Animal Attack Movies: Open Water

(2003; directed by Chris Kentis)

An obnoxiously driven professional couple go deep-sea diving and get left behind. They try to cope. That’s pretty much it. I admire the simplicity of the plot. Whereas the standard these days is to crowd the plot with reverses and twists, my idea of a good story is one that pays attention to its premise and develops it according to its own logic. Well-observed details make the story come alive.  That's what happens here: I believe it because the cameras and the cast are clearly in the water with real wildlife. 

Of course I mean sharks. According to the trivia page on imdb.com, Caribbean reef sharks are the main ones seen. This species rarely attacks humans, and mostly in self-defense. The script doesn't get specific about it. As is usually the case with real people lost at sea, the sharks come nosing around, and eventually they do more than nose. It’s a low-key movie; their are no exploding canisters or buried electric cables to help our heroes. Things take their natural course.