Open Water (2003)

Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia

Open Water tells the true story of two divers that were left behind after an expedition in Australia.

Daniel and Susan enjoy their holiday while in the Caribbean and decide to leave on a short scuba diving expedition. While on the boat they are informed that - for safety reasons - everyone should 'buddy up' and leave the boat in pairs.

One diver forgets his scuba mask but after a young couple return from the sea, the diver and one of the couple go back underwater - forcing an error on the headcount for the scuba team.

As the last ones to return to the boat, Daniel and Susan realise that the boat has long since departed, leaving them with just the company of the sea - sharks and all.
When I first switched on Open Water, it was immediately a film that scared me. I was sat down with my girlfriend and her sister and it dawned on me that someone may have switched the DVDs before selling to the second-hand shop and then they accidentally sold me a porno.

That has to be some of the most awkward moments of my life. As I sat there watching some truly terrible acting of a young couple fully nude, climbing into bed together I was severely worried about what might happen next. Luckily, my worst fears weren't realised.

Open Water has been billed as "Blair Witch meets Jaws" and I can see the resemblance up to a point. It is filmed from the 'unknown observer' point of view in order to be made to look like amateur footage which is one point where it does succeed in trying to emulate the success of Blair Witch. Also, in fairness, it does contain some sharks. Jaws contains some sharks too, so I can even go so far as to admit that they share some similarities there.

So, after a terrible start, it was going to be difficult to get anything good from the film, but, the film did start to draw my attention when the couple bobbed back to the surface only to realise that the boat had left. And there is a party on the shore. Sorry, what? A party? Why keep flicking back to the meaningless footage of the shore?

Right, fully focused back on the diving. There are sharks now, so it's pretty daunting stuff. Susan even has a cut on her ankle - perfectly plausible, but oh so cliché. Something has touched her on the leg. Cue pathetic whimpering and Daniel's poor attempt at trying to fix the problem.

Anyway, you can probably guess where this is heading. Back to the second-hand shop. Perhaps I'll even switch the DVD with a porno for a laugh.