Octopus 2: River of Fear (2001)

I love this movie so much

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Talented director Yossi Wein gives this powerful second entry in the Octopus franchise verve and intelligence as he helms this production with imagination and vision. Octopus veteran Boaz Davidson contributed to the story of Octopus 2 and his trademark wit, sensitivity, and talent for penning powerful, deeply moving sequences is clearly seen in the remarkable results. A fine cast does some extraordinary work and there are some superb performances given by the stars. Michael Reilly Burke and Meredith Morton are particular standouts with Fredrick Lehne giving an absolutely inspired performance in the role of Walter. The atmosphere is appropriately dark and forbidding and the almost surrealistic environment almost unendurable. The suspense could be cut with a knife as this horrific creature stalks the population of New York and terrorizes the harbor. The closing sequences may be some of the most emotionally draining and deeply moving ever committed to celluloid. With tremendous thrills, deep emotions, and overwhelming power, there is no denying the haunting horror and heartfelt emotion that is Octopus 2: River of Fear.

Octopus 2 (2001) * 1/2 (out of 4) NY harbor patrol officer Nick Hartfeld (Michael Reilly Burke) witnesses a large octopus kill his partner and best friend but no one will believe him even after other people mysteriously vanish. He teams up with a woman and soon the two find that the octopus is going to be much harder to destroy than they originally thought. I'm not overly certain the first OCTOPUS really needed a sequel but we got one and sadly it's not nearly as good. I think fans of "nature" movies might get a few laughs out of it but for me the thing really fell apart at the thirty-minute mark and could never recover. I thought the first half-hour was pretty good as we get things started off with a silly drug raid but the first couple attacks really aren't that bad. There's some horrendous CGI used in certain shots but there are also a few shots that seem to be some sort of mechanical creature. The look is obvious cheap but I must admit that I found it effective enough when it was on screen and God knows it was certainly a lot better than the CGI stuff. The attack scenes really aren't all that memorable and this includes a couple silly death scenes that contain no suspense. I think what really kills the film is all the personal drama with the cop and his lady friend. It's pretty poorly written and not for a second did I believe anything that I was seeing. However, most people aren't coming to this for any type of story so I think there's enough action that some will enjoy this thing. Like most Nu Image films, this one is ultra cheap but some people are going to enjoy that and I'm sure the silly action will appeal to some. One good thing is the performance by Burke who fits into the role nicely but the screenplay just doesn't do enough for him.

At least you get to see the star monster a little more often in this sequel than the first time out. Still not enough creature screen time though. The film instead spends a lot of time with the "nobody believes the hero when he says there's a monster" bit.A big city gets it again: the creature visits New York to watch the July 4 fireworks extravaganza. He takes up residence in the river, and occasionally attacks. Acting isn't really bad; for example, the children on the bus really do seem frightened. The leads make the most of the script they're given. Some of the attacks are played silly and with indifference; it's not clear if you're supposed to care about characters or not. The set-up for the final attack takes way too long (with some dumb stuff hammered in), and then you see more of a fireworks display rather than monster action.Routine creature feature; good enough if you have nothing else to do.

Just finished watching this one after getting sick of getting ready for the Michigan Bar Exam. I wanted something that was mindless and that I could just sit back and say, "what the hell were they thinking?" I was not disappointed in this undertaking, but had I been watching this one in a serious mood, I would have been irate. The company that made this thing just spliced CGI footage from the first Octopus and added a little footage with a fake octopus that makes the one used in "Bride of the Monster" look like a masterpiece of special effect footage. Since when does an octopus have fangs? The plot is that an NYPD diver is investigating some murders/disappearances on the Hudson River shortly before the Fourth of July. He and his partner (who is soon to be transferred, or soon to be munched on by a fig bucking octopus) investigate in a rather inept manner (all the while believing that a huge octopus will kill people) and are occasionally accompanied by a female lackey from the Mayor's office. Of course on one believes that an octopus can get that big until the thing attacks the cop and the girl from the mayor's office. Surprisingly, all hell doesn't break loose and only a few cops and a few more civilians are killed.Really lame. Don't bother with it.