As far as the genre of overplayed shark attack movies go, this one is one of the worst. As far as these types of posts go, here is The Reef Movie Review as brought to you by Things I Fear.
Starring some random people you have never heard of, this was supposed to be a more realistic account of another rogue shark that decides to eat a group of friends. Too bad rogue sharks don’t actually exist. Furthermore, too bad there was absolutely no fact checking as to how a shark hunts. Example: The shark does not eat at dawn or dusk. Instead, it elects to attack in the middle of the day. No reason to Fear any shark in this movie.
The character development is pathetic. They throw in these minor character details at random points in the movie to give you a better sense of who the people are. I don’t even remember their names. I just remember that sometimes, the husband makes these really weird sounds as opposed to communicating like a normal human being. Oh, and a turtle gets bit in half.
So this group of 4 or 5 people are wandering the desolate wasteland that is Australia. I say that because there are no civilians anywhere at any point during the movie. Except for a cameo by a shop owner for about 5 seconds. Otherwise, it’s an apocalyptic mess out there. The conversations that take place between the main characters seem really forced. Like they have a script in front of them and are trying to appease their boss who is looking over with disappointment. It just seems awkward. Speaking of which, there is a lingering sexual tension between two characters. This really doesn’t develop into anything but it is weird.
So the group heads into open water on a large boat. When I say open water, I mean WIDE OPEN. There isn’t anything as far as the eye can see. Nothing. This ends up being a significant part in the movie. Along the way, there are some predictable underwater camera scenes that don’t amount to anything. The “suspense” is laughable at times. So is the sexual tension because there are more important things to worry about. Like, I don’t know say…The man-eating shark?
At some point, the boat crashes into something that may or may not exist. Apparently, no one noticed a massive coral reef mere inches underneath the boat. So the boat starts sinking. The group splits up in search of greener pastures. Oh, and the boat only seats 2. But there are 5 of them. That’s fine though. After a few moments of shaky camera work, the boat is completely full of water and upside down. There’s a real sense of “well now what?” from both the actors and the audience.
The first shark sighting takes place 46 minutes into the movie. That’s 46 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. The first death takes place about 10 minutes later. Even still, the turtle scene remains the scariest part of the movie. Some horrible acting only enhances the overwhelming sense of “wow, I can’t believe I’m watching this”. Shockingly, no Oscar’s were handed out for anyone involved in this movie.
Long story of The Reef Movie Review short, the surviving member of this party reaches an island and is miraculously saved. Hooray. Now you don’t have to watch this movie. But you can instead let us know your thoughts on Facebook! How many posts must I end this way before someone actually does it?
