There's no way to show a close-up of a squid's eye perhaps and not seem cartoony. This TV mini-series (two parts) has its Disney moments, and you might say it's watered down from a tone you could call horror, but the movie is competently adapted. The directing is fine, and the acting is good.
The name Peter Benchley is the reason to see this. I read the novel nearly 20 years ago and it's taken me this long to stumble across a copy of the movie version. So I have a sense of closure now. I remember it being a page turner and there's not quite the sense of urgency in this dramatization. Some moments are more deft than others. Charles Martin Smith makes a good villain and also provides some comic relief. William Petersen (Manhunter, CSI) as Whip is a reassuring presence.
By now a plot twist that is a mid-point in The Beast has already been stolen as a final gag in Piranha 3-D. But the story unfolds correctly and with reasonable style. Of course there is no point comparing this to Jaws which is in a league of its own - Twenty Thousand leagues above this one. But having just seen Sharktopus I have a lot of respect for the straight-faced and ambitious squid hunt saga. This is not trying to be funny at its own expense. The humour comes from characters, as it should, and the squid isn't played for laughs. The director of The Beast may not be Spielberg but he has gone on to have a very respectable career.
The version I saw was two parts approximately 1 hour and 26 minutes each. It seemed to be intact along with many ocean floor squid perspective shots which might not have seemed excessive when they were likely used to lead in or out of a commercial break. This is preferable to the one version I have heard exists on video somewhere in stores - an edited down two-hour version. But I have to admit I downloaded so that I could perhaps chop down my own version of this. The only padding may be scenes that don't necessarily begin as late as possible or end as early as possible. But even then there are no blatantly boring obvious lifts. This full version is likely the best way to watch The Beast.
Not to be confused with Patrick Swayze's cop TV show for which he bravely chose not to take his pain medication for cancer so his performance wouldn't lose its edge. That is worthwhile in its own right. But this TV mini-series about a giant squid was the Beast I was looking for. Worth watching if you are a Peter Benchley fan.
The name Peter Benchley is the reason to see this. I read the novel nearly 20 years ago and it's taken me this long to stumble across a copy of the movie version. So I have a sense of closure now. I remember it being a page turner and there's not quite the sense of urgency in this dramatization. Some moments are more deft than others. Charles Martin Smith makes a good villain and also provides some comic relief. William Petersen (Manhunter, CSI) as Whip is a reassuring presence.
By now a plot twist that is a mid-point in The Beast has already been stolen as a final gag in Piranha 3-D. But the story unfolds correctly and with reasonable style. Of course there is no point comparing this to Jaws which is in a league of its own - Twenty Thousand leagues above this one. But having just seen Sharktopus I have a lot of respect for the straight-faced and ambitious squid hunt saga. This is not trying to be funny at its own expense. The humour comes from characters, as it should, and the squid isn't played for laughs. The director of The Beast may not be Spielberg but he has gone on to have a very respectable career.
The version I saw was two parts approximately 1 hour and 26 minutes each. It seemed to be intact along with many ocean floor squid perspective shots which might not have seemed excessive when they were likely used to lead in or out of a commercial break. This is preferable to the one version I have heard exists on video somewhere in stores - an edited down two-hour version. But I have to admit I downloaded so that I could perhaps chop down my own version of this. The only padding may be scenes that don't necessarily begin as late as possible or end as early as possible. But even then there are no blatantly boring obvious lifts. This full version is likely the best way to watch The Beast.
Not to be confused with Patrick Swayze's cop TV show for which he bravely chose not to take his pain medication for cancer so his performance wouldn't lose its edge. That is worthwhile in its own right. But this TV mini-series about a giant squid was the Beast I was looking for. Worth watching if you are a Peter Benchley fan.