Orca 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Orca is a 1977 action horror film and one of a number that followed in the wake of the massive success of Spielberg’s Jaws. The film stars Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Bo Derek, and Will Sampson. The story follows a fisherman, played by Richard Harris, who his stalked by a male orca after Harris kills its pregnant mate.

Orca has been tagged with the label of being an imitation of Jaws, and there are some elements that are similar, but director Michael Anderson’s film from a screenplay by Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donati has more in common with Melville’s Moby Dick in Harris’ obsession to battle the orca or “killer whale” (technically orca are dolphins, not whales), which by the finale, drives him to near madness. There are certainly allusions to Jaws throughout, such as the destructiveness of the orca and attacks on the boat. Anderson also captures stunning visuals that rival or exceed what Spielberg did with Jaws, thanks to cinematographer Ted Moore.

The driving force of this film is Richard Harris, however. It powerful, driven performance gives real dramatic weight to a story that easily goes off the rails by the final act. It is Harris, putting in committed, nuanced and commanding performance that keeps the story believable, his character’s neuroses true, and the drama between the fisherman and orca real.

The Video

Orca on 4K Ultra HD is taken from a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. It is presented in a 2.35:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. We get a very detailed and crisp transfer with consistent grain and gorgeous pops of color and highlights thanks to the Dolby Vision grading. The black levels sometimes dip into a little bit of crush in the very darkest scenes, but otherwise the overall detail and dynamic range is excellent.

The Audio

Orca comes with the mono mix in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 plus a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. The 5.1 mix is good, with nice bit of atmospherics and dynamics, good clarity on the dialogue and effects. The mono mix is my preferred mix, however, as it sounds more natural and is obviously the authentic experience. The included Blu-ray is from a new HD master from the same new 4K scan. It also looks very good, but with a less dense grain structure and a little bit less vibrant colors.

The Supplements

There is not much included with this release, but there are two audio commentaries. I particularly enjoyed the commentary with Berger, Mitchell, and Thompson, each of them adding their knowledge and expertise on the film.

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
• Audio Commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin
• Orca – Trailer (Blu-ray Only) (1080p; 00:02:26)

The Final Assessment

Orca gets a bad rap as being a Jaws imitation. I implore people to give it a reassessment with this magnificent new restoration from Kino Lorber. It deserves another look.

Orca is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray January 28, 2025 from Kino Lorber

• Rating Certificate: PG
• Studios & Distributors: Famous Films | Dino De Laurentiis | Paramount Pictures | Kino Lorber
• Director: Michael Anderson
• Written By: Luciano Vincenzoni | Sergio Donati | Robert Towne
• Run Time: 92 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
• Secondary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 28 January 2025