The Beast

This film first aired on television when I was in middle school. They advertised it heavily and it turned out to be a really great film. It is a well produced television movie that will give you the creeps at certain points. One underwater scene near the beginning of the second half of the film will really get you going. This is the uncut version I am talking about.

There are several cuts of the film that are out there that are very incomplete. The version I have is the one that originally aired on t.v. If you are into things like jaws and King Kong, then you will get a lot of enjoyment out of this film. Some of the characters may be a bit corny but they are played well by some familiar character actors. William Petersen is especially good in the lead role. You really buy the weight he brings to the character. He seems like a genuinely good guy.

"The Beast" tells about the battle of a coast town against a giant squid. I liked the craftsmanship in the movie, a good script with likeable characters the audience cares for (hardly seen that in new monster flicks recently). Nobody acts really dumb, they all have their flaws and motivation. The story is very much "Jaws" by the numbers, though. First a few people disappear, then a whole boat, politicians and a billionaire run unnecessary risks to use the whole affair for their personal advantage. Despite the feeling of seen-it-all-before, good work. I watched the "uncut" TV version which is nearly 3 hours long.

Very good version of Peter Benchley's novel 'Beast' about the arrival of a giant squid and the danger it presents to a small fishing community. Obvious references to Benchley's far more successful 'Jaws abound but the story remains as strong as ever, humans going up against a seemingly unstoppable sea creature to which anything but mortal fear would be an unusual reaction. While I personally disagree with a few of the editing decisions no one can deny that Charles Martin Smith's Graves is a better character than in the book and that William Peterson is perfectly cast as the hero Whip Dalton. Anyone who has read the book will be able to accept the smooth changes along with the rough and believe that this is a far-above average adaptation of any simple novel, especially one destined merely for TV.

Yeah, it's Jaws on a budget, but just pop the corn, sit back, and have a little fun. I have sat through some atrocious horror movies (some of those in the 1950's and 60's are just awful), but this one is quite good for it's genre. Go ahead and root for the calamari, if you must! But she is protecting herself and her child as any mother would do in the same situation. The scenery is gorgeous, too--all shot in Australia, I think. I am not big on his love interest...she is a bit bland, but I do like Dana, his character's daughter. She was very believable and quite sweet. (Has she been in anything else?) Whip Dalton is my kind of guy: earthy, but charming...besides, anything with Billy Petersen in it is worth watching.

This went over pretty big in Australia when it first aired, thanks mostly to the local cast and the fact it was plugged to death by the network beforehand. It's never been seen since, which should tell us something.

My key recollection (and this was eight years ago now) is that it contained the most appalling digital effects I have ever seen. It also featured the tasty Laura Vasquez (from Home and Away), but she went nowhere much after this. Good luck finding a copy - I think they probably destroyed the masters. Or at least they should have.

I enjoyed Jaws as both book and movie, so I thought I'd give Benchley's novel of The Beast a try. It wasn't bad, even if it was pretty much just Jaws revisited.