Open Water (2003) & Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)

Open Water (2003)

Directed by: Chris Kentis

Starring: Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis

Genre: Adventure/Survival, Drama, Horror/Thriller

Rated: R

Based on a True Story

Based on true events, the story follows Susan Watkins and Daniel Kintner on their much needed vacation to the Caribbean. While on a scuba diving trip, the couple is accidentally left behind due to an error in the passenger headcount and stranded in the middle of the ocean. What follows is the hypothesized scenario of what  happened to the couple in real life as we watch Susan and Daniel struggle to survive.

I watched this film for the first time when I was in high school and found it dreadfully boring. I recently gave it a second shot, thinking I may have been too young to appreciate it. I was right the first time.

I truly feel that if you have the film rights to a tragic story like this, you should attempt to do the real people it’s based on justice. While the characters have different names than the couple the film is based on, they could have at least been likable and well rounded. Instead, all we know about them is that they’re bland, middle class workaholics that need this vacation to fix the strain in their relationship. We do not even learn their names until 30 to 40 minutes into the film – yet we know the names of their coworkers within the first five, coworkers that we never hear or see whatsoever. It felt like 80% of the film was the two leads bickering. There was no effort to make them seem like real people and that makes it hard for the viewer to relate to or sympathize with.

The acting itself left something to be desired, with neither actor giving a believable performance. I did not feel their fear or their helplessness as much as I felt I should. Both were fairly wooden, with Blanchard Ryan being fairly expressionless with the exception of confusion or frustration. (However, apparently she won a Saturn award for best actress beating out Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Ziyi Zhang and Uma Thurman that year, so what do I know?) The few scenes where the two leads showed any affection toward each other felt very forced, and there was no chemistry between them. The acting really pulled me out of the film and I found it hard to feel the tension I should have been feeling given the situation these two were in.

Aside from the acting, the production was okay. There are some beautiful shots of the water due to the film being shot on location and the danger felt a bit more authentic as real sharks were used in the latter half of the film. However, I didn’t latch onto the attempt at cashing in on the Found Footage craze that other reviewers did. I’ve never been big on that subgenre, but I do like a few films in it and acting like this film is the second coming of The Blair Witch Project is a bit much. Again, this is supposed to be based on true events so the found footage aspect feels like a gimmick rather than respectful of the actual couple and their families.

Lastly, there was some unnecessary full frontal female nudity. I get that the scene was supposed to depict the intimacy issues between the couple, but I feel it could have been done without Blanchard Ryan getting naked. Also, I found it awkward that we see her breasts and pubic region before we learn the character’s name.

Overall I found this film just as hard to get through at the age of 32 as I did when I was 15 years old. The characters were flat, the acting wooden, the nudity unnecessary, and the found footage gimmick annoying and disrespectful. It is a short film at an hour and 19 minute runtime but feels easily double that due to the lack of characterization or anything much happening at all. Some people love this film and it has garnered some critical acclaim, but it is absolutely not for me.

4/10

Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)

Directed by: Hans Horn

Starring: Susan May Pratt, Richard Speight, Jr., Niklaus Lange, Ali Hillis, Cameron Richardson, and Eric Dane

Genre: Adventure/Survival, Drama, Horror/Thriller

Rated: R

This is not an official sequel, but attached to the original film to ride on its popularity. The story follows six friends and one baby on a day trip to celebrate one of their thirtieth birthdays. The group sets out on a yacht for a day of swimming, drinking and fun. However, things take an unexpected turn when the group finds themselves stranded in the ocean after a swim with no way to get back on the boat. Panic ensues as the group struggles to survive long enough to get back to safety.

As aforementioned, this film has little to do with the original Open Water, and far less intelligent as well. Where the first scenario is entirely plausible, and did, in fact happen, this one is only made possible by what can only be described as idiocy – mostly from one character in particular.

The film begins with footage of the main group from a decade or so earlier, that instantly made them incredibly irritating to me. When we meet them again in the present, it takes a bit to warm up to them. Amy is our protagonist with a paralyzing fear of the water due to a traumatic incident involving her father when she was a child. She hesitantly agrees to face this fear and go on this boating trip to celebrate her friend’s birthday, and is accompanied by her supportive, sweet husband, James, and their baby daughter, Sara. The rest of the characters include birthday boy Zack, EMT (or lifeguard?) Lauren, douche bag Dan and his current fling, Michelle. As we get to know the group, I did find most of them likable, with the exceptions of Dan and Michelle – she’s written as the traditional “blonde bimbo” and the victim of a bad cliché while he is human garbage.

One thing this film has over its predecessor besides a bigger budget and a decent cast is characters with actual personalities. While they may not be fully well rounded, they do feel a lot more real than the cardboard cutouts from the original that were supposed to be depicting real people. I love the relationship between James and Amy. They feel like a couple in love with each other and their baby girl. Moreover, their relationship is healthy and supportive, taking care of each other through panic attacks and injury – as well as being a team when parenting. Why is this such a rarity in these films?

James Helping Amy Through a Panic Attack

Amy Supporting James

Lauren is a strong female character. We don’t know much about her except that she has some sort of medical training, but she seems like a great friend to Amy and seems to be the only one who cares about Michelle. Zack is pretty bland, and other than it being his birthday, we really learn nothing about him. As mentioned above, Michelle is little more than a stereotype and her panic seems to be written to purposely annoy the viewer rather than gain her sympathy. There is really nothing positive to say about Dan, aside from his last minute change of heart towards the end of the movie. He’s a playboy and Amy’s ex (obviously for good reason), who has no respect for others or their property. I hated this character more and more with every scene, and wanted to climb through the screen and drown him myself.

Me to Dan

Dan is literally the entire reason these characters are in this predicament in the first place. If he had respected Amy’s boundaries about her fear of the water and left her onboard while he and the rest of the group enjoyed a swim, she would have been there to help them out. Instead, he grabs her and jumps overboard, sending her into a panic attack and forgetting to let down the ladder in the process. He also thwarts an attempt to climb back onboard using the diving knife as a foot hold as the knife would damage the yacht. In stopping this attempt, he fatally wounds one of the group members – so, I hope your friggin’ yacht was worth it.

Dan does have one smart idea – using their clothing as a rope to get someone back on board to let down the ladder. However, they have the biggest, heaviest guy in the group climb it instead of, say, Lauren, who is much smaller and has the upper body muscle to pull herself up. Naturally, the makeshift rope rips, and they’re back at square one.

Check out those arms! She easily could have made it!

                               

The majority of the film caused me rage due to the inept characters – from Dan causing this problem in the first place to the ambiguous ending and who possibly survives.

I will say the acting is another improvement over the previous film. I could feel Susan May Pratt’s panic when she was carried into the water, her heartbreak as those around her begin to die, and her terror at realizing her baby is all alone on the boat and she has no way of reaching her. Richard Speight Jr., the only reason I watched this film in the first place, warmed my heart with his portrayal of James and the love he has for his family, only to rip it out toward the end of the film. Seriously, a movie this bad has no right making me tear up, and it’s all Richard Speight Jr.’s fault. 

*sigh* Of course ... 

The rest of the actors were believable and competent, though I wish Cameron Richardson was given more to work with – I saw her on Harper’s Island and I know she is capable of more than this. The fear is tangible with these characters and kept my interest.

Aside from two random girls on a party boat that passes the stranded friends in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene, there is no female nudity – just an annoyingly long close up shot of Susan May Pratt’s wet underwear clad butt toward the end. The nudity is mostly from Richard Speight Jr. 

Hellooo Trickster!

Couldn't Resist Adding a Little Gabriel Sass

 and Eric Dane – which is a nice change of pace when it comes to horror films.

The cinematography was much better, not taking the found footage route was definitely the way to go. While the ocean water shots were not on location, they are effective in portraying the characters stranded in the open ocean, and still beautiful.

Overall, this is an unrelated sequel with the Open Water brand attached to get more viewers. It is a competent film with decent acting and cinematography, but the writing, the stupidity of some of the characters, and the ambiguous ending bring down what could have been a slightly above average flick. Still it had more of an emotional impact on me and kept my attention, so for that it gets a slightly better rating than the original.

4.5/10