While vacationing in Barbados, a married couple (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) are left out at sea by their scuba diving boat, leaving them at the mercy of the elements including a few hundred very hungry sharks.
Open Water is a love it or hate it type of movie. You will either hate the fact that all they do is float in the middle of the ocean or you will love that idea and enjoy watching the film. For the most part, I enjoyed the movie. It was suspenseful and scary without really being over the top and gory. The fact that the story is based on true events just makes the whole thing scarier. I usually don't really like movies that are "based on true events" since it is usually a cheap gimmick. However, it worked for Open Water and the movie was a little more believable. There were some unrealistic moments but most of the film seemed to be realistic.
Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis play the stranded couple and this is their first real starring roles. They both give good performances adding more suspense to the movie. Chris Kentis did a fantastic job at directing. He knows how to get under the viewer's skin. He offers some very intense and scary moments. While there was plenty of suspense, there were a few yawns as well. There were times when nothing was happening and the film was kind of dull.
This shouldn't really be surprisingly considering the movie is really just about people floating. It didn't bother me too much since the film is pretty short. Chris Kentis may have done a good job behind the camera but the script is kind of weak. There were too many unrealistic moments that kind of hurt the movie. There were a few nagging plot holes that were hard to ignore. They weren't severe or anything, just a mild distraction from the film. I wished there had been some more action to explain what had happened. However, the director wants the viewer to use his/her imagination. The ending was pretty good and it was different from your typical Hollywood ending. In the end, there are enough chills and thrills to make up for the sluggish pace. Rating 7/10
