10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Calimari Grande, August 21, 2005
I am sure there is a joke in this movie somewhere, because so much of it is funny. This movie is a less serious version of "It Came from Beneath the Sea." Only this time the giant squid (instead of giant octopus in "It Came from Beneath the Sea") appears interested in picking off citizens of the local town one by one. In a bout of cliché, it appears that most of the citizens the giant squid picked off probably deserved it anyway. Some did not, but that is pretty much like most movies about giant creatures.
The one person who seems to come through this movie unscathed is William Petersen, who was just a few short years away from becoming truly famous as Gil Grissom on CSI. Petersen plays Whip Dalton, a struggling fisherman who really has nothing against the giant squid, particularly if it involves dying. Whip Dalton is probably one of the few characters who was believable in this entire movie.
Actually, one other character was generally believable, and that was the giant squid. The only point in the movie where I thought there was a bit of a stretch was the pool scene, when the dead squid was floating, and then...well, I am unable to say more because that will give away one of the biggest secrets in the movie, and there are so few that you need all you can get.
The bulk of the movie surrounds a bunch of people thinking they can find and kill the giant squid. There are points where some unenlightened people disbelieve that a giant squid even exists, but ultimately they are convinced, even if the giant squid had to make a snack of them in the process. There is a lot of humor involved in hunting the squid. The movie is supposed to be serious, I think, but I was torn between being interested and laughing. Perhaps I find humor in the strangest things, but others have indicated that they find the movie funny as well.
One comment about the VHS tape. The tape shortens the movie. Thus, this movie is in desperate need of re-release on DVD. Some extras would be nice with that, please.
There are few squid movies that make a real attempt at having some measure of seriousness and realism. This movie gives a fair shot at it, though there are a number of laughs along the way. The squids often move in an unsquidly way, but hey, it is only a movie, right? Except that giant squids actually exist. Perhaps one day a hungry giant squid might start picking off people for real. It could happen you know. Really. Watch this movie and see.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A big guilty pleasure, October 28, 2004
You know that Peter Benchley literally jumped the shark when he takes an orignal classic like "Jaws" and remakes it except replaces the big ugly shark with a big ugly squid. If I had a quarter for everytime I have watched this movie on cable tv, I would be rich now. For the over-the-top acting, outdated special effects, and silly writing, I have to admit, I have a soft spot for "The Beast". I always get sucked in watching "The Beast" whenver it is on tv. Before his big breakout role in "CSI", William Peterson was still a relative unknown but thanks to this movie, I always see him as Whip, a struggling fisherman in a New England-type small town. The entire fishing industry where this movie takes place is struggling because they aren't catching any fish and that's because there is a giant squid in the waters. Well needless to say, someone had to go and it wasn't the fishermen. The entire movie is silly and cheesy. It really lacked the suspense and scariness of "Jaws". Secondly, I think the film should have been just a two hour movie instead of a four hour movie. The idea of a mother squid seeking revenge really took this movie over-the-top and beyond jump the shark territory and straight into velveeta land. "The Beast" is one of the most unintentionally funny movies I have ever seen on tv. For all its flaws, I still love watching it as a big guilty pleasure of mine.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AN EXCELLENT MOVIE AS GOOD AS THE BOOK, February 4, 1999
By A Customer
I found BEAST the movie to be as good as the novel and here's why. WILLIAM PETERSEN and KAREN SILAS do a great job in the film as does the rest of the cast. Also wait till you see the special effects for THE GIANT SQUID which are amazing how amazing are they? I won't say just watch and get ready to be amazed I know I was so if you like sea adventure see BEASTand have a blast!!!
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