When the B movie became the A movie

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 1999)

In the history of the cinema, this film (along with Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.) will be remembered as the beginning of a new era. One hallmark of this new era, which is still with us, is that the genres that used to be confined to B movies--such as science fiction and horror--are now the subjects of major, respectable motion pictures. To me, it is a little sad that the "big" movies no longer aspire to serious themes, but instead confine themselves to the stuff of comic books. After 1975, mainstream movies were no longer for adults, but are instead geared to teenagers, or perhaps to the child within us. People go to the movies to see fancy special effects and get cheap thrills, not necessarily to explore interesting characters and stories.
That being said, the movie that started it all is still enjoyable on its own terms, particularly the second half, when it becomes a Moby Dick story of three men on a boat chasing and being chased by a big fish. The movie does a good job of showing the camaraderie that develops among the three.