Black Water [DVD]

The rather jolly ditty and photo's collage of the characters involved in Black Water that opens the movie says wonders about the naturally sunny nature of Australians though it's no way representative of what is to follow .Overall this is a pretty grim movie but its also tense, sporadically exciting and very well acted. Those reviewers who complain about it just being some people sat up a tree obviously weren't paying close attention and are missing this point of the film anyway. What were these people supposed to do ....dive in the water and wrestle the croc like Johnny Weissmuller ?
Grace( Diana Glenn) and her husband Adam (Andy Rodoreda) set off on a trip into the bush in Northern Australia along with Graces younger sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) .Pretty much playing it by ear they decide to check out a sign for the "Blackwater Barry" fishing tour . Barry it transpires is already out but his deputy Jim (Ben Oxenbould) is keen to take them so off they go in a small boat into the outer tributaries of the swamp. Bad idea because a particularly nasty , aggressive and worryingly large saltwater crocodile is out there and no sooner have they swept into its territory than he/she capsizes the boat and kills the guide leaving Grace and Adam up a tree and Lee on top of the capsized boat.
What to do then ? Stay up the tree away from those uninviting jaws , also knowing that no one knows where you are so rescue is unlikely or risk recovering the boat and escape knowing the croc could just capsize you again . This is where the film seems to have frustrated some as the characters bicker and ruminate their plight but this is where it feels most real because that is exactly what people in this situation would do. In the end their decisions make sense but they display bravery far greater than certainly I would have done in their situation.
The eerie location with its dripping water , twisted trees, and mysterious eddies is well utilised to evoke atmosphere and the croc looks fantastically realistic with no dull CGI . I,don,t know how the film -makers pulled it off but fair play to them . On a minuscule budget ( certainly by Hollywood standards ) co-directors and co-writers David Nerlick and Andrew Traucki have done a sterling job with this film The crocodile also seems ,like the shark in "Jaws 30th Anniversary 2dvd Special Edition [1975] ", to be able to utilise psychological war fare on the hapless humans till it gets them near it's vice like grip then it's business as usual. It's cunningly underplayed as well is the voracious beastie preferring stealth to thrashing mayhem so its screen time is fairly minimal.
Based on a true story Blackwater is a gripping intense and moody film that eschews ( mostly) clichéd jolts and shock tactics for a creepy feeling of dread and hopelessness. If the ending seems a little unlikely it is still resolutely downbeat .Darkwater is a different serious and cerebral creature feature .It's not much fun like say "Lake Placid [2000]" but I found it hugely effective . Rather like the crocodile itself.

Think of Jaws and swap the killer shark to a killer crocodile. This movie is based on true events which adds to the impact of this thriller / horror. It's tense, scary and psychologically terrifying. Albeit a small cast, revolving around a trio of travellers - this unique situation carries you into their tragic ordeal and has you thinking what you would do if faced with their terrors.

It's set in the maze-like river swamps of Australia where a clever crocodile stalks the unfortunate trio as they set upon a fishing trip. They're unfortunately stranded in some flooded tree tops, no-where to go, no help at hand, no food, or water - the ultimate survival movie with the added danger of the reptilian predator waiting below.

Overall a gripping teeth clenching horror that has you hooked

Due to some really bad reviews of this, I pressed Play expecting a silly, low-budget killer croc movie... 90 minutes later, I made a point of writing this review to tell anyone who hasn't seen Black Water yet just how wrong the 1/2 star reviewers are!

Yes, it has a low budget, but that's not entirely noticeable, the tension created from such a simple situation is quite incredible, the three leads play their parts convincingly enough and I was really pleased to see that none of the crocodiles were done with CG!

Black Water is one of the best survival thrillers out at the moment. Don't miss it.