12 Days Of Terror (2004)

Memorable, crazy movie

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This movie first caught my attention while looking at Amazon.ca. I saw the trailer for it and immediately went on a search for it. Finding it, I bought it to satisfy my curiosity about the story of 1916.The story is a really vivid one and truthful. Colin Egglesfield does a wonderful job as Alex Ott, and he has a wonderful supportive cast behind him.Being based on a true event during 1916, you might expect the acting to be a bit blasé, but the cast really pulls this movie off in an unexpected way. I believe this to be one of the most realistic movies about sharks out there today.It puts Jaws and its sequels to shame as well as many other shark movies out there. Jaws was scary for its time, but this being based on a true story makes it even more terrifying yet.I enjoy the story of the events but I also love where it was filmed and the scenery. Its so beautiful as a backdrop and it really does this movie a whole lot of good.I can't imagine having been living when this had happened, not knowing what on earth was eating these swimmers. The turn of events is real enough and makes me not want to go into the ocean any time soon.

Recreation of the real-life events that unfolded over two weeks off the coast of New Jersey in 1916 when five people were attacked, four fatally by one or more sharks. Mostly faithful in its interpretation, dramatisation is understated and the sub-plots are inconspicuous which allows the film to focus on the extraordinary sequence of events. While "Jaws" may have drawn its inspiration from these events, it's surprising that it's taken almost ninety years to bring them more directly to celluloid. More sophisticated than its meagre TV budget, the attack scenes are well staged and photographed, and while the acting is sometimes stilted, the overall collective effort does make entertaining and compelling viewing.A script writer couldn't have conceived a better tale; one, perhaps two rogue, apparently territorial sharks claim the lives of four bathers within a fortnight, with a fifth victim narrowly escaping death. Following a brace of fatalities in the surf, crusty sea captain (played here by the durable John Rhys Davies) witnesses the migration of a shark up the Matawan creek, but his penchant for the drink has most skeptical when he attempts to raise the alarm. Three more bathers fall foul, before the film diverts to the hunt for the killer, including the imbibing sea captain and an equally corpulent and eccentric out-of-town lion tamer and apparent jack of all trades.Still an intensely curious case, "12 Days of Terror" builds the momentum effectively, with authentic looking location work and period set design. While the acting can seem forced at times, Rhys Davies and supporting actor Dexter (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Cary Elwes) restore some balance, giving measured performances, appropriate to the mood. Experienced director Jack Sholder has excelled with the limited resources at his disposal, and displays impressive regard for portraying fact and blended fiction to affect a motion picture, moreover than simply a docu-drama. Highly recommended.

I have been obsessed with great white sharks since I saw Jaws when I was a very small child. I have seen the movie 'Twelve Days of Terror' and read the book as well, and both are utterly fascinating. Like it was said in the book, this incident in 1916 was a 'once in a lifetime' deal. Nothing like this has ever been happened before (and if it did, it was NEVER documented) and probably will not ever happen again, at least not in our lifetimes. I whole heartedly believe that the culprit back in 1916 was a juvenile great white shark. There are scientists that believe it was a bull shark, or a group of sharks. The shark that is on the cover of 'Twelve Days of Terror' was later autopsied and 10 to 15 pounds of human flesh were found inside. There is no doubt that it was a real, true man-eater that attacked all of those people (I believe it was 6 people total, and only one survived.) A shark that preys on humans (which is not a natural food source for sharks of any species) truly, in my opinion is a freak of nature. Very fascinating.

While I thought the movie was good. In the fact that it was filmed well and had good acting in it. I still felt it was a "Jaws" rip-off. The movie had great references to actual true life accounts of the incidents. Because of the way the story was played out I felt some what cheated out of a movie that could have captured the events of that era more accurately.I'd recommend seeing it as its not a bad movie at all. Just don't expect to see much more than a Jaws remake as far as the story line goes. To give it a little more credit than Jaws though I'd have to say the special effects were awesome. The action scenes of the attacks were totally believable. Over all I'd say if you are into sharks and action flicks this one is well worth seeing.