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Orca (1977)

Director: Michael Anderson

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2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Yet another attempt to poach in the profitable waters of Jaws. The threat this time is the eponymous whale, supposedly a killer species. The threatened include Richard Harris in a one-dimensional performance as the shark hunter turned whale-killer, Charlotte Rampling as a marine biologist studying the species, and a townful of fisherfolk. There is some startling footage, but Anderson's direction dithers perceptibly, and finally opts for an unpleasant mish-mash of phony ecological concern and meretricious sensationalism. The ultimate indignity the beast suffers is to become a simple extension of Harris' threadbare macho image.

Author: VG

Time Out Film Guide


User reviews of this film

  • Michele said...
    Posted on Dec 11 2009 17:42 I think a lot of people are missing the point. It should not be thrown into the Jaws category. It is a dark love story. Whales are VERY intelligent mammals that mate for life. When his mate and baby are killed by Richard Harris character, the whale seeks revenge. How far would you go to seek revenge against the killer of your family? Instead of a human getting revenge, it is a mammal of the sea. Quite an interesting twist. You learn so much about the whales from the movie also. The song, We Are One, at the end of the movie is haunting, fitting, and beautiful. Try to watch it with an open mind and don't try to compare to Jaws. It's much deeper than that.
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  • prkprkprk said...
    Posted on May 17 2008 14:04 The film was horrible. It's a total rip-off of Jaws. Come on, Paramount! Think of something better than this!
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