jefuab "The Beast", based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, is a film about a giant squid terrorising a small fishing community.This is a fantastic film with a convincing, to scale, 60ft squid. The music creates an atmosphere of terror, the cast are all on form and, being nearly three hours long, is very detailed.William Petersen is great to watch as the film's hero Whip Dalton, as is Karen Sillas as the film's heroin Lt. Kathryn Marcus. Charles Martin Smith plays his slimy little billionaire well, and thee rest of the cast do very good jobs.I've been fascinated by this film since I was a kid and it's still not lost its appeal. Watch this film, and read the book if you can.

bilborough64 This is not a Oscar winner by a long shot. It is pretty predictable. Good guys kill beast that is terrorizing a shoreline community. The hero is a widower named "Whip Dalton" played by William Petersen. Dalton has teenage daughter Dana, (Missy Crider). There is a love interest, Lt. Kathryn Marcus(Karen Silas) of The US Coast Guard. There is the usual bad guy Schuyler Graves(Charles Martin Smith) and his greedy cohorts, Dr. Herbert Talley(Ronald Guttman) and Osborne Manning(Denis Arndt). Crider gave a sincere portrayal of Dana and William Petersen was great as the ship's captain and was believable. One might even believe he belonged there.I think the saving grace of this movie is the chemistry between the actors. Petersen and Crider fit perfectly as father and daughter. Karen Silas portrayal of Lt. Marcus was flat made me grind my teeth as she spoke feminist rhetoric that a woman has to be twice as good as a man to get accepted, which may be true depending on who you talk to.The one thing I did notice was that the movie felt like it had no director and was left it's own devices.All in all this is a harmless movie that you can let your ten year old watch without supervision, though you might want to watch it as well.I did like this movie, but I'm still trying to decide if I want to buy it or not.

drystyx This movie really outshone "Jaws" in every department, except for hype. In retrospect, had this film been made first, during the early or mid 1970 decade, it would have gotten the respect it deserved. It had much better action, character, plot, and twists than "Jaws," which was a splendid movie in its own right. This movie is about a giant squid. There have been numerous giant squid movies that rate as bombs, but this one was interesting. The characters are all very credible and likable with one noticeable exception, but even in this case, the actor pulls out a remarkable performance to make him more believable. There is a combination of great casting, acting, and directing that make this enjoyable. There is plenty of excitement. And a lot of twists. Believe me, until the end, you will not predict anything that happens. It has no predictability. The characters are well defined. Much like "Jaws", it comes down to a crew assorted at the end. The end may be a bit "Hollywood", and run of the mill, but the rest of the movie makes it worthwhile.

Joseph Parker This Peter Benchley film has his previous "Jaws" beat hands down. First, it is much more realistic than "Jaws," absolutely convincing you of the existence of such giant squids. The acting is first- rate. I live in Florida and have known fishermen for almost 50 years. These guys don't even act like actors; they act like fishermen. The musical score is awesome! Intertwined with the suspense is one surprise after another until the very end. The action sequences, both underwater and on the surface, are exciting and realistic. The cinematography, especially in the underwater sequences, is beautiful. In addition, there are several very tender and honest love stories -- the young stars especially hot! Some might criticize its length, but I promise you, this is a film that will hold you all the way through. My only negative criticism is that I have been unable to find it on DVD so I can pause it for bathroom and kitchen breaks. If anyone knows where I can buy it, let me know and I'll send my dough! You will watch this many times over the years and impress your guests (the ones with taste).I agree with Joel-80 that it is due for a big-screen remake with top stars and even better special effects. In other words, let Hollywood throw the money at it that the TV folks couldn't. I just hope they don't screw it up with phony mechanical fish like they did in "Jaws." If a good remake happens, even the severest critics will be blown away.