The Reef (V)
| release date | July 19 2011 |
| studio | Image Entertainment |
| director | Andrew Traucki |
| writer | Andrew Traucki |
| starring | Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering, Kieran Darcy-Smith |
| tagline | Pray that you drown first. |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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Of course, it’s no “Jaws” and of course, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel – nevertheless, “The Reef” is a bloody brilliant and absolutely kick-ass shark-flick in the vein of “Open Water”,
directed by Andrew Traucki, the man behind “Black Water”, IMO one of the best crocodile flicks ever made.
It’s highly suspenseful and thrilling from beginning to end (including many cool shocks and awesome edge-of-seat scenes), perfectly written and paced without ever getting boring.
The direction is tight, photography and cinematography are really beautiful, and the soundtrack is pretty nice.
What I liked most about it is how much value Traucki placed on realism.
Just like in “Black Water”, we get to see a few great actors who deliver some highly believable performances. Further, the whole capsize-situation seems very plausible and the shark attacks all look tremendously realistic.
One of the best shark-horror-films ever made!
The Reef joins the ranks of of the top tier water based horror film. Borrowing the based on a true story line and filmed on location, at an actual Australian reef, the Reef was clearly a movie made with care and attention.
One thing I know to be true to me is that I am scared of open water. The idea of being stuck out on the open water of the ocean at the mercy of the sharks and other animals…….no thank you. The level of tension and distress that can be created
by simply being in the water while under stress is unparalleled.
The casting was well-done, although you really only gain a feel for one or two of the characters and the order that they start dropping off was fairly predictable. The ending was also a tad bit predictable and abrupt, one of those fast ending films with just a few lines of expository text.
The shark footage was almost entirely authentic, with just a few moments of CGI where needed. This less is more with the shark helped keep the tension going, as did the camera shots where I found myself squinting to see if I could see anything moving in the water.
I must mention though, that a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is needed here. Mostly because all that we know regarding shark behavior, specifically Great White behavior suggests that a lone white is not going to stalk a group of four people over the course of two days.
Still, as that was my only gripe, I am going to recommend this very well-made movie to rent or own and it will definitely be viewed again.
The most heart pounding, terrifying, raw shark flick I’ve seen since Jaws, Deep Blue Sea and this is the most real deal one when compared to the classic Jaws film yet! Everything that Open Water gets wrong this movie gets right and yes the story is all too familiar by now but the fact that it’s based on a true story and they actually use real sharks and didn’t rely on special effects at all makes this an very effective, kick in the stomach shark film you’ll see all year. The acting was very believable with likable characters you care about which makes the whole ordeal even more heart wrenching and the whole time you feel like you are right there with them and it was very blood curdling with suspense and absolutely involving motion picture. It ends on a very sad and depressing note but what the filmmakers accomplished on a very limited budget is amazing and puts high budget creature features hollywood spits out to shame and I can tell you right now that Shark Night 3D and Bait 3D have a tough act to follow. Overall GO OUT AND RENT IT NOW BECAUSE IT’S THE FIRST SHARK MOVIE IN A LONG TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SECOND GUESS ABOUT GOING FOR A SWIM IN THE OCEAN. A MUST SEE! 8.5 OUT OF 10
When the Shark Bites Cant you feel the Thunder
All in all, a very good movie. I was expecting another Open Water rip-off but was pleasantly surprized by getting something that was just as good as that film. The shark scenes are very authentic looking and the performances were realistic as well.
My only personal gripe is an ending that seemed rushed. For a story that takes its time to build its tension & characters, I was not expecting such an abrupt conclusion. Although the closing moments are clearly different in tone from the rest of the story, it is thankfully not a hole that sinks the ship.
Those into nature-runs-amok films are strongly encouraged to seek this one out.
Definitely one of the best shark movies I’ve seen in a quite a while. As opposed to the BD review, I think the level of violence was perfect. It had enough that it definitely wasn’t boring. In my opinion, the lack of finish (like tearing someone to shreds) was just as terrifying because they were pulled into the unknown. I think if it was meant as more of gore movie then more violence would have helped but the movie relied on suspense and the unknown too much to have the violence. Could have been longer with the ending more drawn out. It ended pretty abrupt but definitely worth the watch.
I’m really glad to see that the ‘Users’ around here appreciate a film like this — something which aims for realism as opposed to gimmicky fx and sheer gore. I thought the whole thing was scary as hell, and I actually jumped in my seat a few times. It was loaded with great performances, likeable characters and nonstop tension. I’ll take something like this any day over 90% of the other crap that comes out. Lastly, it is ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST TERRIFYING SHARK MOVIES I’VE EVER SEEN! And I’ve been around awhile, too.
Good movie…
Fun film about a shark that doesn’t seem to mind the extra crunch from all the bones and lacking fat of the human body. I could invent a complaint, but then this would read like it was written by a BD staffer.
I’d like some sushis right now.
I’m not going to compare “The Reef” to “Jaws”. There are too many killer shark movies; some bad, some good, and it would be inappropriate to compare any of them to that riveting masterpiece of tension. However, would it be fine to compare the film to the killer shark movies that followed? Sure. I think I’ll compare “The Reef” to “Open Water”. They are both very similar films about unlikely people who are in a sticky situation; stranded in the middle of a shark infested ocean, constatnyl looking for land and/or help in every direction, but getting no response or safe haven in return. It’s a rather depressing but riveting subject for a movie, but often times, it works. At least in “Open Water” it did. That’s a very good flick that you need to catch if you haven’t already. Seeing it would do you more good than seeing this derivative if not somewhat involving potboiler; which is a pretty well-made potboiler if one at all, but a potboiler nonetheless.
I think the reason behind why some shark movies are good and others are not rests in the fact that with each film, the points are all plotted and the filmmakers know where they want to take the premise. However, sometimes they decide to take little deteurs and embed their own style into the product; in an attempt to make it a quality picture. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately for “The Reef”, the film finds itself smack-dab in the middle of things. It’s not bad, it’s not even mediocre, and it finds itself on the better side of decency; but what it lacks is riveting drama and an introduction to anything new. It uses old techniques, presents them in suitably old ways, and still manages to entertain. This is admirable, because this is an admirable and well-made film. I just wish it could have tried to be something more.
This is the kind of movie that opens by introducing us to characters who are pretty much characterless on sight. That’s never good. What I mean by this is basically: just by staring into their eyes, at their hair, bodies, and into their personalities, we can tell whether we’re actually going to care about them or not. My personal opinion on this can be said with a single word: nope! I would have been fine with these “characterless characters”, and for a while, I was. As long as the film played its cards right, I was willing to like it. And again, for a while, I was.
The set-up: our heroes and heroines take a boat trip to a beautiful reef, go diving for a bit, and then (gasp) the boat capsizes. This leaves them stranded, alone, and without much help on their side. There are no islands – little or big – in sight. How unfortunate. They decide to swim outwards a ways instead of just waiting around for something to happen, and this is precisely the moment in which they meet the villain; the killer sharks.
And oh, do they kill! The film makes a smart move by supplying us with plenty of shark attack scenes, and I liked how the most graphic of graphic details weren’t shown. This is always a good approach, since it makes the horror a whole lot more genuine; as does the nearly no-name cast of the film. I had no problem with the methods that the film used when it came to trying to scare and thrill the audience, I just had a slight issue with the attitude present in the delivery. “The Reef” doesn’t even attempt to put its own spin on the concept of being in the middle of a large body of water and surrounded by sharks. It IS that movie; and that movie only. The downsides are basically that it lacks substance, REAL human drama, or definitive horror; while the upsides are that it has some beautiful cinematography (something that most low-budget killer shark movies certainly lack), some engaging underwater sequences, solid performances (attached to genuinely boring characters), and a sense of direction that might get the people involved somewhere in their respective careers. I suspect plenty of love and attention went into making this film, and in some parts, it shows. I guess those involved expect us to lower our expectations a bit so that we can enjoy the film; and maybe that’s what you should do if my review, which I hope feels like it praises more than it criticizes, arouses your interest in the film. But when it comes down to distinguishing the shark from the movie, “The Reef” only just barely gets both the shark…and some of the movie. Perhaps the shark is a given.
Realistic and suspenseful, The Reef succeeds with both the simplicity of the situation and the complexity of the fears in a common tale of shark-bait. The settings of perilous blue depths, actors peril itself, and a very real maneater make for a tense and anxiety stricken 88 mins. The characters did a good job of making me buy into their plight, and their fear could be felt. Simple, effective, and entertaining–dug it. No frills survival terror that works.
This was intense.This is a slow burn.If you hated “Open Water” don’t bother.Even though this is better than that film which I like too.Great shark footage cleverly used.You feel the terror that the actors portrayed brilliantly.This is sadly based off of a true story.Another great Animal attack film by the director of “Black Water”.This is a great and tragic horror movie.Another reason why I stay out of the food chain known as the ocean.
This was actually a pretty good movie way better than Open Water but similar. I hated Open Water but this one was pretty damn intense. I recommend this movie a lot but it does take some time to build up but it is well worth it. Way better than expected.
The Reef is the second film to be directed by Andrew Traucki, the first being Black Water. I’m not gonna compare The Reef to any other killer shark film because there’s enough to make your head spin.
The Reef was a pretty intense movie, which makes it good.
well made, tense thriller, enjoyed
Worth one watch to me, but I wonâe(TM)t overly praise the movie as it really wasnâe(TM)t a great shark movie. They get props for using real sharks, but that didnâe(TM)t make it a great fearful movie.
This is the movie I desperately wanted Open Water to be. The characters are sympathetic and make believable decisions. The tension is gracefully ramped up; the film makes a clever choice of using actual footage as much as possible and skillfully blends it with the perfomances. It does a great job of showing how the ocean can appear so vast and empty one moment and suddenly something massive can be within feet of you. This movie captures it better than any I’ve seen in a long time! Highly recommended! (4/5 my skull thing isn’t working!!)