OK, only watched because on Svengoolie and it was really really hard to get thru.At first it's like Jaws but sub in the barracuda and that would have been so-so.Won't give away any spoilers, but then it becomes a completely different movie genre.Only watch if you have a strong need to sleep.

Barracuda: The Lucifer Project is a movie with a social message that has its potentials but fails to realize them due to its pedestrian acting and mediocre directing. The plot is similar to that of Piranha but the suspense is barely existent, not to mention the lame special effects created for the barracuda attacks. Another thing that may make viewers dislike the movie is its downbeat ending, which I personally do not mind. Despite all that, the forbidding music helps to elevate the occasional suspense.The plot tells about mutant barracudas violently attacking swimmers and divers in the seas near the shores of a US coastal town. A young marine biologist and a local town sheriff try to uncover the mystery that involves shady medical experiments related to government projects.Viewers expecting to find another Jaws-like excitement will be sorely disappointed. The second half of the film diverts its plot from the barracuda attacks to unraveling the mystery of the attacks. From that point till the end of the film the narrative takes a different route to deliver the "excitement" through lots of dialogues and very little action to the point of leaving the main conflicts in the story unresolved! With the rather unsuitable title, it was obvious that the film-makers wanted to cash in on the success of Jaws. Who would have wanted to watch this had it been called "The Lucifer Project"? Anyways, the film went into obscurity.Barracuda belongs to the B-movie category and is watchable enough for those who are into low budget nature-gone-wild flicks. Because of its loose ending, it should have been made into a sequel.

Given the premise (a small coastal community beset by ferocious flesh-eating barracuda in the ocean), one would easily assume that this is yet another run-of-the-mill opportunistic "Jaws" cash-in. However, the scenes with the titular fish attacking people are surprisingly few and far in between, with a greater emphasis instead on a conspiracy thriller plot that takes on truly unsettling monolithic proportions as the narrative unfolds towards a genuinely startling surprise bummer ending. Alas, the sluggish pacing, perfunctory direction, and an overly talky script all unfortunately prevent said conspiracy angle from acquiring the necessary tension and momentum it really needs to seriously cook the way that it ought to. On the plus side, Wayne Crawford as a crusading biologist and Harry Kerwin as the folksy sheriff make for personable heroes, the underwater photography is sharp and impressive, the overall brooding tone astutely captures a distinctly 70's post-Watergate sense of vehemently anti-government distrust and cynicism, and Klaus Schulze's moody'n'energetic score hits the quivery ooga-booga spot something sweet. Moreover, there are solid supporting contributions from Roberta Leighton as the perky Liza Williams, Cliff Emmich as bumbling overweight deputy Lester, Jason Evers as the nefarious Dr. Elliott Snow, and Bert Freed as crusty CEO Papa Jack. It's just a shame that this movie never quite obtains the essential punch that in turn would give it a more substantial impact. As it is, this flick ain't half bad, but it could (and should) have been ever better.

Barracuda (1978) * (out of 4) Yet another rip-off of JAWS, this one here has a couple college students trying to test the waters of a beach community because a local plant owner has been dumping chemicals. Of course these chemicals turn the barracudas into man-eating monsters. BARRACUDA is one of the worst films from this genre that I've seen. Even some of the worst of the "when animals attack" genre at least keep you entertained but this sucker is pretty much bad from the start and it never gets any better. There are countless problems with this film but we can start with the screenplay, which is pretty much nothing but dialogue. I've never seen a film like this talk so much as it seems the characters want to talk about anything they can. This includes a silly love story that pops up between two of the characters and of course you get some "polution is evil" chat, which at times is rather funny. Even worse are the barracuda attacks because it really does seem that all the creatures are just stuff fished being moved around on people while someone else shoots out some blood. The effects are never believable and it's really too bad they didn't try doing something more original or at least keep you glued to what they might eventually look like. The performances are all pretty forgettable but there are a few nice supporting performances including Cliff Emmich (INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS). This film really isn't worth watching for any reason. Sure, some of the underwater photography is nice but that's not enough of a reason to sit through the entire thing.