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"OPEN WATER"
(2004) (Daniel Travis, Blanchard Ryan) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Minor Moderate Mild *Heavy Minor
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild Moderate Heavy None Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy None None Moderate Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Suspense: After accidentally being left behind by their scuba diving group with no land in sight, a couple tries to survive being left alone in the middle of shark-infested waters.
PLOT:
Daniel (DANIEL TRAVIS) and Susan (BLANCHARD RYAN) are a couple whose busy careers have left them and their relationship frazzled. They finally manage to get away to the islands for a little R&R, and opt to go out on an offshore scuba diving excursion. Told to close their eyes if they don't want to see sharks, they and others then jump off their guide boat and explore the underwater world.

Yet, when they're late to return to the meeting spot and a dive guide miscounts those back on board, the couple suddenly finds themselves adrift in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight.

Expecting the guide boat to return to pick them up, the two stay put, unaware that swift currents are shifting them far away from their original dive spot. As they pass the time and go through a wide swing of emotions about their predicament and each other, the two must contend with various sharks that keep getting closer to them hour after hour.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If the thought of watching two people stuck in shark-infested waters sounds interesting or entertaining (in a thriller sort of way), they just might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For language and some nudity.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • DANIEL TRAVIS plays a guy who's upset that his and Susan's vacation plans were interrupted by her busy work schedule, but is nevertheless happy to get away to the islands. After being stranded with her in the middle of shark-infested waters, he tries to keep a positive outlook on their predicament, but goes through a wide range of emotions. He uses strong profanity and earlier sleeps with her (and wants to have sex, but she's too tired).
  • BLANCHARD RYAN plays his overworked girlfriend who joins him on their island getaway and scuba diving trip that leaves them stranded in the ocean. She similarly goes through a range of emotions toward their predicament and him. She also uses profanity and is seen nude in bed with him earlier (although they don't have sex).
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated suspense thriller. Profanity consists of at least 17 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. A woman is seen fully nude before her boyfriend joins her in bed and wants to have sex (resulting in non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue), but she's too tired. She and a few other women are also seen in small swimwear.

    The overall premise -- of two people being stuck in the middle of the ocean in shark-infested waters -- may be tense, suspenseful and/or scary to viewers, particularly those who don't like going into the ocean or the thought of mostly unseen sharks swimming about and moving ever closer to them. Sharks or parts of sharks occasionally pass by them (resulting in some "jump scenes").

    A shark bites a person (not seen, but we see the bloody results) and there's at least one death and another suggested one. There's some talk of peeing in the water and we briefly see vomit in the water (and the shaky and bobbing camera work may have the same result for those prone to visually induced motion sickness). Some brief bad attitudes are also present.

    If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

    For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, the film's handheld camera work, along with all of the bobbing up and down during the many "at sea" moments may be too much for them.

    For those concerned with flashes of light on the screen, that occurs during a thunderstorm at night where the picture goes from complete black to briefly illuminated shots of the couple in the water in the dark.



    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Miscellaneous people have drinks.
  • Miscellaneous people drink at a party.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Susan asks Daniel in the middle of the ocean, "Did you just pee?" He replies that he did, she jokingly says he's disgusting and he jokingly replies that she said she was cold.
  • Daniel tells Susan that she might get diarrhea from drinking salt water.
  • Susan states that she has to pee, but adds that at least it will be warm for a minute.
  • We see a now bloodless cut on Susan's leg from where something grazed her.
  • We see vomit mixed in with the water around Daniel as he resurfaces and Susan states that she got sick.
  • Daniel is apparently bumped by a shark and then partially pulled down into the water. We then see blood in the water and Susan goes down for a look and spots an open and bloody flesh wound on his leg through his wetsuit. We see more blood in the water as she puts on a makeshift tourniquet.
  • We see a dead shark being cut up (its fins are removed) and open, with liquid and guts spilling out. A person then looks through its stomach and finds goo and a partially digested fish.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Daniel and Susan alternate get mad at each other (blaming the other for somehow being responsible for their current predicament).
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • The overall premise -- of two people being stuck in the middle of the ocean in shark-infested waters -- may be tense, suspenseful and/or scary to viewers, particularly those who don't like going into the ocean or the thought of mostly unseen sharks swimming about and moving ever closer to them.
  • We see a moray eel swimming straight toward the camera.
  • A dorsal fin suddenly passes by the couple.
  • Another shark suddenly comes by the couple.
  • The couple suddenly finds themselves surrounded by jellyfish that sting them several times as the humans try to swim away.
  • We see Susan floating on her back asleep. When she awakens, she realizes that she's all alone as Daniel is nowhere to be seen. Something then hits her from below the water and we see the shape of a shark passing by. She eventually spots Daniel who drifted away while asleep and the two kick to get back to each other (as we see more sharks nearby).
  • A shark breaks the surface of the water.
  • We see an underwater shot of a shark's POV coming toward Daniel.
  • We see a shot of sharks beneath the couple.
  • We see more sharks around the couple.
  • Daniel is apparently bumped by a shark and then partially pulled down into the water. We then see blood in the water and Susan goes down for a look and spots an open and bloody flesh wound on his leg through his wetsuit. We see more blood in the water as she puts on a makeshift tourniquet.
  • Susan states that something's rubbing against her foot in the water at night and we see that sharks are around them again.
  • A person realizes another person is dead and lets them float away. We then see the body being tugged at by sharks and then eventually disappearing beneath the water.
  • A person is alone in the water that's filled with sharks (seen from above and brief glimpses from beneath the surface that show many).
  • A person apparently drowns themselves (we see them go under the water and never come up).
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Knife: Held by Daniel on several occasions in case they need to defend themselves against the shark, but it's never used.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "F*cker," "So f*cked up," "I could kill those f*ckers," "Truly un-f*cking believable," "Incompetent f*ckers," "It/that f*cking hurts," "Wherever the hell it is," "Where the hell are they?" "Let's get the hell out of here," "This really sucks," "You scared the hell out of me," "Let's swim out of this puke" and "Idiot."
  • A miscellaneous person has a tattoo.
  • A person apparently drowns themselves (we see them go under the water and never come up).
  • JUMP SCENES
  • A dorsal fin suddenly passes by the couple.
  • Another shark suddenly comes by the couple.
  • A shark breaks the surface of the water.
  • Additional sudden shark sightings might startle some viewers.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A heavy amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 17 "f" words, 5 "s" words, 5 hells, 1 damn, 19 uses of "Oh God," 11 of "Oh my God," 6 of "God," 4 of "G-damn," 3 of "Jesus," 2 of "My God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "Oh Jesus" and "Oh Jesus Christ" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see Susan lying in the sun at the beach in a bikini.
  • We see Susan lying fully nude on their motel bed. We see her bare breasts, and when she rolls over, we see a brief shot of her pubic hair. Daniel joins her and gets under the covers, as does she. The two then kiss and talk, and he playfully states that maybe he can get her to think about something else (meaning sex). They do some more kissing, but she says she's not really in the mood, although she could go either way. He then states that maybe he could give her a little nudge and they kiss some more. She, however, states that she definitely isn't in the mood and he replies that's not the direction in which he was trying to nudge her. The next morning, we see her bare back in bed.
  • We briefly see Daniel in his boxers.
  • Susan shows some cleavage in her tank top and then her dive suit.
  • We briefly see a woman in a small bikini on the beach.
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • None.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Sharks and the odds of being attacked by one.
  • Scuba diving.
  • Being overworked and needing a vacation.
  • How people respond to crises.
  • The question of whether it's worse to see the sharks or not see them (when you're in the water with them).
  • VIOLENCE
  • The couple suddenly finds themselves surrounded by jellyfish that sting them several times as the humans try to swim away.
  • Daniel is apparently bumped by a shark and then partially pulled down into the water. We then see blood in the water and Susan goes down for a look and spots an open and bloody flesh wound on his leg through his wetsuit. We see more blood in the water as she puts on a makeshift tourniquet.
  • We see that a character has died (from a wound or exposure to the elements).
  • We see a body being tugged at by sharks and then eventually disappearing beneath the water.
  • A person apparently drowns themselves (we see them go under the water and never come up).



  • Reviewed July 23, 2004 / Posted August 6, 2004

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