The Open Water of fresh water?...nah,much better
Black Water came out on dvd around the same time as Dimension Extreme's Rogue which I already reviewed.Black Water like Rogue also features a salt water crocodile that has attacked a boat, and is based on true events like rogue,but the difference here is Black Water is a bit more realistic in that the croc footage they used was real,as directors David Nerlick and Andrew Traucki insisted no cgi be used,and the integration of the croc into some of the attack scenes is a treat, Black Water in my opinion was also much more suspenseful,grim and intense than Rogue. The budget was also way,way lower.20x lower actually!
The plot:Grace (Dianna Glen), her partner Adam (Andy Rodoreda) and her younger sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) take a holiday to Northern Australia, where they decide to go on a river tour,but unluckily for them they have missed the tour which leads to tour guide Jim taking them on a tour of the river with his own small motor boat.They drift into some mangroves and feel some bumps and then before you know it they are all in the water and the boat is capsized thanks to a croc attack..and Jim is no longer around.Grace and Adam make it to one of the hundred trees in the mangrove while Lee is left stranded on the top of the capsized boat, before she eventually makes it to the tree to join Grace and Adam.And thats pretty much where most of the film takes place as the three mull over all the options to somehow get out of this hopeless situation.Now i know this may sound boring to some people or sound like open water only with a croc but trust me,its not.Its much more exciting than Open Water and it may not have as much action scenes as Rogue and for people looking for an animal attack film that is all attacks and body limps flying,you need look elsewhere.Because here less is more as the tension is ratcheted up gradualy as directors David Nerlick and Andrew Traucki give us just enough glimpses of the croc to keep us interested and scared while giving us action at the perfect moments. And I assure there is action here,as eventually the three of them decide they must take their chances getting to the capsized boat and soon learn maybe the situation is hopeless afterall.This croc is a truly terrifying character that knows exactly what is going on at all times and has no intention of letting anyone out of his territory alive.Probably the best scene is when the croc comes at nightfall for its dinner meal,really creepY and effective. Oh and despite the effective cgi in Rogue,the real croc here just blows away Rogues,not even close.
The acting:The acting is fantastic as its pretty much just 3 characters the entire movie,and they all come across extremely likable and put out very real and believable performances.You felt for them all and at times put yourself into their shoes,what would do in their situation?who has the better idea?would you wat for help or takes your chances?All 3 were pretty much unknown and ended up doing better than many more mainstream and well known actors.
Gore:Not that much on display,we do see an ear floating in the water.
Closing: Black Water is really a treat to watch,its got great tension,good characters and enough scares and action sequences to keep most people interested.The fact that all this was done with such an ultra low budget makes it even more impressive,proving that you don;t over the top Acton,gore or cgi to make an truly realistic, appealing and scary animal attack film.
8.5/10
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