Octopus

A. Thomas

at 3:58 pm

…but what did you really expect? Yes, the acting’s tragic and the plot has been done forty billion times before but I think the other reviewers have been a little too scathing. It’s not on the same level as Shark Attack 3 (which is genius) but there are parts of this film which are so bad they force a smile. Considering some studio probably budgeted for this with spare change, the octopus doesn’t look too bad – although watching barrels rolling down a reef is somewhat less convincing.

It gets a two from me because if you expect anything more than a one, you’re stupid. It certainly isn’t the worst film ever.
Rating: 2 / 5

stuart

at 7:11 pm

Following a US Embassy terrorist attack, CIA agent Roy Turner, (Jay Harrington) manages to capture terrorist Casper, (Ravil Issyanov) the instigator of the attack. Deported back to the US, the two are brought back on-board a submarine, with Captain Jack Shaw, (David Beecroft) and other guest Dr. Lisa Finch, (Carolyn Lowery) taking special notice of the situation. When they run into an area of water known for deep trouble, they themselves find themselves in a similar situation when a giant octopus attacks the sub and forces it down into the depths of the sea. As they prepare to get away, the creature attacks again, forcing them to find a way to combat it. Realizing that the creature is a mutation from the contents of a nuclear submarine accident years earlier, and that Casper has a small group on a nearby cruise-liner that’s attempting to rescue him, they try to deal with those problems and the creature as well before they’re all swallowed.

The Good News: There’s a lot here that’s really good. One of the best ideas is that the giant title creature forms a relatively minor threat compared to the main action. The film consists of three conflicts to keep things interesting, the terrorist’s accomplices with the liner crew, the escaped-on-the-sub terrorist’s cat-and-mouse dealings, and the sub’s crew with the octopus, and so the octopus is only occasionally seen attacking the submarine. While there is a single scene where a giant tentacle bursts into the sub, that constitutes the entirety of it’s physical attack on the submarine crew in the film. Though it is a very intense scene that really steals the show, the fact that it’s so good is a point that is made about there no other attacks. The big one making up for the lack of others. More importantly, the giant octopus never attains a particular threat in the way that simply not having it’s present menace constantly on the verge of unexpectedly erupting out of the corner of the frame that sea threat needs. Even though it’s not the center of the action, it’s threat is enough to keep it off balance for uncertainty as to when the creature will return. That is a rather brilliant idea. The amount of action in the film isn’t that bad, as the creature’s attack on the ocean liner is a qualified success that is just all sort of fun to watch, and there’s plenty of great moments inside the sub when the creature is attacking. Some of them are a lot of fun and contain a lot of action, making them all the better. The opening assault on the embassy does lend itself into a rather nice chase afterward, and these are simply perfect. They all add up into a cheesy, fast-paced and enjoyable creature feature.

The Bad News: There isn’t a whole lot here that doesn’t work. The film’s biggest problem is that the octopus is rarely in the film. The majority of the film is taken up by the submarine-board drama. Here the film manages to get to the creature when it remembers that it’s also a creature feature rather than a spy-drama. Granted, there is some really great moments derived from this, but the fact that it’s still off-screen for most of the film is a noticeable one. It’s also extremely clichéd, as the token woman on board the sub, who also happens to conveniently be a marine biologist and able to explain the nature of the menace, falls into the habit of only speaking when it affects how to handle the creature scientifically. Then there’s the romance that occurs, which isn’t likely at all and seems to be there just because. The last really big flaw is the completely implausible moments. The villain’s escape plan is particularly notable for its ludicrous implausibilities. It shows that his cohorts infiltrate and take over a cruise liner on the apparent belief that he will somehow be able to escape just at the point when they happen to be above the submarine, despite their having no tracking equipment or he any means to communicate with them on his person. The film’s most ludicrous improbabilities is surely the creature itself. Nothing is given as to what else this thing could be eating. It must weigh tens of tons. What does it live on besides the occasional sunken ship, especially given it’s constant need to eat? And why hasn’t it been systematically ripping into various sections of the boat looking for bodies? You’d think after sinking dozens of ships in the last couple years, as we were informed earlier in the movie, it’d be better at this. Despite these, there really isn’t that much wrong with this one.

The Final Verdict: There wasn’t a whole lot here that didn’t really work, but what’s there was pretty important enough that this does drop slightly. This is still only a cheesy creature feature, so only the most hardcore viewers should concern themselves too greatly with this, while those who like the cheese will as well. The rest need not apply.

Rating: 3 / 5

Anonymous

at 12:26 am

What a load of old tosh!!!! Must be the worst film ever made and I’ve seen some drivvle in my time.
The actings as wooden as an oak tree the special effects are well I daren’t say !!!
The idea was a good one even though done before years ago ( remember IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA?) The black and white classic with special effects by Ray Harryhausen, if you want a believeable film about a giant octopus watch that instead this ones garbage!!!!!
Rating: 1 / 5