Review of Open Water (2004) by Thequietgamer — 02 Jul 2016

When it comes to shark movies the first thing you expect is watching tons of helpless people get eaten by these underwater predators. Open Water is more thoughtful than that. It's a story about two people being stranded out in the ocean. It's thrills and chills are more psychological than visual.

It plays off of your paranoia of what you can't see, just as much as what you can. With the use of real life sharks, it's hard to not get freaked out. There's a sense of realism to the film that adds to the tension. Despite what appears to be a pretty low budget, there are plenty of gorgeous ocean shots and aquatic wildlife on display. Writer and director Chris Kentis knows how to shoot a scene. His handling of these, again, completely real sharks around his actors is a stunning feat. Even more stunning are the actor's ability to keep calm and deliver excellent performances around them.

There's a nice drama element to the film as well. Typical marital issues are what causes the characters to go on this diving trip in the first place, and they pop up here and there to add a further sense of realism to the movie. The fact that this is all (loosely) based on true events makes the situation all the more harrowing to watch.

Obviously this isn't the most traditionally exciting film due to it's desire to be as realistic as possible. It ditches the bloodthirsty monster tone of other shark flicks in order to give a more accurate depiction of shark behavior. At it's core this is really one of those survival films. There's not always a lot happening and we do get plenty of scenes of the two characters just floating and talking. As a result this isn't for everybody. For those who like realism though, this is an excellent choice.

I, for one, see the dedication to being as believable as possible as giving Open Water an edge. Yes, it's not as bloodthirsty, but it's certainly more tense than every other shark movie I've seen. Basically, if you're looking for blood and guts then this isn't for you. However if you like a well-paced and genuinely effective thriller/survival story this is the shark movie for you. Especially is you have an appreciation for realism and the extra added gut punch "based on true event" films can have.

8.