Highly Overrated But Still Good

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Open Water is shot in an almost documentary style and with two part-time actors. Do not let these facts deter you from catching this movie wherever you can. The film is based on a true story about two scuba divers(couple) who happen to get left behind by their tour boats in shark infested waters. You know the ending of the story but the lead up to it is an exercise in creating and maintaining tension. The film is also great for budding filmmakers on how to make a cheap but good film- this was made for a mere 120,000 dollars. Do not miss it, even if you have a fear of sharks.

Open Water is shot in an almost documentary style and with two part-time actors. Do not let these facts deter you from catching this movie wherever you can. The film is based on a true story about two scuba divers(couple) who happen to get left behind by their tour boats in shark infested waters. You know the ending of the story but the lead up to it is an exercise in creating and maintaining tension. The film is also great for budding filmmakers on how to make a cheap but good film- this was made for a mere 120,000 dollars. Do not miss it, even if you have a fear of sharks.

I watched "Open Water" in the cinema back in 2003 when it was released, as the trailer made the movie look rather interesting, and my wife wanted to go to watch it. I do like shark movies, so of course "Open Water" was given a chance.When I came out of the cinema I felt so depraved of money and time. "Open Water" was definitely one of the most boring and uneventful movies that I saw that year.The entire movie was essentially just about two people staying afloat in the water, while sharks are circling in. Sure, this was a movie about a dangerous situation and how people react in a desperate situation.But wow, the movie was so unfathomably slow paced and with almost nothing happening most of the time, it was an ordeal to sit through the entire movie. Most of the movie was just the two main characters floating around, arguing and bickering and trying to remain optimistic and have hope, and the audience in under the impression that sharks are lurking just underneath the surface of the water. However, there is surprisingly little screen time for the sharks, which was a shame, because that is what most of the viewers would want to see.I only watched the movie that one time, and never have returned to it a second time, nor will I ever do that."Open Water" is a very weak addition to the shark movie genre, and there are far, far better movies available if you enjoy shark movies.

People were affected very differently by this movie. I first watched this more than a decade ago and didn't think much of it then. It had a shaky camera, true story, Blair Witch-vibe which was very popular at the time. I knew it was going for realism, but it never went beyond that. Now my life is different. I have a job and take regular vacations and adventure activities. Watching it again, i realised this was one terrifying and intense movie. Much of the horror comes from the straight forward, simplistic realism. No story is being told here, unlike its sequel Adrift (which i also like btw....just me, i have a thing for watery movies). There is no moral, no cinematography. Just straight forward representation of events. They call this a psychological horror, and it really is. The horror comes from your personal experience of the world and how much you can relate. Even if you don't dive, we all have experienced when things go wrong, when a fun activity takes a horrible turn, when the simplest becomes complicated, when the most unlikely takes place and only a second to unfold. Nothing was inherently scary in this movie. They were only stranded for a few hours, and even when the film finishes, it was only one night (humans can go for days without food or water). The sharks weren't big. The one that bit Daniel was possibly smaller than him. This was no monster movie. However, their situation was serious, dire and hopeless from the beginning, because of the unique circumstance. They were virtually impossible to find and after 7 hours, i was surprised they didn't freak out at the hopelessness of the situation as i would have. The worse for me wasn't the shark bite or one night drifting in pitch black stormy oceans but instead the realisation that there was no hope and no respite.