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(More customer reviews)I remember when I first saw "Grizzly" at the movie theater during the mid-1970s. I must be truthful. At the time, filled with a child's energy undoubtedly spawned by too much candy and coke, I thought it was a terrifically exciting action flick. I loved the thundering musical score by Robert O'Ragland, the dizzying camera angles during the helicopter sequences and the likeable camaraderie between leads Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel and Andrew Prine.
When watching the film again as an adult, I was pleasantly surprised that many of my fond memories still held up. Granted, "Grizzly" is strictly a B-Movie imitation of the far superior "Jaws," complete with an inexperienced law enforcement official, an eccentric zoological expert, a salt-of-the-earth guide and a corrupt supervisor/executive. But there is a surprising energy to the proceedings as these hunters slowly close in on a prehistoric 18-foot grizzly dining on unsuspecting (and for the most part female) campers.
The picturesque scenery (filmed at a state park in Georgia) adds to the energetic proceedings, camouflaging the film's conservative budget. But not even the tallest of pine trees can cover up a painfully awkward supporting cast (many of whom are the title character's appetizers), backyard special effects (a man in a bear suit) and the prolonged, violent deaths of two important cast members.
Granted, "Jaws" was an extremely violent film, but the violence was always stylish. The corpses which begin popping up (and falling down) in "Grizzly," look as if they've been bathing in buckets of discount Karo syrup.
What I like about "Grizzly" is the tremendously exciting final battle between the bear and the surviving members of the hunting party. Intense close-ups and quick editing truly create a suspenseful confrontation. We should probably thank director William Girdler (a schlock hack whose infamous credits include "Three on a Meathook" and the horrible "Day of the Animals"), in what is most likely the only good film he ever helmed.
An added note must be made about the film's rather somber conclusion, where a survivor sadly inspects the chaos surrounding him. While "Grizzly" does not necessarily have a sad ending, there is general remorse shown by this character for the victims of the title beast. This haunting moment is actually an improvement over the rather lighthearted conclusion to "Jaws" the year before.
The three leads are uniformly likeable, as Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel and Andrew Prine utilize their experienced personas to full effect. As a child watching these brooding and flawed heroes traipse through the forbidding woods hoping to somehow kill this indestructable beast, I remembered thinking..."They are so cool."
The movie's premise is unbelievable, several scenes are laughably bad and the gratuitous violence is unpleasant to say the least. But even today, 30 years removed from the cramped mall theater, George, Jaeckel and Prine versus The Grizzly is still oddly...."cool."
Somewhere, Jack Arnold is smiling.
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