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Open Water

Play trailer Poster for Open Water R Released Oct 26, 2003 1h 19m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 194 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) embark on a tropical vacation with their scuba-diving certifications in tow. During a group dive, the two separate themselves from the others to dive a little deeper. An incorrect head-count suggests the entire group has returned, so the boat departs. When the pair surfaces, they make out a vessel in the distance, but it does not immediately set in that they have been left behind. With sharks lurking beneath, their survival chances grow smaller.
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Open Water

Open Water

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Critics Consensus

A low budget thriller with some intense moments.

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Critics Reviews

View All (194) Critics Reviews
Will Self London Evening Standard Open Water is being touted as one of the most frightening films to chomp into your psyche for a long time, but either I'm secretly being fed sedatives or this is a case of good old hype meets collective hysteria. Jan 9, 2018 Full Review Dan Jolin Empire Magazine As it dawns on the couple that they've slipped several links down the food chain, you're right there with them. Rated: 3/5 Sep 11, 2004 Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis Las Vegas Mercury Open Water is terrifying on a purely primal level. In a fear-of-the-dark, monsters-under-the-bed way, it twangs nerves forgotten since childhood. Rated: 4/5 Sep 8, 2004 Full Review James Croot Stuff.co.nz Inspired by similar events in Australia in 1998, director Kentis' film is a triumph of understatement. Rated: 4/5 Jul 6, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An uneasy watch. Rated: 3/4 Feb 15, 2023 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault An abbreviated yet often harrowing fable of the utter insignificance of man and his digital trappings. Rated: A Sep 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Michael W This horror movie was alright. Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis did a decent job in this movie. The plot of the movie was tragic and traumatic. It's about being left behind and fighting to survive. If you haven't seen this movie yet, don't waste your time. It's not worth it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/08/24 Full Review Rick L A super inventive piece of work with NO BUDGET People never consider films on their budgets & how creative they are because of it. This is why I highly rate this film!!!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Audience Member This thriller drama is okay, the acting is not bad and one scene with nudity is stupid cause it shows no purpose but over all the concept, writing and direction could have make more sense like they got stuck in the water and why the only ones went down there in the first place. Like how they filming like a found footage which is cool because draws in right when movie starts and definitely running time is great and things they do to survive make sense give that especially if u r in that situation. All in all not a bad movie but one watch for me and give a C+ 1/2👍 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/02/24 Full Review James F People who hate on this film are either too young, or only see it only as a “shark” movie because of its marketing, and not knowing the backstory. In reality, It’s truly the tension of anything that could be lurking underneath the ocean that it executes well. And just the sheer fact that two people are stranded in the middle of it!! That’s what makes this movie great. It is really good at building the tension of what it would really be like to be in this situation. And not really knowing. In the real story that is exactly what happened because they were never found. They didn’t need to use sharks because in reality no one really knows what happened to them anyways. But I would say with what we had at the time of this movie’s release it’s done remarkably well. And if I did consider this essentially only a shark movie I would say it’s definitely one of the best ones with all the others we have had over the years. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Megan B Tense, quiet, and understated, this will disappoint those looking for your splashing, thrashing type of shark movie. The plausibility makes for an uneasy watch, especially considering it's based upon a real couple who disappeared in such circumstances. The film doesn't quite find a place to land though. It's not a biopic, not quite a thriller nor a drama, and not really a shark film. I can't say it's bad but I can't say it's great either. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/24 Full Review Cedric G Majority of people giving this movie bad reviews must be Gen-Zers. They don't understand the raw emotion of the ordeal and the real life sound of the sharks circling their prey (sharks thrashing the surface with no da da music) . What made this movie such a great movie when it came out was the despair & the fact that it could happen to any of us. Is it a cinematic masterpiece, no but it is a classic, yes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Open Water

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Cast & Crew

Open Water

Open Water: Official Clip - Big Ones Open Water: Official Clip - Big Ones 1:27 Open Water: Official Clip - Feeding Frenzy Open Water: Official Clip - Feeding Frenzy 2:54 Open Water: Official Clip - Was That a Shark? Open Water: Official Clip - Was That a Shark? 2:42 Open Water: Official Clip - Stung by Jellyfish Open Water: Official Clip - Stung by Jellyfish 2:49 Open Water: Official Clip - Just a Little Cut Open Water: Official Clip - Just a Little Cut 2:09 Open Water: Official Clip - Night Storm Open Water: Official Clip - Night Storm 1:51 Open Water: Official Clip - Bitten Open Water: Official Clip - Bitten 2:11 Open Water: Official Clip - Asleep and Drifting Open Water: Official Clip - Asleep and Drifting 2:37 Open Water: Official Clip - Left Behind Open Water: Official Clip - Left Behind 2:07 Open Water: Official Clip - Not in the Mood Open Water: Official Clip - Not in the Mood 2:02 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) embark on a tropical vacation with their scuba-diving certifications in tow. During a group dive, the two separate themselves from the others to dive a little deeper. An incorrect head-count suggests the entire group has returned, so the boat departs. When the pair surfaces, they make out a vessel in the distance, but it does not immediately set in that they have been left behind. With sharks lurking beneath, their survival chances grow smaller.
Director
Chris Kentis
Producer
Laura Lau
Screenwriter
Chris Kentis
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
Plunge Pictures LLC
Rating
R (Some Nudity|Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$30.5M
Runtime
1h 19m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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