"Grizzly" is essentially "Jaws" in the woods, with the story centering around a rampaging bear that terrorizes a state park. Naturally, this causes panic among the local campers, and park ranger Michael Kelly (Christopher George) calls for the forest area to be closed off until the danger has been dealt with. His pleas fall on indifferent ears, however, as the park's supervisor, Charley Kittridge (Joe Dorsey), has no interest in shutting it down. Thus begins a heroic quest to hunt down the bear, with Kelly teaming up with a pilot and an outdoorsman to take the fight to the creature.
The "Jaws" comparisons are barely hidden here — in fact, "Grizzly" is like one big love letter to Spielberg's movie. Kelly is basically Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), and his comrades are reminiscent of Matt Hopper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw). Kittridge, meanwhile, would probably get along with Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), as they are both reluctant to shut down public spaces, even when killer carnivores are on the loose. What's more, both movies kill their respective animal antagonists using some almighty firepower.
