ORCA (1977)
a.k.a. Orca: The Killer Whale
92 minutes / Color / Rated PG
The Culprit(s): One vengeful and insanely intelligent killer whale.
The Plot: Captain Nolan (Richard Harris) is out on a routine whaling expedition, when he and his crew come across a pod of killer whales. (Which are actually a species of dolphin if you can believe it.) Nolan fires his harpoon gun at a big male, but ultimately misses his prize. The harpoon only takes a chunk out of the fin of Nolan's target, and instead, deeply embeds itself into the flesh of the killer whale's mate. Nolan's crew reels in their catch and hoists the dying animal out of the sea. It is here that the film strikes viewers with one of the most disturbing images ever seen in a PG-rated film: Mrs. Orca's vagina(?) horrifically spits out the fetus of her unborn child! A very rattled Nolan quickly washes the fetus overboard, drops the dying whale into the sea and heads back to port. Unbeknownst to Nolan, the husband of the pregnant killer whale he just butchered has followed him, and soon a game of cat and mouse begins. The vengeful cetacean injures and kills Nolan's crew-mates, ingeniously sets off a gas line explosion on the shore, causes thousands of dollars in property damage, and eventually coaxes the maligned sea captain out into open waters. The angry orca leads Nolan up into the icy waters of the Arctic, where they eventually have their final showdown.
Why it made the list: This was one of the first "Jaws" rip-offs, and even goes as far as to have a killer whale completely decimate a Great White Shark early on in the film. (Probably at the request of producer, Dino de Laurentiis.) But categorizing "Orca" as a mere rip-off isn't totally fair, as the only real similarity is that both films feature an aquatic menace. Truthfully, "Orca" is more like "Death Wish" than "Jaws," as it focuses heavily on the titular creature's attempts to avenge the death of its spouse and unborn child. (Sadly, the killer whale does not utilize a sock full of quarters in its revenge spree.)
What makes this film even more interesting though, is that Nolan, who is supposed to be the villain, suffers just as much as the creature he has wronged. At first he is totally disgusted by what he's done (and seen), and he actually feels guilty! However, as the film goes on, his guilt and sorrow turn to hatred after the killer whale claims the lives (and limbs) of the people that are closest to him. While this scenario is kind of cheesy, it does make for some compelling cinema, and you may even find yourself cheering on Nolan or the whale as the film's climax approaches.
Why YOU should watch it: Well for starters, you get to see the only(?) on-screen killer whale abortion in cinematic history. (While it doesn't look as convincing as it probably did in the 70's, it is still a pretty f*cked up scene that should elicit shocked gasps from unsuspecting viewers.) The effects in the film are overall, pretty decent, the cast is talented, and the soundtrack (scored by Ennio Morricone, one of the greatest composers of all time) is beautiful! And, as an added bonus, you get to see a killer whale bite off Bo Derek's leg!
Is it worthy of a remake? Hmm... that is a tricky question to answer here. Up to this point, all of the film's I've had on the list were, for the most part, low-budget exploitation flicks with environmental themes. This film is an entirely different beast altogether as it had a good-sized budget, an all-star cast, and music by Ennio Morricone. I think, that for the first time, I'm going to say "no, this movie should not be remade." It is far from being an immortal classic (like "JAWS"), but "Orca" has a pretty good cult following, and isn’t too shabby a movie. Then again, a remake of "Orca" can only make the original look all the better....
The countdown to my all-time favorite killer animal flick continues tomorrow with number six... unless I suddenly come down with the "bird flu." (Yes, that was a hint, and yes, I agree that it wasn't very subtle or witty.)
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