Released in 2007, "Black Water" is an Australian crocagator flick made for only $700,000, which shows that you can make a quality movie on a very low budget. Not that "Black Water" is anything especially amazing, but it is the most realistic crocagator flick I've ever seen.
PLOT: While on vacation, a man, his wife, her sister and a guide go fishing in a mangrove swamp in northern Australian where they get attacked by a croc, who is hardly ever seen in the muddy waters. They find sanctuary in the trees but know they'll die of thirst if they don't make an effort to escape the remote swamp. But how?
The story is said to be based on true events, which I don't doubt since the film smacks of near total realism. This of course sets it apart from most crocagator flicks, like "Alligator," "Crocodile" "Lake Placid" and "Lake Placid 2" which have too much goofiness to take very seriously. While I enjoy those movies, especially "Crocodile," I always prefer realism if given the choice.
The plot is reminiscent of "Night Skies", also from 2007, just substitute the croc for aliens.
Aside from the totally realistic vibe, "Black Water" has solid no-name actors in the main roles, particularly the two sisters played by Diana Glenn (Grace) and Maeve Dermody (Lee). Not only are they worthy actors but they're appealing in a girl-next-door type of way.
There are only a few negatives I can cite: One is the thin plot. The story as detailed above is the WHOLE movie. As a result, there's quite a bit of down time, particularly as the survivors mark time in the trees trying to figure out how to escape.
For this reason the film would have probably worked better at the hour mark. As it is, it's 89 minutes with credits and some parts are really ssslllloooooowwwww. But the film makes up for it in realism. What would YOU do if you and your loved ones were attacked and cornered by a huge croc in an isolated swamp in the middle of nowhere?
Speaking of realism, this brings up my third cavil: A certain character is attacked by the croc and taken away. This person later wakes up in what is apparently the croc's storage area for kills. The problem? The character is healthy & fit enough to take on the croc amongst other activities. As believable as the movie is, this is totally unbelievable.
I'm giving "Black Water" a grade of B- with reservations: If you're in the mood for a relatively fast-paced, partly goofy, horror thrill-ride, look elsewhere. If you want the awful truth, including many long sequences of heart-wrenching uncertainty and horror, check out "Black Water."
The movie was shot in Oatley, Sydney, New South Wales, and Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
GRADE: B-
PLOT: While on vacation, a man, his wife, her sister and a guide go fishing in a mangrove swamp in northern Australian where they get attacked by a croc, who is hardly ever seen in the muddy waters. They find sanctuary in the trees but know they'll die of thirst if they don't make an effort to escape the remote swamp. But how?
The story is said to be based on true events, which I don't doubt since the film smacks of near total realism. This of course sets it apart from most crocagator flicks, like "Alligator," "Crocodile" "Lake Placid" and "Lake Placid 2" which have too much goofiness to take very seriously. While I enjoy those movies, especially "Crocodile," I always prefer realism if given the choice.
The plot is reminiscent of "Night Skies", also from 2007, just substitute the croc for aliens.
Aside from the totally realistic vibe, "Black Water" has solid no-name actors in the main roles, particularly the two sisters played by Diana Glenn (Grace) and Maeve Dermody (Lee). Not only are they worthy actors but they're appealing in a girl-next-door type of way.
There are only a few negatives I can cite: One is the thin plot. The story as detailed above is the WHOLE movie. As a result, there's quite a bit of down time, particularly as the survivors mark time in the trees trying to figure out how to escape.
For this reason the film would have probably worked better at the hour mark. As it is, it's 89 minutes with credits and some parts are really ssslllloooooowwwww. But the film makes up for it in realism. What would YOU do if you and your loved ones were attacked and cornered by a huge croc in an isolated swamp in the middle of nowhere?
Speaking of realism, this brings up my third cavil: A certain character is attacked by the croc and taken away. This person later wakes up in what is apparently the croc's storage area for kills. The problem? The character is healthy & fit enough to take on the croc amongst other activities. As believable as the movie is, this is totally unbelievable.
I'm giving "Black Water" a grade of B- with reservations: If you're in the mood for a relatively fast-paced, partly goofy, horror thrill-ride, look elsewhere. If you want the awful truth, including many long sequences of heart-wrenching uncertainty and horror, check out "Black Water."
The movie was shot in Oatley, Sydney, New South Wales, and Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
GRADE: B-