The Reef

There is something intrinsically scary about things that you can't see but know there is a possibility of them being there that has provided horror film directors with ample material for decades. I suppose the obvious example is a psychopathic killer as, although it is extremely unlikely that one was come to your neighbourhood, the possibility of you being murdered in your own home exists and that is why such horror films work. Something else that tends to scare people is to go into the water, whether it is a swimming pool, a river, lake or the sea only to find that you are sharing the water with something that really doesn't want you there. Films that spring to mind in this vein are Jaws, Piranha and Open Water. The latest in the list of 'sharks versus humans' films is Andrew Traucki's The Reef.

The film follows four friends from Sydney who travel to the Queensland coast where they charter a yacht to go on holiday with the hope of going diving over a reef which they have heard is one of the best places to go diving in the entire world. Having sailed out to the tiny and picturesque Turtle Island, they don snorkels, flippers and masks and see some of the most beautiful sights they have ever come across although Kate is slightly taken aback when she sees a shark making its way near the ocean bed. Retiring to the island for a bit, tensions arise between one of the couples, Luke and his ex-girlfriend Kate, who try get along, whilst the other two, Matt and Suzie, follow their animal instincts.

Having returned to the boat and deciding to move away from the island because the tide is moving out, they are safely navigating the coral when there is an almighty noise and the boat capsizes. After managing to get back onto the boat, which is now upside down, the first thing you notice is that the keel has been ripped clean off and there are sizeable holes in the hull. Luke, the best swimmer of the group, get back in the water and swims into the boat to see what he can scavenge whilst surveilling the damage. Although he and the skipper, Warren, disagree on certain details, it is a fact that the boat is sinking and the only distress beacon they have is an old model that will only work when a plane is flying directly overhead and, because they haven't seen an aeroplane in all the time they've been out there, it's pretty safe to say that they aren't underneath a flight path.

It then jumps to the big decision: should they stay on the upturned yacht and hope that someone finds them or swim the 10-12 miles back to the island and hope that help arrives on an environment that is sure underfoot. The line is immediately drawn when Warren says that he's not leaving the boat and will not get in the water whereas Luke is extremely keen to swim and has already worked out of the distance and the direction to combat the strong currents. Reluctantly, some of them join Luke but he is taken aback when Kate opts to stay with Warren but, after a bit of persuasion, she agrees to go with her boyfriend and brother, Matt.


Sawing a boogie board in half to provide floats and assigning wetsuits to the correct people, Luke also shares out the flippers so they all have one each and, taking a rucksack with some drinking water, the four reluctantly enter the water and set off. It all appears to be going very well until Suzie thinks she saw something -- she doesn't know what, but it was big. After a few more minutes swimming, they realise that she wasn't hysterical or dehydrated as they have all seen what they agree was a shark. The more they swim, the more of a shark they see and, with Luke having the only mask, he can see it underwater and it is a very big fish, something he wants to keep hidden from the other members of the group so as not to send him into a state of panic and send out distress signals that the shark would pick up on straight away.

Having seen the trailer, The Reef looked like the sort of film that I would enjoy and appreciate given my childhood fascination with sharks, my love of the sea and films including the aforementioned Jaws and Open Water. Although this works extremely well and none of the characters are particularly grating or easy to dislike, it isn't a film directed with the confidence of Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking film but has characters that you can believe are real and a setup that is certain to be one that most viewers will be able to identify.

The film begins with an on-screen caption that says 'Based on True Events' and it is written with a real sense of authenticity so you practically believe everything that the characters say and believe that the interactions between people in such a situation would play out exactly as they do on screen. Although this teases a bit with the images of a shark which are first very quick, distant and/or far off, they quickly become much sharper with the fish only a matter of feet away. Some directors, such as Jacques Touneur, would probably have stuck with the fleeting glances and left everything else to your imagination but this obviously isn't the way that Andrew Traucki works. He spent time filming real sharks -- some up to 14 feet long -- and this footage is integrated extremely well so we not only see the sharks but see the attacks in a very visceral way.


The Disc

Extra Features
Before you get to the main menu, there are skippable trailers for Frozen, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest and Skyline.

Shooting with Sharks: Making of The Reef (23:55) could probably have done with being about three times longer and with much more formal interviews with the cast members who are content to joke around and give silly answers to some of the questions. The interviews with writer-director Andrew Traucki are quite revealing and well delivered and it is no surprise that he used a similar filming technique to Steven Spielberg when he made Jaws -- find an area where the water goes out a long way but is still shallow and film the majority of the movie there.

The disc also contains a trailer.


The Picture
Presented in anamorphic 2.35:1, this looks remarkably good with some stunning underwater photography that really enhances the tension and growing sense of unease and terror when the shark comes into full view and you are basically given Luke's POV. I thought this was shot digitally but, according to the IMDb, it was filmed on 35mm which are properly account for the excellent colours and contrast levels so you have the beauty of the dive with some great footage of the fish and coral but then the horror of the shark in water that doesn't seem to end in any direction.


The Sound
The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is very clear and presents the dialogue extremely well. There are many scenes when you get a sense of being underwater or having the sea splash about your face and, when the shark attacks, the tension suddenly shoots up to 11 with a real and tangible jolt.

Rafael May's score suits the film very well, playing along at a level that is barely noticeable at some points and underscoring the tension in others but, when the shark decides it wants something to eat, the music certainly escalate to a much louder volume to go with the crash zoom.

Should you need them, there are clear and well written English HoH subtitles available.


Final Thoughts
I thought The Reef would be an interesting film to watch and one with the added bonus that it was filmed using real sharks, something that added to the experience in Open Water. It certainly isn't a masterpiece but it is a more than watchable thriller/horror film which may make those who have just recovered from Jaws and feel reasonably safe going swimming in the sea decide that the only place they are going to get wet is in the bath!

Andrew Traucki proves to be a promising writer and director and the four main actors are all very good and believable in their portrayals of real people, interacting well and delivering the dialogue very well and with great conviction.

Although the disc is not exactly packed to the rafters with extra features, the film is still worth watching although perhaps a rental should precede a purchase to properly.