MovieChat Forums > The Reef (2011) Discussion > black water with sharks, and a couple mo...

black water with sharks, and a couple more people. (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by moshun
3 replies | jump to latest

essentially, some idiots get rightly eaten by a shark, in a near carbon copy of black water.

it's even the same plot device, boat....capsize...malevolent creature between them and safety, miles from anywhere. They get stuck into it by the 15 min mark, just like black water, a muted hint of character attachment and off we go, lets get these people eaten.

don't get me wrong, the first two acts are good. but the third act labors under excessive string section/shark swim-by build up. only to end with a blunt splutter/cop out, just like black water, weak finish.

there's some good stuff in there, but it made the characters look like idiots by having them do the exact cliched thing you knew they needed to do to ensure they'd swiftly become shark food.

[–] macabre_madness 14 years ago

Gee, I think I'll just swim away from the group for a minute. I'm sure the shark won't pick on me if I do.

[–] moshun 13 years ago

yeah exactly, " oh my small plastic floaty thing, i should really swim off and get that" IDIOT.

[–] trioxinforlunch 13 years ago

I'm not sure what you expect from a shark movie. A lot it would seem. I was really impressed with the skill demonstrated by the director (and editor) in conceiving each episode of tension in subtly different ways. I figure it would be difficult to come up with ways to break up the open ocean scenarios, which the movie did well I think. The upturned boat and in the third act, the jagged pieces of reef breaching the surface the two were perched on intermittently. Each attack scene became more and more efficient until finally, the hero is erased without a drop of blood being spilled, having achieved his final act of heroism by saving the girl. There's a good momentum to the movie basically with a very appropriate conclusion. You might have something with the string comprised score - it was a little plain and insistent. Finally, what possible third option, as the character repeats in the beginning stages of the set-up, could there be - stay with the boat, or don't. Clever little movie, well put together.

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