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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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161 - 180 (sorted by date)
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A gut-clutching plunge into primal-fear territory that is no less unsettling for having been made on a flipper and a prayer.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
08/05/04
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's just them, the water and us -- at least until the sharks show up. By the time they do, we're feeling almost as apprehensive as Susan and Daniel are.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
08/05/04
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Just one tedious scene stretched out to feature length.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
08/05/04
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

A taut, 79-minute fright fest peppered with enough payoffs and glossed with a mournful philosophic overlay.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
08/05/04
Sid Smith
Sid Smith
Chicago Tribune

Despite its low-budget, it's undoubtedly the most terrifying film of the summer!

Full Review Source: Modamag.com | comment Comment
08/05/04
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
Modamag.com

Clearly, this one will divide viewers, but the vote here is that Open Water is an unpleasant experience.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/05/04
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An obvious successor to The Blair Witch Project that is neither as imaginative nor as existentially terrifying.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
08/05/04
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

A fantastic gimmick - too bad nobody ever bothered to develop it into an actual, like, movie.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
08/05/04
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

The filmmakers' remarkable storytelling is not lost amidst the terrors of the deep; what emerges is a glimpse into the psychological struggle when faced with unwinnable odds.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
08/04/04
Gabriel Shanks
Gabriel Shanks
Mixed Reviews

Rarely as gripping as it wants to be; for the most part it treads water just as its lead characters do.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
08/04/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
08/04/04
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

Whether or not anyone enjoys it, few will fail to describe it as a 'nailbiter.' That it certainly is.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
08/03/04
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

As a self-proclaimed shark-movie junkie, Open Water brilliantly taps into that ultimate fear of what lurks down below.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
08/03/04
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

Simply a stunt -- hopelessly literal-minded and cheap in every sense.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/03/04
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite its flaws, I welcome Open Water with great enthusiasm, because it offers genuine scares and chills without the self-aware, packaged feel of many horror/thriller films.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
08/03/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a compact little gem that proves that low-low-budget films don’t have to be always about couples squabbling in small rooms.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
08/02/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Writer/director Chris Kentis ekes genuine tension from little more than a pair of luckless yuppies and a relentless, unforgiving body of water.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
08/02/04
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

A sharply recorded and realized picture of what lurks beneath 'our' surface.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/02/04
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

When Susan wonders if it’s scarier seeing or not seeing the sharks around them, she may as well be talking to the audience.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
07/30/04
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
07/30/04
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette
 
 
161 - 180 (sorted by date)
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