Weekly Review -- Terror in the water

The Reef (2010) -- Creature horror has not had much success in recent years, what with other subgenres and franchise reboots taking over. This Andrew Traucki film offers up a wallop of suspense, its story based on a similar 1983 incident. However, it also suffers from the Open Water syndrome, occasionally coming off as a cheap knock-off of the superior film, as well as lapses in logic that are larger than its main villain.

A group of friends, including Luke (Damian Walshe-Howling), his girlfriend Kate (Zoe Naylor) and her brother Matt (Gyton Grantley), take off sailing to Indonesia. After a freak accident, their yacht capsizes, leaving them stranded. Not wanting to wait until the boat sinks, the group decide to swim for land, only to become a delectable menu option for a great white shark that has been trailing them. Who survives? Does anyone?

First, the positives. Writer/director Traucki knows how to build suspense. He uses the infinity of the ocean to the tale's advantage, creating some beautiful sequences that nonetheless show this environment as potentially menacing. Furthermore, he presents the shark as a predator inhabiting its own world, striking  mercilessly to defend its territory and circling the waters as though they were its playground, which they are. The scenes in between the attacks are the most intense ones, since the vastness of the ocean clearly informs us that these people are targets of anything and everything residing in the depths of the mysterious terrain.

Now for the not so great elements. The poster caption touts The Reef as being the most frightening shark film since Jaws. Eh... not so fast. I do not believe that such a work exists, at least not yet, and this film is too plagued by inconsistencies and plot holes to qualify. The group's ignorance is astounding, particularly when we know that they are all native Australians and that none of them are novice travelers. Did the group not know where exactly they would be sailing and diving? Whoever decides that swimming in shark-infested waters is a good idea? How can a Sydney resident not be a good swimmer? How come more sharks are not attracted to the blood? Was there absolutely no weapon that could have been recovered from the yacht? How on Earth do you go sailing anywhere without bringing the best, brightest and latest distress beacon model? The entire love story aspect is not very convincing and does not allow the viewer to invest in it, simply because we do not know much about the characters to begin with. Since the promotional materials were taking this route, I will say that I do not even want to compare The Reef's characterization with what we have in Jaws, because I know which film would lose. The actors are mostly good, but unable to draw out nuances from a barren screenplay. Still, Naylor does manage to imbue Kate with empathy and fighting spirit.

The Reef is an effective horror piece, but also one that frequently lets its true terror get bogged down by trivialities. It is a fun ride and a promising showcase for Traucki, who is on his way to becoming a rather prolific genre filmmaker. Settle in, do not think too much and I guarantee that you will be jumping out of your seat. 

6/10