johnlink ranks OPEN WATER 2: ADRIFT (2006)
Holy crap. I went the entire month of April without watching a movie. That may be the first time since I was born that such a thing has happened. And last night was a mistake, so to speak. I was tired, absolutely ready for bed. Liz was already asleep and I was just about to get up when the cat jumped on me and fell asleep on my legs. I was too tired (lazy) to get up, so I flipped to IFC and found that OPEN WATER 2 was starting. I figured I’d watch the first ten minutes and lose interest. I guess it says something that I stayed awake. Below are some light spoilers in this article, but nothing you probably wouldn’t have guessed had I asked you to tell me what you think might happen in this film.
I watched OPEN WATER 2: ADRIFT (2006) on 5.3.10. It was my first viewing of the film. TRAILER HERE
My viewing of the first OPEN WATER film predates my rankings. Based on memory, I would call it an average but intelligent film. It is not easy to create a full experience on a tight budget, and the first film did that. It was probably twenty minutes too long, but it was absolutely watchable.
So here comes the second. Any time a suspense movie creates a buzz with little budget you know a sequel is coming. This film carries a similar story, though this time six people are stuck in the water. See, they all went swimming off the edge of a yacht, and noone dropped the ladder. Now they can’t get back on.
You root for most of the characters in this film. So in that sense it already one-ups the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake. There are a couple of annoying people, but one of them redeems himself. The acting is sporadic, and the women are generally better than the men.
The biggest problem with this film is the writing. Six people stuck off the edge of a yacht. They have a set of goggles, a knife, and a dolphin floatie. One of them is wearing a life vest. But she is afraid of water. What do you think will happen?
We know there are deaths. How could these happen? If you made a top five based on the list above I bet you would guess four right. The one you would guess which does not make it into this movie is shark attack. They did that in the first one, and at least had the sense to avoid it in this one. I was waiting for them to stick the knife in the side of the boat and try to create a hold that way. It took them an HOUR (in film time) to figure that one out. How is that not the first thing you try? They use their clothes to make a grappling hook. It takes them an HOUR (in film time) to figure that out. How is that not being done in the first five minutes. Plus, when it rips with somebody a foot from the deck of the yacht, how do they NOT TRY IT AGAIN?!?!?!
This could have been a great short film. Maybe forty minutes. At it’s 95 minute runtime, it becomes somewhat tedious. The only thing keeping the writing score from being even lower is that the characters have a sense of nuance and history. The dialogue is passable.
But the plot isn’t. OPEN WATER 2 falls under the category of watchable, but not particularly memorable. But hey, at least it broke my movieless streak.
SCORES
FILM: 4; MOVIE: 6; ACTING: 5; WRITING: 3 (What’s this?)
4+6+5+2+0=17
FINAL SCORE: 4.25
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