ThiefHott Too much of everything

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

BA_Harrison According to this rather silly Jaws-inspired movie, killer whales (or 'orca') are intelligent, monogamous, great parents, and have an instinct for vengeance, making them not too dissimilar to humans. Except, of course, that they're much bigger. And wetter.Salty sea-dog Captain Nolan (Richard Harris) learns all about the orca's vengeful nature when he accidentally kills a pregnant female killer whale, incurring the wrath of its mate. This being a smart beast, it follows the captain wherever he goes, eats his crew whenever the opportunity arises, makes him a pariah in the small fishing town where he currently lives (by sinking boats and severing the fuel supply), and lures him out to sea for a showdown in the icy waters of the north.Nowhere near as expertly executed as Jaws, lacking that film's tension, scares and unforgettable performances, Orca is preposterous nonsense that is talky and uneventful for much of the running time, and suffers from a preachy eco-thriller plot that has the viewer empathise with the whale (thereby diluting the horror). On the plus side, the film benefits from wonderful photography of its ocean dwellers and a lush score from Ennnio Morricone. Oh, and Bo Derek has her leg bitten off, which is fun.4.5/10, rounded down to 4 for that terrible closing song.

Scarecrow-88 Surprisingly good "killer mammal over the open sea" flick which happened to follow only two years after a certain film directed by Steven Spielberg about a predatory killer Great White. That bit of misfortune plagues what is otherwise a rather nifty "nature goes a killin'" horror flick. Good casting is especially in this film's favor. Richard Harris is really a very valuable anchor for the film (pun intended) while Charlotte Rampling was another bit of solid casting that helps to bring some real acting chops to what can viewed as "just another one of those Jaws rip-offs". Ultimately this is about revenge on the mind of a male killer whale after Harris's captain accidentally kills its pregnant female mate trying to capture it with a harpoon. Knicking the fin of the male, this "mark of identification" lets the viewer know (when the whale doesn't leap from the water to recognize its presence to those he wants to see his handiwork (like causing boats to sink after attacking them or causing a nearby fishing village factory to go kaboom) when the whale is hanging around. The fetus spilling from the rope-caught female with large cuts on its torso onto Harris' deck is horrifying (as it should be), reminding of him of his loss of wife and child to a drunk driver.Rampling is a marine scientist with extensive knowledge of whales. She tries to reason with Harris over confronting the killer whale, soon realizing that fisherman and whale are fated to meet in a violent conclusion. This near a polar region with ice bergs. Will Sampson arrives in the film a little later to try and convince Harris that if he doesn't "do battle" with the whale that the fishing village would turn on him due to its detriment to their livelihood. The whale's antics include snatching Rampling's assistant (Robert Carradine; Revenge of the Nerds), and two of Harris' fishermen (Keenan Wynn, basically wasted but proving how active he was even as he was aging, and Peter Hooten) while on the water. A rather startling but effective attack on a rental home overlooking the sea has the whale biting off Bo Derek's casted leg in perhaps its most memorable scene. Speaking of Bo, she isn't used much (I just assumed the filmmakers would try to get her beautiful looks in as much as possible), although her fate is quite a shocker. Harris really lifts this film with a performance that Orca needs in order to be even in the conversation with Jaws. His teetering on the edge, influenced greatly by Rampling's appeals for the whale, as the two attempt futilely to avoid a fight on the open sea, shows that he isn't just some thoughtless, honorless, heartless sociopath. And a good scene has Harris contemplating to Rampling about why he wanted to capture the male whale and how doing so has cost him so much. Morricone's score also adds dramatic weight and power to the film. The opening with the male and female whales (soon to be parted and destroyed by Harris' carelessness) rising from the water as the sun peeks from clouds is a jaw-dropper. Along with Pirhana, I think Orca is one of the best of the emerging killer fish/mammal water flicks to show up after Jaws. There have been so many rotten apples that came out of the aftermath of Jaws, but I think Orca is one of the few decent efforts of the swarm. The killer whale dismantling the shark at the beginning, saving Carradine (only later to kill him; irony at its darkest) in the process, an amusing message that speaks loud and clear regarding the attempt to pound the chest towards Jaws. The animatronic whales are incredible in their lifelike-ness.

GL84 Inadvertently killing it's mate while fishing, a fisherman and his crew come to find themselves being stalked and killed by the surviving killer whale in retribution and forces him into an epic quest to settle the score.This one turned out to be quite an enjoyable and entertaining creature feature. One of the better features here is the fact that this one sets up the crucial revenge aspect of the storyline here in an incredibly well-done with a lot to like, starting with the scene that sets if off when she's accidentally killed in the fishing attempt gone wrong. It's a heartbreaking scene more than anything through the actions of how sad it is hooking into the creature and bringing it aboard and how the whole scene is played out in front of the mate, as the whole scene comes off with a sense of poignancy that's ultimately touching. It's mournful cries and seeing how it reacts after the fact makes this all the more touching and also leads into the film being quite fun showing off the creatures' antics as it orchestrates a rather complex and involved plan for revenge. The destruction of the fishing boats is rather cheesy but comes off in a clever way that plays into the revenge-driven storyline rather well, the destruction of the complex is a spectacular pyrotechnic showcase that really has a ton of outstanding action in it and the following attack on the house with the resulting injuries on his crew-member leaves this with a really exciting suspense scene as there's the race to get out before both the house falls and the whale attacks. That all leads into the incredibly fun and exciting finale which is set-up as the grand, epic showdown between the two as a huge chase through open-water and on into the Arctic ice-flow that really meshes a lot of exciting action with the attempts to track down the creature and it's countermeasures for a wholly enjoyable sequence. These here all combine with the suitably majestic feeling for the titular beast as the film's positives that are more than enough to hold off the lone negative in here which is the rather over-the-top and needless exploitation crammed into the accidental death of the mother. Despite adding another suitable layer needed for the revenge scenario, it works fine enough as is without it and the sight of it doesn't need to be featured. Otherwise, this one is incredibly entertaining.Rated PG: Violence, Language and graphic violence against animals.

AaronCapenBanner "Orca" has a reputation of being nothing but an obvious rip off of "Jaws", and while there are similarities, this film is strong enough to stand on its own.Richard Harris(quite good) plays Captain Nolan, a fisherman/hunter who kills an Orca, unaware that it was pregnant, and traveling with its mate, who becomes enraged at the atrocity, and sets out on a campaign of vengeance against the crew, and the village harbor it is stationed at. Charlotte Rampling is also in the cast, who tries in vain to warn him on the danger.Exciting, well-directed, with beautiful underwater photography and moving music score, this film is a winner; if anything, the story follows "Death Wish" more than anything!