Critical Capsule: Blood Tide

So, I watched this movie the other night that was so bad that it was literally a struggle to get through it. It is always a shame when I come across a movie like that, I like to think that every movie has at least something going for it, whether I be a performance, a scene, a line, even just a fleeting moment, just something. In the case of his flick, there was nothing except the merciful release of the end credits. The movie is called Blood Tide and it was released upon unsuspecting audiences way back in 1982. I feel fairly certain that not many people saw it then.



Blood Tide was directed by Richard Jefferies. This was his only directed feature film, he has been more of a writer in his career with movies such as Scarecrows, The Vagrant, Man of the House, and Cold Creek Manor. Jefferies collaborated with Nico Mastorakis, who has written other films such as Death Street USA, Bloodstone, and Hired to Kill. Granted, this was early in both of their careers, but you have to wonder what the thought process was when they made it, some sort of realization that this was boring.

As the movie begins, we are told that before the dawn of recorded time virgins were sacrificed to satisfy the monsters. As time passed, the monsters became trapped and the sacrifices stopped, however, the rituals have still been passed down through the generations. The main story picks up in the present. A treasure hunter accidentally unleashes this ancient monster and the neighboring town resumes the virgin sacrifice to keep it at bay. It is up to that treasure hunter, his wife, and a few others to find a way to stop the monster they unleashed.

That is really all there is to it. It was shot on location in Greece, which helps it with some perceived production value. Still, it is just dry, plodding, and so unbearably dull. You sit there, waiting for something to happen, but it never really does. It must mopes along until it's over. We see the monster just briefly and it is decidedly less than impressive.

The only thing notable about the film is the cast. It stars James Earl Jones as that treasure hunter who unleashes the beast and then must stop it. His presence does add a little legitimacy to the production. That voice alone is fantastic, but here he is lifeless and not all that charismatic. Additionally,the cast includes Martin Kove, looking a little like Knight Rider-era David Hasselhoff.

There is nothing left to cover here. Blood Tide is not a good movie. It's boring, lifeless, devoid of drama, scares, or laughs. There is no reason to watch this movie. I guess a good signal of that is its public domain status, the previous owners didn't see any reason to keep it, so why bother?

Not Recommended.