12 Days of Terror Reviews

While based on actual events from an unprecedented series of attacks on the Jersey shores, 12 Days of Terror still plays out like yet another blatant Jaws rip-off, except this time, the familiar tale is set in 1916. One has to hand it to the filmmakers for even bothering to tackle a period film -- which visually, they nail pretty well. The dialogue and acting prove to be another story, with modern phrases uncomfortably stuck into scenes by carefully groomed model-turned-actors who aren't fooling anyone. Of course, big- and small-screen veteran John Rhys-Davies shows up to give the proceedings a bit of class, though even then, his pseudo-Quint character is more than a bit embarrassing to have to stomach with a straight face. The shark attacks themselves (which were the one and only explanation given by the MPAA in their PG-13 reasoning) aren't that bad, with multiple leg-munchings taking up the majority of the bloody fun. In the end, what most hurts the flick is its disregard for keeping the audience in step with the chronology of the 12-day period. At times, scenes feel like months later when in fact, it has been less than a week. There's no doubt this is a story worth telling, though good luck to anyone who finds a way to do it without echoing exact scenes out of Peter Benchley's iconic tale of red-hot terror in the water.