DVD Review: THE REEF (2010)

   
THE REEF
Written & Directed by:  Andrew Traucki
Distributed by:  IMAGE Entertainment

Ok, I'll be honest. I wasn't real excited about another shark movie.  I mean, the sci-fi net work has almost wore me out with the shark films lately....SHARKTOPUS, DINOSHARK, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I liked these films, but I am ready to see something else.  But THE REEF is nothing like those movies mentioned above.  THE REEF is back to a 'real' shark movie.  The only shark movies I could compare THE REEF to would be OPEN WATER and yes, even the one that started them all....JAWS.  Here is the basic premise from the Image Entertainment website:

On the beautiful but dangerous waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, ship delivery man Luke and four friends chart a yacht to its new owner. Along the way, their ship is torn open by sharp rocks and begins to sink, leaving the passengers with a terrifying choice: stay on board with slim hope of rescue, or swim twelve miles to the nearest island… through shark-infested waters. When they enter the water, an unstoppable, relentless Great White immediately follows their trail for a white-knuckle chase that will fill the waters with blood! From the director of the acclaimed monster hit Black Water comes a pulse-pounding, visually stunning thriller that never lets go until the final, heart-stopping scream!
  
  Now don't get me wrong, this movie was no JAWS....but then, can any movie live up to that masterpiece?  I highly doubt it and it is probably unfair to compare a shark movie of today with that classic film.  But I will say this.....THE REEF gets awfully close.  In fact, I would say this is the most enjoyable shark film I have seen since watching the JAWS films.

  The acting in this film was superb, not a bad performance in the bunch, which is quite a rarity in most films these days.  The women were particularly good, giving performances where they looked and acted so scared, you wondered if the director told them they would be in the water with real sharks!  Oh yeah, did I mention they used REAL sharks for this film!  That's right, no CG sharks here..this is the real thing....and that shark is HUGE!

 THE REEF clocks in at a good time of 94 minutes...short enough that all the action is packed in tight leaving little to no slow or dull parts of the film.  That is one thing I really noticed about this film....I was entertained the entire time.    It hooked me in from the start and never let go until the end.  If I had to sum up THE REEF in one word it would be...intense.  My wife watched this movie with me (a rarity for sure, since she hates horror films) and she said the entire time her muscles were tensed up.  That is a sign of a great terror/horror film in my opinion!  

Check this one out for sure!  THE REEF is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Image Entertainment.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray



CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Image Entertainment