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Open Water

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Open Water (2004)

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Reviews Counted:187

Fresh:134

Rotten:53

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: A low budget thriller with some intense moments.

Runtime: 81 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Aug 6, 2004 Limited

Box Office: $30,500,882

Synopsis: Proving that the power of imagination is much more terrifying than what meets the eye, OPEN WATER is Chris Kentis's intensely realistic deep-sea drama, "based on true events." The film's leering... Proving that the power of imagination is much more terrifying than what meets the eye, OPEN WATER is Chris Kentis's intensely realistic deep-sea drama, "based on true events." The film's leering digital video camera allows viewers to float like shark-bait, stranded in the middle of the ocean with Susan and Daniel (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis), a bickering married couple who have just been abandoned by their scuba-diving boat in the Caribbean. As the tension escalates between the troubled twosome--who are cold, tired, dehydrated, and more than a little scared--the tragedy of the situation is exacerbated by a series of very unfortunate conditions. While a current sweeps them far from where the boat left them, and deep dark clouds pass menacingly overhead, the sea-life just below the surface is clearly not of the friendly variety. Yes, those are real sharks, folks. Meanwhile, Daniel, who watched Shark Week on television, is no stranger to the perils at hand, and finds himself battling shock. Minutes pass like hours, with the light shifting on the water and the constant motion of the waves adding to this unfathomable nightmare. The shimmering blues of wide expanses of sea are offset by dazzling underwater photography, yet the mood remains bleak. And while no special effects, abrupt developments, or abrasive gore are present here, the film instills such fear that viewers will be frozen awaiting the surprising conclusion. A day at the beach will never be quite the same again. [More]

Starring: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau

Starring: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau, Michael E. Willimson, Christina Zenarro, Jon Charles

Director: Chris Kentis

Director: Chris Kentis
Producer: Laura Lau
Studio: Lions Gate Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 30, 1999

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Reviews for Open Water

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

It'll leave you with the creeps and make you think twice about swimming in the ocean for the rest of the summer.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/06/04
E! Online

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Open Water may not be a pristine or complex suspense thriller, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else as terrifyingly potent in such a tiny package.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
08/06/04
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

Should come with a pre-screening checklist: Tissue for sweaty palms, liquid for clenched throat, and oxygen mask for air. This is a panic-attack inducing 75 minutes of film!

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
08/05/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

[Creates] the steadily mounting feeling that something could go terribly wrong at any moment, both in front of and behind the camera.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
12/04/04
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

No special effects, no gimmicks, a tight 79-minute running time and REAL sharks is all that's needed to make viewers squirm to the edge of their seats.**

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
08/23/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

A taut, riveting, uncommonly well-made film.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/06/04
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

An ultra-low-budget uber-indie horror flick that could very well resonate with audiences outside the festival circuit.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/23/04
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
07/30/04
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

Open Water depends on the audience to be able to vicariously place themselves in the situation at hand, and if you can do that, you're in for a nerve-frying treat.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/26/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

Although the movie was produced with few frills, Kentis keeps you watching. He adds to the tension gradually, and by the end, you're gripping the arms of your seat, wondering whether this pair will be rescued before, um, lunchtime.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/06/04
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I can't think of any movie that so well captures how the sea can be hostile to human existence the way it most commonly is.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
08/06/04
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

A horrifying meditation on how contentment can lull us into complacency, detachment, and ultimately, absolute isolation.

Full Review Source: Freeze Dried Movies | comment Comment
04/01/05
Brian Juergens
Brian Juergens
Freeze Dried Movies

Uses a minimalist budget, a vast outdoor setting, a very small cast, and a narrative that meticulously builds a pervasive sense of dread without giving too much away

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/03/05
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

A tour-de-force show of how two people can bare their souls in the most extreme circumstances. Warts and all. That's more terrifying for couples than the sight of a shark fin.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/20/04
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

It's a scything fin in the pit of your stomach, a gathering shark storm beneath the surface of the life you take for granted.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
08/06/04
Bruce Newman
Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A low-budget indie film whose tension and realism are augmented by unknown actors who fully inhabit their roles.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
08/06/04
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The nagging desire to help these people underscores the involvement of the audience in this superbly told story. You can almost taste the saltwater, and the fear.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
08/06/04
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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