For a low budget, independent movie The Reef - along the first 30 minutes - gives you reason to be optimistic but slowly runs into the problems we might have experienced in the quite similar movie "Open Water". Though Andrew Traucki does a better job at expanding 25 minutes of story and a fairly thin piece of script into 90 minutes of feature film, you'll feel the substance diluting more and more as time goes by and The Reef runs out of elements to work with. And it doesn't help, that the cast is actually fairly potent, neither does the well managed realism, after minute 70, it is clear, that every chance to insert a minute here and there has been used deliberately to expand this this into a feature - at the expense of suspense. Let's face it: there is nothing to work with on the open sea. It's just water. Well, given that you want to make a life-like movie as of course there is always the option of forcefully inserting character development, conflict or mysticism into this kind of flick but obviously this was not the goal here. And I do approve of that, but then please choose an environment where you have something to get me trough 90 minutes of... life.
That's that. Now besides the obvious lack of content, I need to say I really can't find anything to object here, again, Andrew Traucki actually gets out everything there is to get out of this thin piece of script. Still, it's not enough.
So I'd say 5/10. If you're sensitive enough, the amount of tension provided might get you trough it. Creature lovers and hard boiled horror fans will simply fall asleep half way round.
That's that. Now besides the obvious lack of content, I need to say I really can't find anything to object here, again, Andrew Traucki actually gets out everything there is to get out of this thin piece of script. Still, it's not enough.
So I'd say 5/10. If you're sensitive enough, the amount of tension provided might get you trough it. Creature lovers and hard boiled horror fans will simply fall asleep half way round.