Open Water

R

Released Oct 26, 2003

1h 19m

Mystery & Thriller

List

71%

Tomatometer

196 Reviews

33%

Audience Score

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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Critics Consensus

A low budget thriller with some intense moments.

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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

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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

05/14/24

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

Ethan G

Thinly written and poorly executed, this low-budget shark thriller isn't even so bad it's good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/31/23

Full Review

S P

Gives a glimpse of what the two divers Tom and Eileen Lonergan had to endure... Harrowing psychological experience. Great amateur film, the minimalist filming adds to the experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

Gareth v

While the concept for this movie is promising, as is the first act, it starts to fall away pretty quickly and by the end it struggles to maintain the suspense.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/18/23

Full Review

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Chris Kentis

Director

Blanchard Ryan

Susan

Daniel Travis

Daniel

Saul Stein

Seth

Estelle Lau

Estelle

Michael E. Williamson

Davis

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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
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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