Beyond the Reef (1979) Poster

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6/10
Shark!
BandSAboutMovies31 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Also known as Sea Killer - the name it was originally released in the U. S. - Mein Freund, der Hai (My Friend, the Shark); Peripeteies ston okeano (Adventures In the Ocean); Manidù - Uno squalo ribelle, un indigeno selvaggio, un fiore di ragazza (Oh Italy; this means Manidu - A Rebellious Shark, a Wild Native, A Flower of a Girl); Shark Boy of Bora Bora and The Hero King, Beyond the Reef often has posters that make it seem like it's going to be sharksploitation.

Shot at the same time as the remake of The Hurricane with the same cast and crew minus Mia Farrow, this was produced Raffaella De Laurentiis, whose father Dino thought Dayton Ka'ne was going to be a star.

Beyond the Reef is a movie about a 16-foot tiger shark named Manidu, which has been named for the old man (Oliverio Maciel Diaz) who introduced him to Tikoyo (Ka'ne) when the shark was only a foot long and the boy was young. He also had a friend, Diana (Maren Jensen), who goes off to America and forgets all about him. Meanwhile, the boy grows into a man and can mentally speak to his shark, like a friendlier version of Mako: The Jaws of Death except when the shark has to protect Tokoyo or Diana, which strangely has her brother Jeff (Keahi Farden) being evil and seeking a cave of black pearls.

All of the underwater footage has been shot by Ramon Bravo, who was a real renaissance man. He was a swimmer who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, then learned how to shoot cameras underwater and discovered the phenomena of sharks sleeping on the ocean floor. He also wrote the novel that Tintorera is based on and is also the zombie that fights the shark in Zombi. When he died, a collection of luminaries, including Jean-Michael Costeau, placed a memorial to him in the ocean that said "Ramón Bravo, protector of the sea and the ocean, sleeps forever next to his sharks in this cave. Isla Mujeres 02-28-98."

Based on the novel Tikoyo and His Shark by Clement Richer, this was directed by Fred C. Clarke (his only movie) and written by Louis LaRusso II (The Closer) and James Carabatsos (Hamburger Hill). The novel was also made in 1962 as the Italian/French film Ti-Koyo e il suo pescecane.

If you thought it was strange that sharks can roar, this one purrs. Also, this movie has toplessness, which is kind of shocking with how charming it is. It kind of comes out of nowhere.
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Old-fashioned island romance
lor_1 January 2023
My review was written in May 1981 after a Times Square screening: "Beyond the Reef" is the sort of guileless juvenile romance popular on screen in the 1950s. Its pretty island and sea visuals have a lulling quality, but even as escapist entertainment the picture is too modest for today's sensation-seeking audiences.

Fable has a young boy (Joseph Ka'ne) growing up with a pet shark in a remote lagoon. When his old father-figure friend Manidu (Oliverio Maciel DIaz) dies, the man's spirit lives on in the body of the shark according to an island legend.

Fully grown (brother Dayton Ka'ne taking over the role), the boy is reunited with his childhood sweetheart Diana (Maren Jensen), a Polynesian-American who has been off to school in the States. While duo's romance blossoms in the idyllic surroundings, Ka'ne dives for the fabled black pearls in his lagoon, protected by the grown killer tiger shark called Manidu after its human spirit.

Despite some bloody shark attacks, film lacks any sort of dramatic drive, with the main conflict a meek subplot involving Diana's mercenary brother who is out to get the pearls and despoil the island with lucrative Japanese hotel development. Supernatural element of the spirit transfer is played for laughs as the shark (superbly trained) goes through various antics.

Though lensed in 1979 around the time of Columbia's "The Blue Lagoon" and possessing two handsome young protagonists in love, "Reef" missed the opportunities at scripting stage to tap the youth audience turned out by the Brooke Shields-starrer. What emerges is merely pleasant filler, destined to play better on the tube than theatrically.

Tech credits are variable, with Ramon Bravo's underwater photography hitting the mark. Post-synched sound gives cast neutral American accents, adding to intelligibility but making the picture needlessly remote.

Dayton Ka'ne (seen in "Hurricane") and Maren Jansen (latter adapting well to the native environment after scoring in television's "Battlestar Galactica") are appealing as the young lovers while cute and chubby Kathleen Swan delivers needed comic relief as Jensen's U. S. tourist pal.
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2/10
Boring and stupid
rebel72545 January 2006
This movie was terrible. It came on TV a few months ago and my girlfriend and I watched it because we were really, really bored. We kept watching it in hopes that it would become more interesting or more exciting. Never happened. This is precisely the kind of movie that should have been made fun of (and may have for all I know) on that show "Mystery Science Theater 3000" that used to come on the Sci-Fi channel. It was a show where this guy was a prisoner on a spaceship and his punishment was having to watch horrible movies all the time. He and his robot buddies sit down and you get to hear their wisecracking commentary the whole time. This would have been perfect for that.

The acting was awful and uninspired. The story was stupid. The screenplay was dull and boring. That pretty much sums it up.
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7/10
Not bad at all!
JohnHowardReid29 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Also known as "Sea Killer", this film was superbly photographed on Bora-Bora, using the romantic lead from "Hurricane" and a very attractive ingénue, Maren Jensen. Miss Swan is along just for comedy relief, and fortunately there is not too much of her as her post syncing is not the best! And whilst the shark is sometimes convincing, he is often an obvious dummy! But what is actually the most disappointing aspect of this movie is its sudden conclusion which simply leaves the story of the villainous brother and the Japanese entrepreneur up in the air. Never mind, Francis Lai's lovely music score makes up for a lot. The photography is also outstanding and the director sure knows how to get the best out of his action material. Even the underwater scenes (which are usually dull and repetitious in this sort of picture) are exciting enough to withstand the weight of some dull dialogue on land.
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8/10
A movie Before It's Time Warning: Spoilers
This movie dealt with environmental issues before it's time. Don't let the classic romantic plot put you off. There are some great lines at the start of the movie. It follows two girls on a visit to Bora Bora. The main character is going back to her homeland and she brings her American friend. The underlying theme is the beginnings of mass tourism in an unspoilt lagoon. The cinematography is amazing and there are some really beautiful scenes. Lots involving a shark and humans before the days of CGI. Don't let the background music (that could seem dated to some), put you off watching a film with superb acting and great respect to the people and culture of Bora Bora. A pleasant surprise.
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10/10
One of my favorite movies.
degrado16 April 2000
I saw this movie when I was 8 years old and I still remember it like yesterday. I have searched high and low for this movie and hopefully it will be available soon. Anyway, this movie is very touching and dramatic. I cried every time I watched it. This movie is a MUST to see and own! You will not regret it. :)
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10/10
Atmosphere and contemplative movie
gapopescu4 October 2020
This is not an action movie. It is about life and priorities and the atmosphere of living in the islands. The simplicity of life and what is important and what is not. The filming and acting could have been done better maybe. It's very simple. But it takes you to a life on the island time and simplicity.
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