Beast: Difference between revisions

A 1991 novel by [[Peter Benchley]] (author of ''[[Jaws]]''), ''Beast'' deals with a series of attacks on Bermudan shipping and swimmers by an incredibley hostile giant squid. It was adapted into a film in 1996 under the slightly changed name of ''[[The Beast]]''.

 

In both versions, the main character is Whip Darling, a longtime Bermuda fisherman. Despite his occupation, Whip deeply loves the ocean and the creatures in it, and has no respect for those who refuse to fish sustainably. He is also a realist, and makes every effort to steer clear of the would-be squid hunters, correctly predicting that such an expedition can only end in failure. Eventually however, Whip's need for money causes him to be drawn into the expedition, alongside longtime friend Marcus, Canadian scientist Dr. Herbert Talley, and [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] Osborn Manning, leading to a final, climactic confrontation with the monster.

* [[Animal Wrongs Group]]: The "Save-The-Squid" crowd. As Whip puts it, "''Architeuthis dux'' is doing a fine job of saving itself."

* [[Canada, Eh?]]: Talley, complete with Maritime accent.

* [[Chainsaw Good]]: After the squid sinks the boat, Whip fends it off with a chainsaw, severing several of its limbs, before the monster disarms him.

* [[Designated Hero]]/ [[Designated Villain]]: A review of this movie on Jabootu.net named the tropes.

* [[Deus Ex Machina]]: The squid sinks Whip's boat, kills Osborn Manning, and nearly gets Talley, Marcus, and Whip when a sperm whale erupts out of the water and tears it in half.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Osborn Manning certainly does.

* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: The squid is too dumb to tell the difference between living animals and inorganic matter, leading to attacks on boats and submarines.

* [[Gaia's Vengeance]]: Why is the squid here? Well largely because we've killed off most of the animals that eat them when they're babies (tuna, sharks, sea turtles), and most of the animals that eat them when they're adults (sperm whales), and all the food at the bottom of the ocean that they normally eat. That's right kids: we're increasing the numbers of one of the few animals that can fight us on relatively even terms.

* [[Revenge]]: Osborn Manning wants it on the squid.

** [[Revenge Before Reason]]: Manning has a bad case of this, and it ultimately gets him killed.

* [[Science Is Bad]]: Whip chastises himself for putting faith in science, saying "The only thing scientists admit is what they know. What they don't know - what might be, all the stuff in the in the realm of the possible but unproven - they dismiss as myth." Something of a Wallbanger.

* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]: Osborn Manning again.

 

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[[Category:Thriller Literature]]