First of all, I loved the novel "White Shark" by Peter Benchley. It had really interesting characters and the creature known as Der Weisse Hai was such a favourite of mine that I sketched him down on paper. However, the movie "Creature" is nothing at all like it. The creature is nothing more than the beast from "PROTEUS." Someone should do a "White Shark" movie, I have no interest in "Creature."
sharei thought this film was very nice
sharethe film was indeed nice
While i do agree that the film had little incommon with the book, I love this movie. Plus, it had a shark man... an insanly friggen cool shark man!
shareWhat are you talking about?
The acting is SUBPAR, ESPECIALLY at the beginning of Part 1.
All of the scientists and military men sounded bored or have no soul in their voices (Unlike Stevie Wonder, who got PURE soul.).
I especially laughed at the delivery of the black scientist's "I'm sorry!" line when he was about to cut the cord and send the creature (in it's cage) to the bottom of the sea.
Horrible, horrible acting.
I've been a fan of Peter Benchley since I was about seven years old, when I happen to get my hands on a rather contraband edition on Jaws. I have read several of his books, and actually had the opportunity to meet him when he celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Mote Marine Lab. He, and Jaws, are the reasons why I am now earning a masters degree in marine biology, and have spent at least the beginning of my career in marine biology working with sharks.
White Shark is probably one of my favorite books of all time...having read it several times, I was beside myself with excitement when I heard they were making a movie. In fact, I had said for years that the book would make an excellent feature film.
I was EXTREMELY disappointed in Creature. If it was a stand-alone television movie, it could be considered "below par", perhaps "average" if one was granting mercy in his or her description. When one compares the book to the movie it spawned, you cannot help but be disappointed. The book used a common plot factor - experiment from time of war reeks havoc on civilian population - yet made it interesting and original. While the plotline required one to lean more on his or her imagination rather than his or her common sense or practicality, the book made sense...the plotline was clear and cohesive and had relevance. The television movie took the plot of the book, picked what few pieces it deemed worthy of a movie, then took every cliche it possibly could and shaped it into something loosely resembling a plotline. ::SPOILERS...DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE:: Instead of an experiment during WWII (a time in which scientific experiments on human beings were actually being performed), it takes place in Vietnam. Instead of being a human being which modifications have been made to (a somewhat realistic concept), the creature is a product of genetic experimentation (which may or may not have been as advanced as the movie portrays it to be in the 1960s-70s). The plotline between Amanda and Chase is altered in which to provide new dramatic tension, a cancer subplot is added to create new drama and pathetically tug at the heartstrings, Elizabeth is suddenly a Jamacian daughter of a police cheif (and all the sudden, isn't deaf), Chase's son is aged by at least 5 years...so many subplots are thrown in (voodoo, Chase's brother's cancer, the "rite of passage" of local youth, cancer research found in the lab, dolphin-shark hybrids) that it actually confuses the plot beyond recognition. Not a single character featured in the movie is close to the character portrayed in the book...particularly brutal in my eyes are the mockery they make of the characters of Elizabeth and Tall Man - they're completely different characters simply "borrowing" a name from the book.
I am not sure whether or not Peter Benchley was responsible for, or, for that matter, contributed to, the script...I didn't have the nerve to ask him what happened to the original story when I met him...now I wish I had, because it would have been interesting to hear his perspective on the movie, and find out perhaps why the movie was so different from the book. Unfortunately, we will probably never know.
If one looks at Creature as a general, stand-alone television movie, it could be seen as average, perhaps entertaining to some. However, I imagine that anyone who actually read (and enjoyed) the book recognizes the disservice done to it by the movie Creature.
I read the book .. thought it was ok... liked jaws better. Now when i watched the movie i didnt even know at first that it was based on the book lol just when the creature crawled on land i thought oh you know this from somewhere... than i checked on here to see if it was actually based on the book...... oh well the movie wasnt great.... but for a television production entertaining enough...
cheers
wiz
oceana919, you're exactly right. I'm a big fan of Benchley, and--I might add--have a love of marine biology and the ocean. After reading "White Shark", I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a made-for-TV-film was made based on the novel. Almost all of Benchley's work has (or can) translate well to film, and most have had a few "liberties" take with the details of what happened in the book.
However, this film took the book, threw it in a blender, and saved only what shameless details it needed to make this insult of a movie.
If you don't believe me--read the book.
the novel was awesome, the movie sucked. that is all.
shareUnfortunately, I caught the movie first. It was laughably pathetic. Then I read White Shark and became angry that Benchley was repeating himself, not realizing the crappy movie was based on the novel. They have so little in common that I didn't recognize them as being the same entities.
For anyone looking for perspective on this, saying that Creature is based on White Shark is like saying the film Lawnmower man had anything to do with King's short story.
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So, why was Benchley in it if it didn't meet his book?
Why would Benchley do a cameo..
if he didn't like this movie
of his novel? Stop and THINK!
Very Good Movie!! I liked "The Beast"
also.
Money?
The movie was an insult to the book.
I liked them both...they are quite different (I haven't seen the movie in quite a while though, so not sure if it as much fun as I thought it was in middle school)
shareI also like this movie and I try to see it every time it is on. I actually imitate Amanda when she is asking Peniston/Werewolf why he didn't kill it then and kept asking then shouting "Why?" And he answers that the blood was his. You can tell that there had to be something strange about the shark because the shark's eyes are blue and regular shark's eyes are actually black.
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