"Grizzly" was the first of the "Jaws" ripoffs coming along not even a year after the classic film. It's basically the same story told in a forest preserve. Giant killer bear terrorizes campers, greedy politicians don't want to close up, three men go on the hunt. Does this all sound familiar? The makers of "Grizzly" weren't subtle when it came to "borrowing" ideas.
The three leads are played to various digress of competence by Christopher George, Andrew Prine, and Richard Jaekal. George more or less walks the same steps Roy Scheider did in "Jaws". Prine is a sarcastic bear hunter doing his best not to remind us how much better Richard Dreyfuss was. Jaekal is the bear expert and Robert Shaw he definitely isn't.
The biggest problem is the bear itself. A real grizzly was used but obviously he is not as big as the film presents him to be. Director William Girdler tries to use camera trickery to fool the audience. One scene involving the bear tearing down an old tower is indicative of the problem. We see how flimsy the tower is instead of being awed by the power of a giant bear. And the ending, while silly, makes you wonder how the characters didn't think of it an hour earlier. It's a dumb film.
The three leads are played to various digress of competence by Christopher George, Andrew Prine, and Richard Jaekal. George more or less walks the same steps Roy Scheider did in "Jaws". Prine is a sarcastic bear hunter doing his best not to remind us how much better Richard Dreyfuss was. Jaekal is the bear expert and Robert Shaw he definitely isn't.
The biggest problem is the bear itself. A real grizzly was used but obviously he is not as big as the film presents him to be. Director William Girdler tries to use camera trickery to fool the audience. One scene involving the bear tearing down an old tower is indicative of the problem. We see how flimsy the tower is instead of being awed by the power of a giant bear. And the ending, while silly, makes you wonder how the characters didn't think of it an hour earlier. It's a dumb film.