a review of 食人鱼

As late '70s Jaws ripoffs go, I'd say this is one that's worth your 90 minutes. It hits pretty much all the bases of the aquatic menace subgenre (e.g. gratuitous skinny dipping kills, "we have to close the beach/lake/river!", and a healthy dose of True Marine Biology Facts™) but also gives us just a little bit extra. Such as:

• An early John Sayles screenplay that has a surprising level of sympathy for its characters, even as many of them are sent straight into the burbling meat grinder.
• A cavalcade of B-movie actors (many of whom would become Dante regulars) in memorable character roles. You got your Dick Miller, your Paul Bartel, your Kevin McCarthy, your Keenan Wynn, your Barbara Steele, all having good fun with their parts.
• Occasional weird FX touches that by all rights shouldn't be in a low-budget Corman production, like the cute stop-motion amphibian critter that appears in one early scene and is never seen again. It's a fun and creative movie in a way that I didn't expect, so I'm giving it an extra half star for effort.