Despite Hype,Open Water Stays Afloat

Open Water- described as "Jaws meets the Blair Witch Project"-doesn't quite live up to all the hype. However, if separated from all the propaganda and "I hate this movie because..." posts all over the internet, Open Water will strike a universal chord of uneasiness in the bravest of us.

Although obviously low budget, the film work is both strikingly beautiful and nauseously unstable at times (hence the Blair Witch correlation). It seems the entire range of the ocean's moods and colors is captured as we observe characters Susan and Daniel stranded on the lonely sea.

Practically unknown actors Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis convincingly play out the range of human emotions in an extreme situation. Denial, panic, anger, fear, and acceptance are all present, and all too easy to identify with. It is in this emotional regard that the movie excels. The film uses music (and oddly enough, folk music) very successfully to heighten the viewer's sensitivity to feelings being portrayed on screen, thus compensating for a slight lack of character development.

As a suspense film, Open Water is moderately successful. The complete lack of digital effects gives it a grounded air that makes one think, this could actually happen... Scenes with the sharks are few and far between, and unless you have a natural phobia of the water or are still freaked out from watching Jaws when you were eight, they will hardly terrify you.

There has been a lot of talk about the rather ant-climactic ending...but in this reviewer's opinion, it makes the movie that much more real, close to home, and genuinely uncomfortable.

The Bottom Line: If you're up for big thrills, this movie probably isn't for you. For an interesting study on human behavior in life threatening circumstances, and a smarter scare than the average horror flick, it may be worth a whirl. B+