6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Neurotic whaler Nolan faces off with an enraged killer whale after he kills the whale's pregnant mate.
Starring: Richard Harris (I), Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek, Keenan WynnHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
1977’s “Orca” was created to cash-in on the massive, industry-changing success of 1975’s “Jaws,” with executive producer Dino De Laurentiis trying to get in on a developing trend with his own take on man vs. sea creature. He can’t quite shake the shark envy out of his system (the film opens with sequence involving a Great White), but De Laurentiis elects to head in a slightly different direction with the picture, overseeing a screenplay that puts a killer whale on the hunt for revenge against a particularly selfish human hunter. Director Michael Anderson strives to make something somber with “Orca,” dealing with an intelligent apex predator and a screenplay that endeavors to use some sense of marine science to inspire a suspenseful tale of vengeance. The feature wants to be sensitive and deliver a B-movie event, and while Anderson tries to mount an extravaganza featuring “Jaws”-like attacks and conflicted characters, this effort wipes out when it attempts anything more than cheap thrills.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Orca" appears to be sourced from an older scan of the feature. However, the viewing experience is satisfactory, supporting the movie's rather strange visual approach. Detail is acceptable, handling great distances during oceanic trips and tight close-ups, working especially well with Richard Harris and his creased face. Heavier outfits retain fibrous qualities, and fishing village exteriors showcase aged dwellings and ships. Orca footage delivers an acceptable look at whale particulars, and rubber stand-ins retain their synthetic appearance. Colors are appealing, offering sunshine brightness and a colder palette for rainy locations, offering darker costumes that favor browns and greens. Orca hues are distinct, along with all sorts of bloodshed. Skintones are natural. Delineation encounters a few moments of solidification. Source is in decent condition, with some periodic speckling.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers what the production is offering, encountering some mild hiss at times. However, the track is very odd, playing with levels to emphasize sound effects, intentionally abandoning consistency. Scoring handles with clear instrumentation, securing the somber and suspenseful mood of the feature, with a pleasant orchestral presence. Dialogue exchanges do what they can with technical difficulties, leaving some sequences slightly muffled while ADR efforts are loud, offering distinct dramatic responses. Again, the mix is all over the place, but inherently so, while orca cries and smashing ships are dialed up to keep their haunting effect.
"Orca" is so clumsy, and its melodramatic tone doesn't do it any favors (composer Ennio Morricone works up a sweat trying to support the endeavor's solemnity), especially with its storytelling mix-ups, including Nolan's arc, which tries to assign the captain some mournful awareness of the killer whale's experience of loss, only to keep the man a hunter to the bitter end. The screenplay wants the audience to empathize with the whale and jeer its villainy at times. It can't have it both ways, but that doesn't stop the production as it mangles its original concept while pursuing "Jaws"-style violence. De Laurentiis wants a knockoff, and he gets one, mirroring plot and tone of the Steven Spielberg classic. Perhaps that wasn't the original plan for "Orca," but the final cut isn't an offering of science or compassion. It's just a mess of ideas.
1983
1975
2020
Extended Version
1996
2019
2013
1933
Collector's Edition
2003
2011
2018
1982
1978
1994
2011
Lenticular Slipcover
2016
1976
Collector's Edition
1985
Original Unrated Cut
2005
1970
Slipcover Limited Edition of 4,000 Made
1983