Steven Spielberg's first great film Jaws (1975) was a film that was destined to be ripped-off, parodied, and referenced in horror films for ages to come. They continue today. As recently as the Shark Attack movies, which started in 1999. But while those films only copied certain elements of Jaws, the Italian low-budget horror film Great White ripped-off nearly every single element. As a matter of fact, it copied Jaws so closely that Universal Pictures filed a successful lawsuit against the producers and Great White was yanked out of American theaters shortly after its release.<br /><br />Because it's a rip-off of Jaws (1975), the plot is no different. A great white shark attacks a sleepy little summer resort town, attacking surfers and swimmers as they venture into the water. The police chief (James Franciscus) knows it's out there, and so does a crusty sea captain (Vic Morrow), but the mayor of the town (Joshua Sinclair) doesn't want to frighten away tourists. Yes, it's just a repeat of the great Spielberg classic, down to the point where the characters go out in a boat to hunt down the ferocious fish.<br /><br />Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) is my all-time favorite movie and therefore, I find it kind of blasphemous of the producers of Great White to copy it as extensively as they did. But believe it or not, during the first half-hour of the film, I was getting the impression that I was going to enjoy it and might even forgive it for its plagiarism. It still would have been a rip-off, but the point is the movie starts out on a cheesy but fun level, and then disintegrates into a travesty.<br /><br />And yet, it continues to mimic Jaws (1975) down to the bone. They even copied Spielberg's horrifying technique of not showing the shark until the movie was half-over. They had a sequence where the shark attacked a buoy and dragged it across the surface of the water (just like in Jaws (1975) where the shark was struck with harpoons rigged to barrels). But these blatant attempts to create suspense failed miserably. But wait, there's more! There are moments in the film where it even tries to duplicate Jaws 2 (1978)! What I found kind of humorous was how closely Vic Morrow tried to imitate Robert Shaw's stupendous performance from the original film. Right down to the accent. Sometimes it was kind of sweet, other times, it got flat-out annoying.<br /><br />In terms of the shark itself, for when it is seen, just like in Spielberg's classic, it was done through a mechanical shark and live footage. And in Great White, these two elements are blended together so badly that it never sustains the illusion. We will see the mechanical shark (which is a pretty poor effect) rise above the water and then sink down. The next shot is a live action shark under the water and it looks completely different than its animatronic counterpart. No resemblance.<br /><br />Are there any highlights at all to Great White? Yes, but very few. The music, while blown out of proportion at times, is intricate. Not masterful like John Williams' score for Jaws (1975), but intricate. Performances are generally good. James Franciscus was likable as the police chief even though he was copying Roy Scheider's character. But remember, he just took the salary and played the role. He didn't write the script. And like I said, even thought the initial thirty minutes is also mimicking Spielberg's film, it did have a kind of respectful sweetness and was kind of fun. But after that, it really bogged down, overstayed its welcome, and lowered the standards. And the ending was truly awful.