The Reef

Rating: 4.25/5

There's nothing like a good shark movie to get you in the mood for summer, and the Reef is a definite one to watch.

Off the coast of Australia, a man named Luke (Damian Walshe-Howling) earns a living delivering yachts. On one trip, he decides to invite some friends along for the journey. Matt (Gyton Grantley, his sister Kate (Zoe Naylor), and his girlfriend Suzie (Adrienne Pickering) have all agreed to join Luke and another sailor named Warren (Kieran Darcy-Smith) on the delivery to Indonesia.

At first, all seems well on the ship, and everyone appears to be having a grand time. However, when the boat hits the reef and begins to capsize, the five passengers find themselves stuck with the impossible decision of remaining on the overturned boat, or facing the open seas and all that could lurk beneath the surface.

The Reef is most certainly a lesser known shark movie, but it shouldn’t be that way. This film thrives on the use of realistic fears, tension, and shark footage; three things that are generally lacking from your cliche summer-shark blockbuster. The “drama” that is found in the Reef doesn’t appear to be at all fabricated, in fact it feels just the opposite. Every fight or emotion that is portrayed by the characters makes absolute sense to the situation in which they have found themselves. There’s no need for extended death scenes or fake scares, this movie is aiming to be realistic, and realistic it definitely is.

The Reef may not be the ideal film for someone who is looking for the next cheesy shark movie. There’s a minimal amount of action in this film, but it is replaced by heart rate increasing tension. The creators of the Reef rely on the audiences' ability to become ill at ease with the thought of being so completely vulnerable and exposed in the ocean, with absolutely nowhere to hide or escape, and the reliance pays off. For me, one of my worst fears is being stranded in the middle of the open sea, and this movie preys on that fear in the worst and best way. I found myself being more anxious watching this movie than I have with any other shark film to date, and I’ve seen a lot of them, so that’s saying something.

Other than its realistic approach to a shark story, what also makes the Reef so great is its less is more tactic. For this movie, there’s really only one major setting and five actors; nothing more, and nothing less. By having such an intimate cast be dropped into the expansive setting of the ocean, the audience is able to create a stronger connection to the characters. There’s no distractions to pull the viewers attention away from the main plot at hand. You are invested in the survival of the people floating in the water, and it is near to impossible to think of anything else until the movie is over.

There are many people who critique shark movies for being unscientific or unrealistic, but I don’t know many people who watch a shark film for an overwhelming sense of accuracy. If you don’t agree, consider the fact that there’s been six Sharknado movies. With that being said, the Reef is one that definitely attempts realism with its facts and portrayal of the ocean. It is because of this, that even when you’re home on the safety of your couch, you still want to tuck legs in while watching, to keep them from dangling a little too much over the edge.