StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

paulclaassen I enjoyed the fact that the shark was not the only obstacle in this survival story. Just the thought of being stranded out at sea is terrifying enough, let alone having to deal with sharks. But even when there were no signs of any sharks, this was still frightening - even if it was just the idea there might be sharks. Being lost in the middle of the ocean is a nerve wrecking premise in itself. The acting was very good and the (real) shark was scary as hell! This was incredibly realistic, tense, highly effective, emotional and downright terrifying! In fact, this is so well made that I would probably not watch it again very soon, regardless of how good a movie it is. I mean, my nerves!

sonaaaneja Excluding some bad acting from the characters, the movie has a pretty good story line and is thrilling on most parts and is definitely not predictable.

thelastblogontheleft There's not much more to say about the plot besides that quick synopsis. Luke (played by Damian Walshe-Howling) is delivering a yacht to a customer and brings a few friends (and a fellow sailor) along with him for a fun trip. Not long after they start on their journey, they hit part of the reef and must decide whether they will stay with the slowly capsizing boat or try to swim to the nearest land. The sailor stays behind as the other four make their way out into open water, and get picked off one by one by a great white shark.It's based on the true story of Ray Boundy, who was the sole survivor of a similar incident in 1983.I will freely admit that I am not a huge fan of shark movies. I think I was scarred for life when I saw Open Water in theaters and was bored almost to death. But this one did surprise me a bit. It's not my favorite movie by any stretch but I thought it was well done.Firstly, you get a taste of each of the characters' personalities, but you aren't rolling your eyes waiting for the action to happen. It's actually pretty shocking when they hit the reef, not because you don't expect it — because duh — but because it happens so quickly. I thought I would have to endure more back-and-forth between some admittedly forgettable characters, but they cut to the chase without too much fuss.The concept is, of course, terrifying. I think it's the closest you can get to space while on earth. You're in the middle of this massive expanse with no way to escape unless your body is strong enough to allow you to swim to solid ground. You have NO idea what's around you, and you won't know until it's too late. It's isolating in a very sobering way.The tension is HIGH, basically from the get-go. It's a nail-biter. While you don't know the full outcome of the movie from the start, you know enough to be able to anticipate most of what's going to happen, so it means that any moment of danger makes you panic a little bit.I also really loved many of the shots. They used real shark footage, which was great — no relying on special effects, which would have no doubt been cheesy and taken away from the realism. But they did a great job at weaving together genuine shark footage with footage of the actors and it does make you feel like you're right there with them.Definitely a suspenseful, nervewracking movie!

begob Forgettable. I know because I only realised I'd seen it before when I hit play! Oops.An inferior version of Open Water, which had real reflections on love and survival.Instead of the tragic necessity of suicide, we get a will he/won't he scramble for safety. The beast is huge - a whole ton of shark - instead of the nasty little ones in OW, but there was only one real jump scare when it surged through the group - and that wasn't much.The set up was fairly quick, just a bit of back-story on a stalled love affair, and the local awareness of shark infested waters. And the skipper's incompetence in underestimating the tide was never addressed except with "It wasn't your fault".Survival in the sea is cheap and effective suspense, but something more has to be delivered. This was watchable, so a 5.