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12 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Twelve Days of Terror, 20 July 2005
Author: bupbup96 from United States

I have been obsessed with great white sharks since I saw Jaws when I was a very small child. I have seen the movie 'Twelve Days of Terror' and read the book as well, and both are utterly fascinating. Like it was said in the book, this incident in 1916 was a 'once in a lifetime' deal. Nothing like this has ever been happened before (and if it did, it was NEVER documented) and probably will not ever happen again, at least not in our lifetimes. I whole heartedly believe that the culprit back in 1916 was a juvenile great white shark. There are scientists that believe it was a bull shark, or a group of sharks. The shark that is on the cover of 'Twelve Days of Terror' was later autopsied and 10 to 15 pounds of human flesh were found inside. There is no doubt that it was a real, true man-eater that attacked all of those people (I believe it was 6 people total, and only one survived.) A shark that preys on humans (which is not a natural food source for sharks of any species) truly, in my opinion is a freak of nature. Very fascinating.

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Not At All A Jaws Ripoff!, 17 April 2006
7/10
Author: surflou from Ireland

The movie is factually based, if you read the actual events that took place in Jersey in July 1916 you will see that the majority of the film stays true to events that happened.

As far as Alex being the one that stops the shark eventually, I think that is a little off-story, he is present and witness to all the attacks and uses that to tell the story in much the same way that the character of Rose tells the story of Titanic, yet she was never an actual passenger on the ship in real life.

Having read the events thoroughly, I then enjoyed the film immensely, it has no over the top CGI and relies heavily on the acting and storytelling. I can certainly see where Peter Benchley may have been inspired to write the novel Jaws.

Please don't go into this thinking that the film is a Jaws ripoff, it's not, it's the prequel!

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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Jaws prequel, 6 August 2006
7/10
Author: wrlang from United States

12 Days of Terror is a dramatization of real events during the 1916 oddity where a shark cruises the NJ shores and tributaries for 12 days apparently looking for people to munch on. Some say that the concept of Jaws was taken from this true story. Many of the same Jaws characters are there, the business people and authorities who won't listen because money is involved, the few who understand the seriousness of the problem, and the 'main course' public who rely on the authorities to keep them safe from something they don't understand. Some discussion over just how many sharks were involved was glossed over since humans are a large meal and sharks don't need to eat every day because of a slower metabolism. Good acting, relatively good camera work, interesting scenery, and a passable script.

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7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Best shark movie I've seen since Jaws, 2 December 2005
8/10
Author: mastrolilli from RD

This movie is amazing, I caught it flipping trough channels and I had to keep watching. I did some googling and the movie is not 100% accurate in who was doing what at the time of the attacks, but it sure is close enough. Surprisingly the most dramatic scenes are also very accurate historically, and I guess it's because of the book.

That's what makes it so great, you get a feeling of realism that's missing in a lot of shark movies. They use a lot tricks to create suspense used in Jaws, and they still work great here. You can sometimes see where costs where cut, but it happens in scenes that don't affect the story too much.

If you start watching and don't like it, you owe it to yourself to watch it to the end, because it just gets better and better. A great story, and a good example of a movie based on acting instead of special effects.

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5 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Its Jaws, but not as we know it., 22 April 2006
7/10
Author: rleather from Manchester, England, UK

Almost gentle version of Jaws, with all key elements still intact; the business officials refusing to close the beach, the one man fighting public opinion, the grief stuck mother.

Here's the thing, Peter Benchley based Jaws upon this true story. So whether you consider the 1916 attacks or Jaws as the 'original' is up to you. But to my liking the film has one to many 'replica' lines from the Spielberg classic. Including the salty sea-dog of a shark hunter.

Don't get me wrong, this is actually a very enjoyable film. But don't expect to watch Jaws twixt the Waltons, its better than that; including elements of politics of the time (America's continued resistance to join the war in Europe) and the class structure of rich and poor.

Interesting, very interesting.... but would you pay to see it? No, I guess not.

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8 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Semi-factual movie on the shark attacks that occurred in 1916, 17 August 2004
8/10
Author: rroberts-7 from Kingsport, TN

While I thought the movie was good. In the fact that it was filmed well and had good acting in it. I still felt it was a "Jaws" rip-off. The movie had great references to actual true life accounts of the incidents. Because of the way the story was played out I felt some what cheated out of a movie that could have captured the events of that era more accurately.

I'd recommend seeing it as its not a bad movie at all. Just don't expect to see much more than a Jaws remake as far as the story line goes. To give it a little more credit than Jaws though I'd have to say the special effects were awesome. The action scenes of the attacks were totally believable. Over all I'd say if you are into sharks and action flicks this one is well worth seeing.

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It was a lot like Blood In The Water, 19 April 2012
8/10
Author: climbingivy (climbingivy@msn.com) from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"12 Days Of Terror" is a lot like the later 2009 docu drama called "Blood In The Water" for Shark Week.I think both movies have a lot to offer.I made a DVD of a broadcast from a few days ago and I watched the movie for the first time last night.I was surprised to see John Rhys-Davies as a captain of a fishing boat.He actually did a good job.I had never seen John Rhys-Davies look pounds lighter.The young actor Colin Egglesfield reminded me so much of a young Tom Cruise.His facial features and some of his mannerisms were similar.I think the gore was unnecessary but that is what people want to see these days.I think that "Blood In The Water" was a little bit better.I have this movie.

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Truth stranger than fiction, 2 May 2011
8/10
Author: Chris. from Australia

Recreation of the real-life events that unfolded over two weeks off the coast of New Jersey in 1916 when five people were attacked, four fatally by one or more sharks. Mostly faithful in its interpretation, dramatisation is understated and the sub-plots are inconspicuous which allows the film to focus on the extraordinary sequence of events. While "Jaws" may have drawn its inspiration from these events, it's surprising that it's taken almost ninety years to bring them more directly to celluloid. More sophisticated than its meagre TV budget, the attack scenes are well staged and photographed, and while the acting is sometimes stilted, the overall collective effort does make entertaining and compelling viewing.

A script writer couldn't have conceived a better tale; one, perhaps two rogue, apparently territorial sharks claim the lives of four bathers within a fortnight, with a fifth victim narrowly escaping death. Following a brace of fatalities in the surf, crusty sea captain (played here by the durable John Rhys Davies) witnesses the migration of a shark up the Matawan creek, but his penchant for the drink has most skeptical when he attempts to raise the alarm. Three more bathers fall foul, before the film diverts to the hunt for the killer, including the imbibing sea captain and an equally corpulent and eccentric out-of-town lion tamer and apparent jack of all trades.

Still an intensely curious case, "12 Days of Terror" builds the momentum effectively, with authentic looking location work and period set design. While the acting can seem forced at times, Rhys Davies and supporting actor Dexter (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Cary Elwes) restore some balance, giving measured performances, appropriate to the mood. Experienced director Jack Sholder has excelled with the limited resources at his disposal, and displays impressive regard for portraying fact and blended fiction to affect a motion picture, moreover than simply a docu-drama. Highly recommended.

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4 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
We're Gonna Need a Bigger Audience!, 4 November 2008
6/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

It's all too easy to just nonchalantly label "12 Days of Terror" as being just another imitation of the legendary horror blockbuster "Jaws" and exclusively focus on its shortcomings. Especially when numerous and reliable sources state that Peter Benchley himself based his novel on these same facts that occurred in the summer of 1916. You can't really accuse a movie of being a rip-off when it's based on facts, not even when it comes more nearly 30 years after a milestone movie that commercialized these same facts. "12 Days of Terror" is an admirable and modest made-for-TV production that doesn't even dream of competing with "Jaws". Director Jack Sholder ("The Hidden", "Alone in the Dark") has more than enough experience to realize he plays in an entirely different league than Steven Spielberg and merely just attempted to shoot a solid and factual shark movie. As far as I'm concerned he succeeded. The movie's main trump is undeniably the reasonably accurate depiction of the 1916 setting. The events occurred nearly 100 years ago, so you already know beforehand that this movie won't primarily revolve on sexy young chicks in minuscule bikinis. We received quite a lot of bloodthirsty shark movies recently ("Spring Break Shark Attack", "Red Water", "Shark Attack 1 to 47", etc…) but there were actually just simple excuses to show hot chicks and hunky boys parading in the latest beach fashion. This film is different. Admittedly the characters are still rather one-dimensional, but at least they're not complete retards. During the first days of the unusually hot summer of 1916, the New Jersey beaches become overflowed with tourists that wish to forget all the daily issues, like that horrible war being fought in Europe. The warm currents also bring another and very unwelcome visitor to Matawan in the shape of a hungry and extremely aggressive shark. The authorities still refuse to close down the beaches even after two fatal accidents, but when the unstoppable animal even swims up the creeks in search for more victims, courageous life guard Alex plans to catch the shark himself. "12 Days of Terror" is a thoroughly unsurprising and unspectacular thriller, but it's never pretentious or boring. Due to budgetary restrictions there aren't many special effects, exhilarating attacks or enchanting underwater shots to admire. Actually, we only properly get to see the shark's fin and even that looks fake. The acting performances are okay and the early 20th century decors are convincing enough. It's, simply put, a harmless little TV time-waster.

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9 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Reading the book now..., 17 September 2004
Author: Nickolaus Pacione (nickolauspacione@bloodmoon.every1.net) from Morris, Illinois

I saw this movie and wishing it is on DVD. I have seen all the shark movies that are made except for Open Water and Shark Attack I. I want to see Open Water but this movie is one of those that is damned accurate to the book as well as well to the events of what happened. Dr. Fernicola, thank you for writing this book and providing the movie to go with it. It was about time to see this movie become made. The question of how they managed to make the shark for this one. It is one that rivals Red Water. I am very pleased with this movie; and I used to read a lot of books about shark attacks and had a morbid interest for what happens to people that were attacked by a shark. This movie adds more of a sting to JAWS in the book form. I am reading both books at the same time. This TV movie was one that I will remember for many years to come.

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