Rating: C
Dir: Jordan Blum
Star: Martin Kove, Tony Becker, Shane Callahan, Anna Enger Ritch
a.k.a. Savage
Re-released under a more verbose title after a decade or so out of print, this takes place in the Bear Valley National Park, which is currently experiencing a nasty wildfire situation, which is threatening the area’s stream of tourist revenue. The blaze has also displaced the titular creature from its regular habitat, into more populated areas, and it’s not happy about this. Rather more pleased is cryptozoologist Dale Davis (Callahan), who is exploring the area with local guide Jack Lund (Kove) – Jack has his own, deeply personal reasons for wanting to find the beast. Dealing with it is local park ranger Owen Fremont (Becker), who just wants to get home with a pint of milk.
This is not all that’s going on, and it’s fair to say the movie might be cramming too much in. There’s a thread about the wilderness area being developed, which never goes anywhere much, and also an outlaw couple hiding out in the park, after a robbery turned homicidal. I think exploring fewer of these in more depth might have been for the best, since it sometimes feels like the movie is being pulled in multiple directions. The Jack/Dale dynamic is perhaps the one meriting additional time, with the men united by a common goal, yet polar opposites in just about everything else. None of the other characters become three-dimensional, in part due to their limited screen-time, though at least they’re not irritating.
If you’re looking for sasquatch action, you’ll perhaps leave unsatisfied, since after the opening sequence, Bigfoot largely vanishes from proceedings for most of the first half. It’s a shame since this is a reasonably well-realized creation, more athletic and nimble than you might expect. It’s a guy in a suit, just enhanced with wirework and CGI to make its behaviour seem more monkey-like than in most depictions. I would like to have seen it get greater presence, since it’s quite an ambitious effort, for what generally feels like a lower-budget production. Not sure whether the makers spent more on realizing their monster, or Martin Kove. I’d say both provide decent value for money.
While the performances are generally okay, it doesn’t offer much novel or well-executed enough to demand attention. Parts of it seem cribbed from Jaws, such as the insistence the park stays open. Other elements, like Jack’s quest for highly personal revenge, seem to have strayed in from Orca. It feels as if might be at home on the SyFy channel, originally dating back to the time when they had their “SyFy Originals”. It’s not especially gory, with the attacks typically consisting of people getting pulled out of shot, with a quick shot of the aftermath if you’re lucky. There is one notable exception, when Dale basically gets Carrie‘d in entrails. Going further down this road would have been welcome, especially given an ending that is definitely underwhelming.
The film is out on digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, and is also available to view on AVOD services such as Tubi.