfully so many times it will make you seasick. However, this is still an enjoyable Italian rip-off of Jaws (and Jaws 2, for that matter), featuring some decent attack sequences and gory moments, not to mention Vic Morrow as a hilarious ersatz Captain Quint.

One great thing about the shark in this film is that it appears to be jet-propelled (at least that's what it sounds like when its conical head breaks the surface) and has the ability to blast watercrafts fifteen feet into the air. Hilarious! If you're looking for camp, The Last Shark certainly doesn't disappoint.

And, while the animatronic shark isn't on par with Bruce from Jaws, it's not bad for a knock-off.