Aug 2020
Ok I have recently learned that an orca isn't a whale but a dolphin. I guess they didn't knew that back in the 70s as they still referred to him as killer whale. My blu ray with German title mentions: orca: the killer whale;
So that means it isn't literally a rip-off from Moby Dick or Jaws and Free Williy eventually became the family friendly version of Orca. But since many killer fish/water mammals eventually became labeled as Jaws rip-offs, movies trying to cash-in on Spielberg's movie.
There are similarities but also a lot of differences Between Jaws and Orca
Jaws is pretty straightforward, a shark actively hunting for people looking for recreation at sea.This prompts the mayor to organize a hunt for the big killer fish.
Orca doesn't take place at sandy sunny beach but at a rocky small fisher's village. Here we have a fisherman named Nolan (Richard Harris) who got tired of average pay and found a more lucrative deal hunting for big fish. The bigger the caught animal the better the payment. He gets really excited when a group of orcas are spotted bigger and more powerful than any of the sharks in those waters despite warnings from biologist Rachel (Charlotte Rampling) who noticed that it was a male and female who normally stay together their whole life. Disrupting the happy family could lead to catastrophy and that's what Nolan does. On the hunt he aimed for the male but instead harpoons the female orca. Not only does she get badly hurt and eventually dies it appears she is pregnant too. The male goes on attack versus the boat and kills the oldest crew member. He also looks at Nolan, the killer of his mate and unborn child in the eyes. The orca knows this is the guy I want to take revenge on. And that's a big difference with Jaws where the shark kills people because he likes human flesh making the people vengeful, in Orca it is the animal out for revenge and that versus one particular person and anyone getting in his way or being too good mates with Nolan.
This time Nolan knows it is serious, he decides to quit his hunt on the animal and takes the advise of Rachel staying away from the water. However the orca taunts him tries to lure him into the water. He wrecks several fisher boats but not Nolan's. Even though other fishermen pressure Nolan to hunt the animal down, he still refuses rightfully afraid. However when the orca takes it one step further wrecking Nolan's beach house above the waters in which his female assistant Annie (Bo Derek) loses one of her legs, Nolan has no other choice. He needs to face the big creature on the waters. The leg bitten of is probably a nodd to Moby Dick. The captain wanting to get that big white whale for handicapping him for life. Here the roles are reversed however.
The final part in Orca is however more like Jaws, an active hunt for the beast at sea on a boat. Nolan gets Rachel, two male colleagues and the old Indian specialist in local legends Jacob (Will Sampson mostly known for his role as the chief in One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest and Taylor in Poltergeist II) aboard to assist him. This eventually leads to a thrilling showdown looking like a mixture of Jaws and Moby Dick. I'm not giving away the ending.
In the end both Orca and Jaws are more drama/thriller than outright horror. In both there is very little graphic scenes. However there is numerous reasons why I prefer Orca over Spielberg's blockbuster.
In short:
Orca has a more developed story. Even though most of the characters don't get much characterisation (mostly Nolan and Rachel) I felt more of an attachment to them and also to the orca. His desire for revenge is understandable. Losing his wife and child is really a heartbreaking moment in the movie. If they have a great memory like an elephant I doubt it but it works in order for the next events. I rooted for the orka. Except for Quint I could never root for Bruce.
Bruce rarely showed up. While some people thought this added to the tension it was actually a budgettary choice. Even some of the fans said the shark didn't look too good for me a plastic beast is not a problem, we had plenty of those in the 50s and that worked for me too. However if possible I prefer live animals. I don't know for sure but the orca's seemed real to me.
Orca has a much darker atmosphere especially the night scenes enhance that effect. The setting alone is more cold than the sunny coast in Jaws.
Dialogues and length eventually makes a movie like Jaws pad too much. In Orca they are more to the point, also the action is spread much better in a length of 90 minutes.
So that means it isn't literally a rip-off from Moby Dick or Jaws and Free Williy eventually became the family friendly version of Orca. But since many killer fish/water mammals eventually became labeled as Jaws rip-offs, movies trying to cash-in on Spielberg's movie.
There are similarities but also a lot of differences Between Jaws and Orca
Jaws is pretty straightforward, a shark actively hunting for people looking for recreation at sea.This prompts the mayor to organize a hunt for the big killer fish.
Orca doesn't take place at sandy sunny beach but at a rocky small fisher's village. Here we have a fisherman named Nolan (Richard Harris) who got tired of average pay and found a more lucrative deal hunting for big fish. The bigger the caught animal the better the payment. He gets really excited when a group of orcas are spotted bigger and more powerful than any of the sharks in those waters despite warnings from biologist Rachel (Charlotte Rampling) who noticed that it was a male and female who normally stay together their whole life. Disrupting the happy family could lead to catastrophy and that's what Nolan does. On the hunt he aimed for the male but instead harpoons the female orca. Not only does she get badly hurt and eventually dies it appears she is pregnant too. The male goes on attack versus the boat and kills the oldest crew member. He also looks at Nolan, the killer of his mate and unborn child in the eyes. The orca knows this is the guy I want to take revenge on. And that's a big difference with Jaws where the shark kills people because he likes human flesh making the people vengeful, in Orca it is the animal out for revenge and that versus one particular person and anyone getting in his way or being too good mates with Nolan.
This time Nolan knows it is serious, he decides to quit his hunt on the animal and takes the advise of Rachel staying away from the water. However the orca taunts him tries to lure him into the water. He wrecks several fisher boats but not Nolan's. Even though other fishermen pressure Nolan to hunt the animal down, he still refuses rightfully afraid. However when the orca takes it one step further wrecking Nolan's beach house above the waters in which his female assistant Annie (Bo Derek) loses one of her legs, Nolan has no other choice. He needs to face the big creature on the waters. The leg bitten of is probably a nodd to Moby Dick. The captain wanting to get that big white whale for handicapping him for life. Here the roles are reversed however.
The final part in Orca is however more like Jaws, an active hunt for the beast at sea on a boat. Nolan gets Rachel, two male colleagues and the old Indian specialist in local legends Jacob (Will Sampson mostly known for his role as the chief in One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest and Taylor in Poltergeist II) aboard to assist him. This eventually leads to a thrilling showdown looking like a mixture of Jaws and Moby Dick. I'm not giving away the ending.
In the end both Orca and Jaws are more drama/thriller than outright horror. In both there is very little graphic scenes. However there is numerous reasons why I prefer Orca over Spielberg's blockbuster.
In short:
Orca has a more developed story. Even though most of the characters don't get much characterisation (mostly Nolan and Rachel) I felt more of an attachment to them and also to the orca. His desire for revenge is understandable. Losing his wife and child is really a heartbreaking moment in the movie. If they have a great memory like an elephant I doubt it but it works in order for the next events. I rooted for the orka. Except for Quint I could never root for Bruce.
Bruce rarely showed up. While some people thought this added to the tension it was actually a budgettary choice. Even some of the fans said the shark didn't look too good for me a plastic beast is not a problem, we had plenty of those in the 50s and that worked for me too. However if possible I prefer live animals. I don't know for sure but the orca's seemed real to me.
Orca has a much darker atmosphere especially the night scenes enhance that effect. The setting alone is more cold than the sunny coast in Jaws.
Dialogues and length eventually makes a movie like Jaws pad too much. In Orca they are more to the point, also the action is spread much better in a length of 90 minutes.
Well as you know I haven't seen Orca so I cannot comment too much although one thing you have pointed out yourself is that the characters in Orca do not get a lot of characterisation. Well the characters in Jaws do get a lot of characterisation and for some people, I guess that's part of the enjoyment of the movie. For example my favourite scene, and for other fans of Jaws, doesn't even involve the shark at all. It is the scene at night on the boat when they are comparing scars and then start singing "Show me the way to go home" before the sudden change in mood as they realise something is wrong. The interactions between these three quite different characters is a lot of fun to watch, especially some of the humour.
Anyway maybe I will try to watch Orca at some point, perhaps with my 8 year old who loves both sharks and orcas.. He's already seen Jaws, so perhaps we'll let him have the final verdict