Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Open Water'

Written by Scott 'Sharky' Edwards

It is easy to let work take up most of your time, leading you to forget how you want to live your life. Taking a vacation is the best way to escape this and you need to take at least one a year whether you want it or not. Taking the time to focus on yourself, your family and do something that does not involve punching the clock for a few days can be heavenly. Just being able to shut your mind off for a few days is relaxing for people, so if you don’t have the funds to take a trip, you can always staycation it, just make sure to disconnect the phone if you do.
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With her torturous work schedule, Susan is in desperate need of a vacation and her husband Daniel has been able to get one on the books. Wanting to see Susan actually like living her life again, some time under the sun should do just the trick. Getting down to the beach and relaxing for a couple days is just what the doctor ordered and Susan is starting to loosen up a little bit and forget about work. With plenty of other activities on the beach, Susan has found the opportunity to go scuba diving in the middle of the ocean and is not willing to pass it up.

With the boat being packed, nobody seems to have any fear in the world, even when the thought of swimming with sharks is brought up. As the predators are not very aggressive in the surrounding waters, the guide is more than willing to laugh it off. While making their way to the ultimate dive spot, a head count is taken, four crew and sixteen guests. Giving everyone their final briefing on what they should do in the water, many of the guests are able to jump in, but one is forced to stay on board because he lost his mask. But he winds up getting his chance to make it into the water after another guest is having a hard time adjusting.

Breaking free from the group, Daniel and Susan make their own dive very special as they swim, dance, pet some fish and laugh at sharks. As the time to leave draws near, they make their way back to where the boat should be to find that it is already gone. Not worrying too much about it, since they can see two boats on the opposite sides of the horizon, they are certain they will be fine. But the boats that they see do not come for them, in fact head they off in other directions. Susan is starting to get upset with the situation, but Daniel being the voice of reason is able to keep her calm for a time. Knowing that someone will come looking for them eventually, the two try to let their worries float away, but the ocean is a deadly place filled with predators who don’t care who is at the top of the food chain.

A whole lot of floating in the ocean, alone, with no idea what will come next, there is definitely something that this movie got right and that is the fear of the unknown. Only being able to see water surrounding them, Susan and Daniel have to find a way to keep positive attitudes to be each other’s rocks as the time passes. I liked when one of them broke down, the other was right there to keep them from spiraling into madness, that is until the threat of the sharks made their way into the story. Knowing a little bit about sharks, after watching Shark Week, they felt okay, but when little nibbles started, all bets were off when trying to keep it cool. With sharks, miles of water, the fear of not being found, sickness and attitude adjustments, it makes you want to think twice when going scuba diving. The thought of nobody knowing or caring what happens to you has to be the worst thought of all, so make sure you have more than one buddy when heading out on the open seas. Stay Scared.

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