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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
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Reviews for Open Water
It'll leave you with the creeps and make you think twice about swimming in the ocean for the rest of the summer.
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.
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!
[Creates] the steadily mounting feeling that something could go terribly wrong at any moment, both in front of and behind the camera.
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.**
An ultra-low-budget uber-indie horror flick that could very well resonate with audiences outside the festival circuit.
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.
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.
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.
A horrifying meditation on how contentment can lull us into complacency, detachment, and ultimately, absolute isolation.
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
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.
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.
A low-budget indie film whose tension and realism are augmented by unknown actors who fully inhabit their roles.
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.
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