The citizens of an island fishing community in Canada find their livelihoods threatened by the existence of an unlikely predatory animal: a fresh water giant squid! Among the heroes are a young scientist (James Van Der Beek) called in by NORA, and a hottie Fisheries officer (Alexandra Castillo) who had encountered this beast as a child.
For such a routine story that displays a complete lack of originality, 'Eye of the Beast' is fairly watchable, and somewhat superior to most of the creature features made for TV. This is because we never see THAT much of the squid - mostly, we see its enormous tentacles. We only see a bit more of it during the finale, when it comes to the surface during the inevitable battle. And even then, this scene takes place at night. Since the body count is actually quite minimal, and the special effects aren't as terrible as people would tend to expect, this is a little more than mere cheese. Rather, the narrative focuses more on the lives damaged by the lack of good fishing in the area.
Reasonably competent filmmaking helps, as well as decent if unexceptional acting. One exception is Ms. Castillo, whose bright, engaging presence helps a lot.
If you're a fellow Manitoban, like this viewer, the movie will have more resonance, as this was not only filmed entirely on location here (in Winnipeg, Selkirk, and Gimli), but it appears to be SET here as well. Van Der Beek a.k.a. Dawson is really the only true name actor here; other than Chilean born, Canadian raised dancer / actress Castillo, much of the cast are locals.
The formulaic tale is groan-worthy at times - complete with supporting characters who remain stupidly stubborn until the time comes for the monster to reveal itself - but it also comes complete with a subtext of racism and intolerance. Naturally, those that head into the final battle with the giant squid are finally able to put aside their differences.
Not VERY good overall, but not all that bad either.
Six out of 10.
