Orca, also nicknamed "Orca the Killer Whale", is the titular main protagonist of the 1977 film of the same name. He is the archenemy of Captain Nolan, who killed his mate and unborn child, prompting the whale to exact revenge on the perpetrator.
The story of Orca is often considered to be a repeat of Jaws, as it was one of many animal-horror films which were made after the commercial success of the original Jaws film in 1975. It also parallels the classic 1851 Herman Melville novel Moby Dick, which also has battle of man versus whale with themes of revenge. But in this case, it's arguable if he really is evil, as while he does kill several people associated with Nolan, he is also a predator by his very nature.
Description[]
Measuring about 9 meters (or 30 feet) long, he is mostly portrayed through footage of two real orcas used for filming, named Yaka and Nepo, who were trained whales from Marineland of the Pacific and Marine World/Africa USA. However, scenes conveying film-specific actions, such as when he carries his deceased mate, breaks the fuel pipes, bites off Annie's leg, etc. were filmed with various animatronics. As such, his dorsal film used in these scenes carries a small flesh wound inflicted by Nolan's harpoon at the beginning of the film.
In addition to actual killer whale vocalizations, Orca is also given roars and screams to convey his pain, grief and anger.
Personality[]
Orca is portrayed as being incredibly protective of his mate and unborn offspring. Upon witnessing their brutal deaths he expresses grief and goes out of his way to push the body of his mate to a resting place.
He then goes on an aggressive rampage for revenge and proceeds to kill Nolan's crew and Ken, even if they weren't the ones who actually did the deed. That being said, he does retain some moral standards, as after he kills Nolan he spares marine biologist Rachel Bedford and leaves in peace.
Biography[]
Orca is first seen jumping in the open and swimming happily with his mate. Both orcas enjoy each other and perform a romantic courtship.
A crew on the fishing boat Bumpo lead by Captain Nolan are out at sea looking to capture a great white shark. The great white notices Ken, a diver working with the aquarium, after he falls off his inflatable boat and frantically tries to swim back on board. Before the shark can reach the diver, an orca comes up and kills the shark, stunning Nolan and prompting him to catch an orca instead.
The captain and his crew set out on another voyage when they spot several orcas in the distance. He identifies the bull and fires his harpoon, but it grazes the male's fin and instead hits another slightly smaller orca, which screams in pain. The whale swims erratically and collides with the boat's spinning propeller, possibly to commit suicide and avoid being captured alive. After further struggle Nolan manages to hoist up the pain-stricken orca by the tail. The whale screams again as she miscarries, dropping a fetus onto the deck. Nolan is paralyzed in utter horror, and nearly vomits. He demands the female orca to be released but the controls are jammed. Nolan then hastily hoses the dead fetus overboard and decides to return to port.
As night falls Orca rams the Bumpo in an attempt to free his mate from the rope. The impact causes fellow crew member Annie to fall and break her foot. Nolan makes another attempt at release, ordering his first mate Novak to climb atop the mast to sever the ropes. He does so but Orca in a fit of rage jumps up and kills him. The whale then makes eye contact with Nolan, vowing revenge.
At dawn, Orca proceeds to carry the body of his mate through the ocean in deep mourning and arrives at a shoreline where he places the female's body to rest as a proper burial. He later rams and sinks an anchored boat in a harbor, shocking the crowd.
Circling the harbor at night, Orca ruptures a fuel pipe spilling gas, then knocks over a torch lamp, lighting the gas on fire, which engulfs the harbor and spreads to fuel tanks causing them to explode. Orca jumps in victory and watches the event before finally swimming away to hide.
The next night, Orca finds Nolan's beach house and rams into the wooden pillars supporting it, causing it to topple into the water. Annie and Nolan hang on but due to having a broken leg, Annie has a hard time getting up. Paul arrives and shines the light to focus on Annie. Nolan and Paul use a fishing net to help Annie get back up. Orca charges towards the house, emerges, and then bites off Annie's broken leg and swims away with the leg in his mouth.
The next morning, Nolan sets out to sea along with Bedford, Paul, Ken and indigenous hunter Jacob Umilak to find the whale. Orca rams against the Bumpo, prompting Nolan to throw a stick of dynamite at him, which is stopped by Bedford's quick intervention. Orca then waves his tail at the crew, which they interpret as a signal to follow him. Ken decides to walk onto the mast but Orca emerges and drags him into the water, killing him.
The whale eventually leads the crew to the Strait of Belle Isle. That night, Paul loses his nerve and tries to flee in the lifeboat, prompting Orca to smash it, and he either drowns or kills Paul.
As the morning rises, Orca pushes an iceberg against the Bumpo, causing it to start sinking. Nolan throws a spear at Orca, injuring him, then proceeds to abandon ship along with Bedford and make it out onto an adjacent ice pack, but Umilak is crushed beneath an avalanche of ice after sending an SOS.
Orca breaks the ice several times, with Nolan firing in response. The skipper is eventually forced onto a separate floe which breaks and drifts off. As Orca emerges and roars with anger, Nolan cries "WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU?!" The whale proceeds to jump and use his body weight to tilt the floe, causing Nolan to slide into the icy, cold water. Orca swims a circle around Nolan, then uses his tail to throw the captain against a wall of ice next to Bedford, with the impact killing him instantly. His body then slips into the icy water.
With his revenge complete, Orca and Bedford trade glances with each other before the former swims off, while a helicopter arrives to rescue the latter. As the credits begin to roll, Orca is last seen swimming beneath the thick ice and pushing his head against it, attempting unsuccessfully to surface for air. Though his fate is ultimately uncertain, it's suggested that Orca will likely drown beneath the ice. Some have even suggested that the whale, with his revenge done and rage quelled, is left with only the feelings of devastation and loss and is seeking to end his own life by drowning.
Victims[]
- 1: Great White Shark
- 2: Novak
- 3: Annie (leg amputated)
- 4: Ken
- 5: Paul
- 6: Jacob Umilak (indirectly)
- 7: Captain Nolan
Gallery[]
