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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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61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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Although the film's antagonists are real, the young humans aren't fleshed out enough to make us impassioned about their welfare.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
08/20/04
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Sharks are nature's most efficient killing machines. Open Water, which co-stars sharks, is the summer cinema's most efficient scaring machine.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
08/20/04
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

It begins with a knot in the stomach that warns we're getting into uncharted waters and escalates through various stages of dread until it's all the viewer can do not to squirm in his or her seat.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
08/20/04
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

[Kentis and Lau] play on a litany of basic human fears -- abandonment, among them -- with shattering, savage results.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/20/04
Kevin Williamson
Kevin Williamson
Jam! Movies

Think hand-held cameras in the open sea, shaky and buoyed by the waves, shot on digital video (but not the good, hi-definition kind).

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
08/20/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

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

Considered in its ham-handed entirety, Open Water feels more of an exercise in cinematic sadism.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
08/20/04
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While Open Water does employ a few clever gimmicks, and does have some tense moments, it also features some pretty bad storytelling and thin characterizations.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/20/04
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

I longed for something -- anything -- unexpected to occur. What I wouldn't have given for Wilson, the Cast Away volleyball, to float past with his bloody 'face' print grinning at the pair!

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
08/20/04
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/20/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

... possesses a primeval power to get under your skin, if not necessarily stay in your mind much beyond its brief running time.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
08/20/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

The actors - particularly the star-in-the-making Ryan, who takes command of the screen - and Kentis conspire to tie the audience's nerves into knots.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
08/20/04
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Open Water is an excellent film because of its visceral simplicity.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/20/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

So nerve-wracking the concession stand could make a killing on Xanax Slurpees.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
08/20/04
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

This example of minimalist stunt filmmaking doesn't add up to much, but the filmmakers deserve credit for their diabolically simple, inexpensive and effective premise...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/20/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Anyone choosing to sit on the edge of a seat in a state of locked tension ... will be utterly fulfilled. ... The fuzzy nature by which the premise is presented bites.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
08/20/04
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

...efficace pour certains et pas du tout pour d'autres.

Full Review Source: EnPrimeur.ca | comment Comment
08/20/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca

Open Water is a very simple film, but an effective one nevertheless.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
08/20/04
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Justified paranoia and dark digital photography combine forces in Open Water in an attempt to generate real fear in the audience, but the resulting film is simply too thin to manage the feat.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/19/04
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/19/04
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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