Admirable film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

"The Beast", based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, is a film about a giant squid terrorising a small fishing community.This is a fantastic film with a convincing, to scale, 60ft squid. The music creates an atmosphere of terror, the cast are all on form and, being nearly three hours long, is very detailed.William Petersen is great to watch as the film's hero Whip Dalton, as is Karen Sillas as the film's heroin Lt. Kathryn Marcus. Charles Martin Smith plays his slimy little billionaire well, and thee rest of the cast do very good jobs.I've been fascinated by this film since I was a kid and it's still not lost its appeal. Watch this film, and read the book if you can.

This is a made-for-TV movie that somewhat follows the same plot element of Jaws, but instead of featuring a gigantic Great White Shark, it features a gigantic squid. It takes place off the coast in a place called Graves Point, where divers vanish, and sea biologist Dr. Whip Talley (William Petersen) investigates.The special effects were pretty good and the suspense of the menacing tentacled creature keeps you on the edge of your seat at times. However, the pacing in the plot is a little slow and ***spoiler ahead, but doesn't give away ending*** the creature in my opinion does not appear enough and when it is, you could hardly see it ***spoiler ends***.There is also limited action and lots of all-talk. However, it is still pretty suspenseful and you could see it at least once for the fun of it.Grade C

This movie has all you need or want!!The story is simple, a small sea town is terrorized by a huge giant squid! After a few people get killed, the man of the town goes and hunts down the beast. Like in many other movies! But instate of another stupid shark, you have something more mystical in this movie: a giant squid! Thats a real spooky thing! In general you have a good story, that is exciting, not bad acting, a love story, action, killings and much more! The special affects aren't that bad for a TV Movie! So just lie back and enjoy 3 hours of terror!Go and what " Grizzly" too!

This Peter Benchley film has his previous "Jaws" beat hands down. First, it is much more realistic than "Jaws," absolutely convincing you of the existence of such giant squids. The acting is first- rate. I live in Florida and have known fishermen for almost 50 years. These guys don't even act like actors; they act like fishermen. The musical score is awesome! Intertwined with the suspense is one surprise after another until the very end. The action sequences, both underwater and on the surface, are exciting and realistic. The cinematography, especially in the underwater sequences, is beautiful. In addition, there are several very tender and honest love stories -- the young stars especially hot! Some might criticize its length, but I promise you, this is a film that will hold you all the way through. My only negative criticism is that I have been unable to find it on DVD so I can pause it for bathroom and kitchen breaks. If anyone knows where I can buy it, let me know and I'll send my dough! You will watch this many times over the years and impress your guests (the ones with taste).I agree with Joel-80 that it is due for a big-screen remake with top stars and even better special effects. In other words, let Hollywood throw the money at it that the TV folks couldn't. I just hope they don't screw it up with phony mechanical fish like they did in "Jaws." If a good remake happens, even the severest critics will be blown away.