I don't understand the low rating. This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it for free, but this is actually one of the VERY few movies I WOULD pay to see.The movie is quite long, but it doesn't drag -- it's suspenseful, keeps you engaged. The acting is very good. The editing is great also. And what a nicely-crafted monster! I have seen plenty of sea-monster movies, but this really is one of the best.I see this movie is being compared to "Jaws" quite heavily... Well, I did not like "Jaws" so much; this one is a lot more interesting. To me, it wasn't similar to "Jaws" in any way, except sharing a common theme (the presence of a sea-monster).Well worth watching, definitely.

Oh. My. God. This. Movie. Lasts. For. Ever.It's not the longest movie ever made by a long shot, but holy crap, it feels like it. The concept itself is fairly interesting, if not overly original, but it's handled horribly. The storytelling is weak, and the dialogue weaker. The monster itself is somewhat scary until they actually show it. It looks so laughably pathetic that it's impossible to be even the slightest bit spooked thereafter. The director and writers for this movie also clearly have very little notion of how to create good suspense. If you decide you want to watch this movie, place a 'dunce cap' on your head and go sit in the corner for an hour. Then either read the book or watch Jaws or something. Hell, Jaws: The Revenge (and everyone knows how well THAT movie came out) might be better and more interesting than this film.

In the early 1970s in the Caribbean, Dr. Ernest Bishop is part of a military experiment involving a creature that is part shark, part dolphin, and part something else (I'll let you find that out later). Something goes terribly wrong and at least one person dies. And the creature is loose to wreak havoc 25 years later (never mind the fact that it is somehow able to go for years without eating).Ben Madiera is a member of a group fishing off the coast of Dr. Simon Chase's island. Dr. Chase is tracking a great white shark he has tagged, and has discovered one of Madiera's group has caught it. He pleads for the great white to be released, but they refuse. Dr. Chase frees the shark anyway, and from this point on he is hated by Madiera's group.Several people die in what seem to be shark attacks, so naturally Dr. Chase is blamed, since that must have been his shark. There is evidence the creature is not a shark, but people won't listen. Dr. Chase's ex, Dr. Amanda Mayson, comes to the rescue, bringing the couple's son Max, who is always being put in danger. Dr. Chase's research finally indicates the military was involved with the creature, and he is put in touch with Admiral Aaron Richland, whose only concern is covering up what makes the Navy look bad. Dr. Bishop is just a burned-out mess, much like hippies who took too many drugs.Dr. Chase acts a little too zealously because he discovers the research that led to the creature might have cured his brother's cancer had it been made available, and he wants the world to know about the findings. This may not be a good idea.As one might expect, more people die and no one seems to take Dr. Chase seriously, people use amazingly bad judgment, and of course there is an exciting and dangerous sequence of events toward the end. This was actually better than I was expecting. There were lots of enjoyable family moments, and I liked the conflict between Dr. Chase and those who should have acted to correct the situation and save lives. Craig T. Nelson did a fine job, considering the material, and there was more good acting. I don't particularly enjoy scary movies, but there's plenty of excitement here for those who like that sort of thing.Whether the Caribbean cultural rituals were done correctly I can't say, but they sure looked real to me. I didn't really enjoy them, though.I didn't enjoy looking at the creature, but it sure looked scary enough.It's no classic, but it might be entertaining.

Remember those skits on Saturday Night Live in the 70's that had Chevy Chase as a walking shark that went door to door eating people? Well, any suspense this film might have been able to generate (note the use of the word "might") is obliterated once the titular creature is revealed to be...that very same walking shark. Except that this time it doesn't talk and the costume is slightly better (but only by the tiniest of increments). Am I the only one who noticed that Peter Benchley has only written one good book and then he just kept writing it over and over again, changing the attacking creatures just enough to warrant another book? "The Beast", "The Creature", they're all essentially "Jaws" retreads, only not nearly as good. Just ridiculous. Good for a laugh, though. Too bad "Mystery Science Theater" went off the air. They could have a blast with this.