Reviewed By
Vaughan

Analysis
I don't know about you guys but movies that feature overgrown pincushion from the depths of the ocean have always failed to raise so much as a tense muscle or bead of sweat on my brow. I just do not find octopi to be a particularly frightening creature on which to base a horror film, and perhaps this could be expanded upon even further by saying that very few ocean based films float my boat (excuse the poor pun). The obvious exceptions to this self induced rule have to be the likes of Jaws, The Deep and The Abyss, but it would be a tad unfair to compare every movie by the high standards set by these previous classics, but compare we must to ensure a good balance across the board.

So here we have Octopus, a film that is theme around the ever growing catalogue of killer creature features that have exploded onto the DVD market over recent years. In a nut shell the story follows the ill fated crew of a US submarine who, unfortunately for everyone (including us) stumble across the giant octopuses territory and are subjected to a good old humping at the hands (all eight of 'em) of our creature. To complicate matters, an international terrorist is being transported on this sub but has a cunning plan to escape with the assistance of fellow terrorism group members who have hijacked an ocean liner. So there we have the plot in all it's mixed up glory.

The film actually has a reasonable production values for such a low budget movie with some good use of lighting particularly within the submarine to help create a slightly more tense atmosphere that this film doesn't deserve. The CGI effects that have been created for the octopus attacks are also fairly adequate but are brief to say the least and perhaps can be seen better in the scenes above the water that don't actually contain the creature but just show shots of the ocean liner and helicopters etc. The main problem lies not only with it's choice of killer which, as previously stated never induce the feelings of terror which should be present in this type of film, but the story tries too hard to justify the submarine crews reason for being where they are by introducing the terrorist element that seem's nothing more than a story board addition for the sake of big explosions and gun fire.

The best thing about the film is the inclusion of Carolyn Lowery in the cast who plays the spunky submarine doctor and the familiar face of Ricco Ross, perhaps better known to genre cinema fans as Frost from the film Aliens. Carolyn may be a little wooden in the acting department but her cheeky portrayal of a loin teasing Doc sure make the film a little more bearable.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		Perhaps the best component of a rather poor effort is the films action. A good explosion followed by one of the worst foot chases ever seen which includes a fat undercover agent that tries to look cool as he wobbles down the road after our terrorist, laughable. Some moments within the sub are also worth a watch but right now I just can't think any.
Tension		Was I ever scared during this film? Well no, but I did find some scenes interesting enough for me to keep my eyes open so that's a start.
Violence/ Gore		A few brief moments but nothing that can hold a candle to today's high splatter flicks.
Bare Flesh		The lovely Carolyn Lowery offers up a few cheeky little moments that allow us a glimpse at her fine physique but real nudity is a step too far for this production.
Plot		It tries to be too many things and does all of them poorly. It should have concentrated it's efforts on either explosive action or all out tension building horror. In an attempt to be too clever it lacks any hint of substance to give it longevity.

Verdict Not a terrible film by any means but it just lacked that magic spark to ensure that it would stick in peoples heads after the final credits have rolled. A brave effort on such a small budget but it produces nothing that hasn't already been seen hundreds of times before.

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)