Director(s) – David Nerlich (Dark Sun) and Andrew Traucki (The Reef, The Jungle)
Starring – Diana Glenn (My Life is Murder, The Slap), Maeve Dermody (The Beast Must Die, Ripper Street), and Andy Rodoreda (Cargo, The Tunnel)
Release Date – 2007
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 2.5/5
I’ve seen some pretty fun alligator/crocodile films over the years. Lake Placid, Rogue, Crawl, and several more that I’ve seen were pretty fun but not something I would go out of the way. I like a good when nature attacks flicks so when I saw that my friends over at Umbrella Entertainment was releasing the 2007 film Black Water I was very interested in it. Australia has surprised me with their other nature horror films before so I reached out to Umbrella and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of young adults who miss a boat trip in the swamps of Australia. One of the guides offers to take them out with his smaller motorboat and they agree. However, once out in the swampy waterways they find themselves stranded in a tree while their boat is overturned and their guide killed by a very large crocodile. Realizing quickly they help is not on the way, they frantically search for a way to get out of the water before they are caught in the croc’s metal like jaws. **Spoiler Alert**
Black Water is a solid horror film with a great setting and a simple yet effective story but it doesn’t have that wow factor that makes the film stick with you after viewing it. I liked it but I doubt I’ll ever watch it again.
The acting in this one is great. The cast is small and they all work very well together. With that being said, the roles were very demanding and they were fully dedicated to their performances. I couldn’t imagine being in these conditions and expected to remain calm and act on top of it all. The story for this one is straight to the point and very well done. We get no twists or turns as the story gets straight into it. We follow the three as they slowly succumb to the crocodile as it hunts them one by one. It’s a straight forward story that doesn’t waste time. However, the simplicity in the story is it’s downfall. After you watch it once you find yourself not wanting to watch it again. It’s not that memorable but it is fun.
Finally, the film has a great looking crock that works for the film but if you are expecting to see some body mutilations and croc carnage then you will be very disappointed. Overall, Black Water is a fun when animals attack film that is similar to films like Anaconda. It’s enjoyable but it’s not making anyone’s top ten lists. The blu from Umbrella looks great.
Special Features:
Audio commentary with Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich
The Making of Black Water
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
