Orca, la ballena asesina

Well, here's an interesting twist: in this revenge film, it's not a human but a whale wreaking havoc after a seaman killed its mate and unborn baby. Orca goes after those responsible.

Yes, it's a bit far-fetched making a whale almost human-like but most revenge films are satisfying so the filmmakers figured, what the heck, let's cash in on the popular theme. It's also the decade of "Jaws," so I guess man-eating sea creatures were "in." Actually, it wasn't 'Jaws," but it wasn't bad, either. It was a pretty interesting film.

Notes on the movie: the scene where the baby comes out of the mother is NOT pleasant to watch......Richard Harris and Charlotte Rampling star, but a young Bo Derek is here, too, in a supporting role.

I watched this twice and that was enough.

A somewhat cheesy tale of man versus beast. Leave your sad pills alone, because this film will do it for you. The photography is perplexing: at times we see troubling "cheap" shots detailing bloody scenes and wounded creatures (reminder: "Jaws" was released two years earlier) but the overall cinematography is captured quite nicely, showing the vast, cold maritime coastal region that provides the both the setting and the mood. The disturbing theme song is unforgettable, as it mimics some of the sad, vocal tones emitted by the orcas themselves. The story line is somewhat juvenile (think "Road Runner" cartoons) but where the film grabs us is that rarely has a "man versus beast" tale been told with such tragic emotion. Most of us are aware of the high intellect of the killer whale, but very few have dared to show their emotional side. Sad, gripping, and difficult to watch, this film's reward is to become more acquainted with these amazing sea mammals.

First off, i saw this film over a decade ago, so don't expect a full autopsy on how 70's the film was, or the plot holes. Looking back at these reviews, i must say that my memory of the plot is pretty good. Personally, when i saw this film I thought it to be pretty intense. The plot was not entirely bad. Sure it was inplausible that richard harris picked on the one genius killer whale in the whole atlantic. But am i to believe that non-human animals don't have emotions that include vengeance? No, i don't believe that at all. We hairless primates should learn not to ascribe any moderately complex emotion solely under the category "human".

To me, the real strength of this film was its allegory to the destruction of nature. I don't think it entirely inplausible that the writer wanted to symbolize the strife between man's greed, and the annhilation of this planet's animals and ecosystems. The point could have been, that our own planet at some critical point might strike out at us.

And come on you guys, after watching "JAWS" you want killer animal flicks that conform to modern day science? You're telling me that great whites do, in fact, stalk tourist filled beaches as if they were seal colonies? Now look who's living in the 70's.....

peace.

This was WAY better than I was expecting and much better than it had any right to be. Rather than just another crazed animal kills people movie, it was more mythic in its scope, almost like moby Dick in the way it portrayed man vs whale. It had excellent use of stock footage and trained animals and hid the puppets away with such short shots that it worked quite well. While there were some hokey parts, overall it was a nice, more thoughtful change of pace from the usual blood in the water movies.

The very beginning of this movie displays the peace, beauty, and greatness of Killer Whales. A person is saved from the jaws of a shark, by the mercy and strength of one of these whales. The event is witnessed by an ocean hunter, who decides to change his choice of prey to these great beasts. He eventually harpoons one allright, but what he thought would be a simple kill turns out to be something closer to murder! This is a "ONE OF A KIND" movie, that I think delivers "not bad" , for its' time. Unusually, artistic soundtrack. A must see for movie lovers.