Octopus 2: River of Fear
release year: 2002
genre: giant monster horror
viewing setting: home DVD, 11/29/02
synopsis: Giant octopus makes its home in New York City's East River.
impressions: This was your basic giant monster entertainment, meaning it kept me occupied for ninety minutes but I got it out of my system. There are good giant monster movies and there are bad ones. This one falls just below average, I would say. Reasons: inconsistent octopus attacks, inconsistent octopus behavior, script that has odd jumps from one event to the next. Example #1: some people get squeezed and just die, while other people are allowed about sixty seconds to free themselves and escape. Example #2: an octopus that can tear apart a small ship wouldn't just stick tentacles into an underground structure - it would rip it open like a sardine can. Example #3: police chief who won't believe the story of one of his best officers suddenly decides to believe it once some lady he doesn't even know backs up the story. Anyway, it wasn't that bad, but there was zero blood and gore, as all deaths weren't really onscreen. The ending was also lame in two ways (I don't want to spoil it for you.)
things to watch for: When the judge's girlfriend emerges from the cargo hold...nice bikini.
acting: Pretty good, though the near-the-end bus sequence brought out the worst in this script.
final word: It's one of the best giant octopus movies out there, so you'll need to watch it in order to get that notch in your gun.
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