The Reef (2010)
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Duration: 94 minuten
Country:
Australia
Directed by: Andrew Traucki
Stars: Adrienne Pickering, Gyton Grantley and Damian Walshe-Howling
IMDb score:
5,8 (22.680)
Releasedate: 15 May 2010
The Reef plot
"Pray that you drown first."
For three British backpackers, their dream seems to be coming true; they spend a week at the most beautiful coral reef in the world with their own yacht. However, when their boat capsizes and they are left to fend for themselves on the overturned yacht, this dream turns into a true nightmare. What should they do now? Stay on the yacht that could sink at any moment? Or go swimming in search of land? They decide to do the latter. But when they get close to the shore, they see a large fin sticking out of the water. The friends realize they are being met by a great white shark. Will they make it to shore alive?
Reviews & comments
UmbraVitae
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- 4511 messages
- 4218 votes
I hadn't seen this one yet, but movies like 'The Shallows' and even 'Bait' made me become a bit of a fan of shark movies (read, watchable). 'Jaws' often made me think it was so fake, I'm really not a Jaws fan, and shark films at the time came across as too comical and poorly made and that is acceptable and fun for an over-the-top film like 'Sharknado', but a real shark movie has to build up some tension. That was certainly present with this one, thought it was slightly less than 'The Shallows'. All in all a nice shark video for in between.
Btw really never understood what people liked so much about Jaws, the 1 was already fake and the 3 a real low point of the series. Then this one is just a lot more realistic and exciting, although it is not easy to make such an underwater film really top.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11670 messages
- 6867 votes
Enjoyable.
I love underwater horror myself, and The Reef is a well-known title within that genre that I somehow overlooked. Recently that changed, and The Reef also continued to fall. My predilection for subgenres sometimes brings expectations, but they are quite nicely fulfilled here.
Firstly, The Reef benefits greatly from its location. Throughout the film I thought it was a missed opportunity that despite the many underwater images they could not make use of the depth of the ocean. You can respond wonderfully to the fear of depths and unknown waters, but this film really sticks to the sharks exclusively. So a lot of potential is already being lost.
There is also a certain threat from the sharks, especially because they have worked with real sharks and little CGI. That creates the necessary tension in this situation, and thanks to the nice build-up to exciting scenes, you are sometimes surprised by the suddenness of the film. The film is never breathtaking or nail-biting exciting, but it is nicely portrayed.
Still, I can't help but find the first 20 minutes of the film more exciting than the finale itself. Crashing into the bottom of the beach gives you a crazy feeling of stress, which is beneficial. All the activities that lead to the big failure are also intriguing. Once you swim with the sharks, The Reef becomes a very regular thriller.
Entertaining shark movie which I think would have been better if the movie thought a little beyond its limits. The first 30 minutes that radiate an adventurous character because there is a lot going on is the best part. The rest of the movie is very normal. Sometimes exciting, sometimes it misses the mark, but in its entirety enough for a pass.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7506 messages
- 4471 votes
The Reef is an average film that spends a lot of time building an oppressive setting, but loses sight of the characters and (more importantly) the threat in the water. This largely lacks the framework that must ensure the continuation of the tension after the successful creation of the atmospheric setting. Director Andrew Traucki instead focuses on the crushing helplessness and impotence that overcome the characters without making much effort to invest in them.
The film fails to generate empathy for the characters. The characters are empty shells. Although it is not as serious as the portrayal of beef cattle in the average slasher, the characters nevertheless have little face and personality. Identification is missing and as a result the compassion of the viewer is lacking, who can hardly empathize with the apparently hopeless situation in which the characters find themselves. All that matters is when the great white shark will drag its next victim into the depths. It doesn't matter who will be the next victim.
The images of the sea surface and the depth below are good and radiate threat. The white colossus remains a distant threat. The sea monster's attacks are not a big spectacle. A fin, a quick look at the shark, some floundering in the water, which turns a little red. It is. The attacks are not very exciting.
The scariest shark movie since Jaws. That text is very pontifical on the movie poster. Nonsense. The Reef does not mark a momentous milestone in its genre.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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