The jokes just write themselves in this Jaws rip-off which, along with films about giant apes, whales and piranhas just becomes another 70s B horror movie. There are some moments that are definitely shocking and a few that will give you a few giggles, but there's one thing for sure. The bear is no way into the woods 15 feet tall. It's your average ferocious grizzly, feeding on human flesh (mostly the blood, and ironically mainly female),and one point, a group of campers are greeted with cuddles by a grizzly bear cub. The bear claw alone can take off a horse's head, a human leg, and a few of the shots get nervous chuckles rather than screams. There's an attempt to explain a native legend involving the curse of these beasts, but mainly (outside of the stunning mountain photography and a few scary moments that don't warrant laughs),the film is silly, pointless and formulaic.

The cast, lead by Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel and Andrew Prine, do their best to attempt to take the job seriously, and for that, they deserve to be given accolades. The opening, featuring two women in a very dangerous part of the mountains, does create an intense situation, and a scene involving a young boy will have you biting your nails. But that scene is very similar to what had been done in "Jaws", and that does indicate that this is indeed a pale rip off of that big-screen blockbuster. But the idea of the bear able to spin a helicopter around like a top did have me rolling my eyes, especially since it proves that this was a normal sized grizzly, and not one big enough to rip off the wall of a cabin in the woods.

A fifteen foot tall grizzly bear terrorizes a state park. Ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George) leaps into the carnage to stop it.

While I have not seen many bear attack films, I have seen enough to know good from bad. Some are unbearably bad (no pun intended),such as "Bear", which basically is about infidelity in a minivan.

This one is much better, though it does seem to be hindered a bit by its PG rating. There is a fair amount of blood and gore, but they could have gone and went one more step to really make this memorable. The notorious scene with the young boy is not nearly as bad as it is made out to be.

Some plot points are odd (such as Scotty's playing dead),but taken with a grain of salt and bowl of popcorn, this is not a bad film.

An enormous predatory grizzly bear terrorizes a state park. It's up to rough'n'tumble ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George in sturdy two-fisted macho form) to figure out a way to stop the beast.

Director William Girdler keeps the enjoyable, if derivative (from "Jaws," of course),story moving along at a brisk pace, maintains a harsh take-no-prisoners tone throughout, stages the brutal'n'bloody attack scenes with gusto, makes nice use of the beautiful sylvan setting, and delivers a handy helping of shockingly gory violence (it's to believe this movie got away with a PG rating!). The ace cast of familiar and dependable B-flick faces rates as a substantial asset: Andrew Prine as easygoing helicopter pilot Don Strober, Richard Jaeckel as passionate naturalist Arthur Scott, Joan McCall as perky writer Allison Corwin, Joe Dorsey as jerky superior Charley Kittridge, and Charles Kissinger as no-nonsense coroner Dr. Hallitt. Moreover, this film deserves extra praise for taking time to develop the three key protagonists with some depth as well as for the haunting downbeat ending. William L. Asman's handsome widescreen cinematography and the breathtaking aerial photography provide an impressive sense of scope. Robert O. Ragland's spirited orchestral score hits the stirring spot. An on the money 70's drive-in item.