Orca: Killer Whale

Incredibly cool stuff. I can't believe my eyes that in 1977 someone could make such an admirably well made animal horror film with a killer whale that isn't even digital, plush, paper or plastic, but alive! The whole film has a great atmosphere, a nice pace, even a pretty decent death. What impressed me the most was the opening five-minute speech at the lecture about killer whales, which even makes you more intelligent. 80% (12/04/2015)

When Spielberg made Jaws in the mid-70s, a phenomenal box office success was born, which kept many producers awake at night, so in the following years numerous remakes and imitations emerged, mostly mechanically looting the original material and creating incomparably worse things. Orca: Killer Whale is probably the most successful of these with the benefit of hindsight, as the screenwriter and director followed a unique line of revenge against the killing of a calf, thus bringing elements of originality to the theme. If the viewer overlooks the fact that the killer whale shows exceptional intelligence when performing its cunning tricks, it is an attractive adventure spectacle. Moreover, it is decently acted - Richard Harris and Charlotte Rampling deliver their standard, which is nothing to scoff at. Unlike Jaws, the film does not have a happy ending, pleasing Greenpeace supporters and environmental activists the most. Overall impression: 65%. (12/01/2009)

Actually, a much better film than the premise of a vengeful killer whale deserves to be. (03/09/2014)

I don't want to say that Orca: Killer Whale is outright great, because it's no. There's a lot that's unoriginal in it and a lot that copies Jaws, at least in the way some scenes are designed and shot. Yet I was not bored while watching the co-production Orca: Killer Whale and I felt that this is a good B-movie that can primarily entertain audiences. And to perhaps also think a little bit. (11/06/2019)