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Trollheart · 02-08-2017, 03:07 PM

I think it's fair to say that before 1975 most of us didn't know much about sharks. There were no shark movies, nothing dedicated specifically to sharks, no real information about them. We'd had Flipper, so we knew about dolphins, Skippy taught us about kangaroos and if you wanted to know a little about whales you could watch or read Moby Dick, but for me anyway, and I think for a lot of people, sharks were reduced to a shadowy, vaguely threatening presence that haunted the likes of the Indian and the Pacific Ocean, and that we (certainly here in Ireland) had no reason to fear. If we saw sharks on the telly at all, they were an indistinct, blurry shape in the water, or more usually the iconic triangular fin cutting through the waves, most often in cartoons. Nobody knew really what sharks were (big, scary fish?) and really, I suppose, nobody cared. The chances of us falling foul of one, unless we lived in the likes of Australia, went surfing or took a deep-sea voyage, were minimal.

And then came Jaws.

Based on the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, who had no experience with and no real knowledge of sharks, yet took to writing a novel that grew into a box-office blockbuster movie that simultaneously brought the shark to the forefront of human interest and painted it as the savage killer of the seas, Jaws suddenly reminded us how apparently dangerous sharks were, and that they should be feared. Benchley later repented of his ill-founded and completely baseless assumptions about sharks, becoming an ocean conservationist in later life, and bewailing the fact that people seemed determined to accept the ideas in the novel as fact, not fiction, leading to a horrifying increase in culls of sharks, shark hunting and a general mistrust turning to hatred of the animal. In recent times this has been somewhat redressed, with channels like National Geographic and Discovery running “Shark Weeks” and trying to explain, rather than villify, the nature of sharks, and through these we have learned that though yes, sharks are dangerous and can eat people, they generally shy away from contact with humans, and though there are many reported incidents of shark attacks every year, most if not all can be attributed to a case of mistaken identity – the shark mistaking the human for a seal or other prey – accidents (sharks often “taste” something to be sure it is edible; humans are not to the shark's taste but unfortunately a small taste for a shark can cripple or even kill a human) or other factors. Sharks are not, we now know, the remorseless, evil killers of the deep depicted in Jaws.

This newfound understanding of sharks has not, however, prevented a minor film industry building up around the myths and half-truths espoused by the original shark movie, and though these days much of the material written about them seems to concern tongue-in-cheek or frankly ridiculous storylines – Sharknado, Ghost Shark, Sharkocalypse etc – there are still some good movies around with sharks in them. Some are better than others, and most, not surprisingly, cast the shark as the villain of the piece, but at least they take their subject semi-seriously. Even a movie like Deep Blue Sea, with its idea of genetically enhanced sharks, is easier to credit than, say, Sharktopus, although it should be pointed out that I have never watched any of these “B” shark movies. I may, at some point, but even without seeing them the taglines give you enough of an idea to know that they are certainly not taking their subject seriously. Flying sharks? Sharks buried in ice? In sand? Ghost sharks? Give me a break.

So none of those will feature here, but here's a list of the ones I intend to look at in some detail, perhaps comparing them along the way. If you know of a good shark movie I should include, let me know, but for now this is the list. I don't know what order I'll be doing them in, and this will run throughout the year (which is why I resisted calling it Shark Week or Shark Month) among other features, so this list is in alphabetical order. As I review them, I will mark them accordingly and link.

12 Days of Terror
Bait
Cruel Jaws
Deep Blue Sea
Jaws
Jaws 2
Jaws 3-D
Jaws (4): The Revenge
The Last Shark (aka Great White)
Mako: The Jaws of Death
Mission of the Shark: the Story of the USS Indianapolis
Night of the Sharks
Open Water
Red Water
The Reef
Shark Attack
Shark Attack 2
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon
Shark Swarm
Shark Zone

Having seen only a mere handful of these movies, I have no doubt some will turn out to be utter shite, but hopefully there'll be some good ones in there, apart from the ones I already know. As this was shown recently on the telly I've decided to review it first so I can clear if off my Sky Box if nothing else.

Title: The Reef
Year: 2010
Nationality: Australian
Starring: Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley and Adrienne Pickering
Directed by: Andrew Traucki
Written by: Andrew Traucki
Cinematography: Daniel Ardillery
Music: Rafael Ma
Budget: 3.8 million AUD
Box Office: 125,000 AUD

Says “based on true events”, so that's a plus. Maybe. A group of friends decide to join one of their mates who is delivering a boat to Indonesia, and set off for their destination. There's obviously some history between Luke, the salesman, and Kate, his ex-girlfriend and sister of the other male lead, Matt. Two days out they hit something and the boat capsizes. They manage to scramble up onto the hull of the boat, but are now alone and drfiting in the water with no way to contact anyone for help. Considering their options, Luke suggests they abandon the boat and try to swim to the nearest island. This being about ten miles away, his advice is not popular; most of these people can swim but not that far, and of course everyone fears that there are sharks in the water. Had they looked at the video cover, they would have seen this is indeed the case. Luke therefore, being overridden, goes below into the sunken remains of the boat to see what he can salvage to keep the thing afloat, as it is now their only sanctuary from the embrace of the deep. It quickly becomes apparent though from his exploration that the boat is doomed to sink, so they decide to swim for it after all. Except Kate, who is adamant she will remain, believing their chances of making it slim in the extreme. The other three leave her behind with Warren, who refuses to go into the water. At the last moment she changes her mind, probably not relishing the idea of being left alone with the depressing Warren, and heads into the water to join her friends.

A short while after leaving the boat behind they come across a turtle floating in the sea, but are disturbed to find it is missing its head. And it's not a small turtle, so something rather large and nasty is nearby. Back at the boat, Warren, who didn't want to risk swimming, sees something in the water, circling the vessel. Meanwhile, back with our heroes, they too are beginning to believe something is stalking them in the water. They're not wrong (well, if they were, it would be a pretty short and boring movie, now wouldn't it?) as a shark hoves into view. Not the kind of thing you really want to see where you're out in the middle of the ocean! The shark begins to circle them – it's kind of their own fault; they're attracting its attention by kicking, splashing and screaming. I know it's easy to say, and were it me there'd definitely be a long brown streak in the water by now (assuming I could swim, which I can't) but if they just floated and kept quiet the chances are the shark would lose interest in them and move on. Of course they don't, they can't, and the beast moves closer.

The fact that the fin suddenly disappears is not really to be taken as a good sign, as it usually indicates the shark has dove in order to launch an attack. And so it proves, as the thing surfaces almost on top of them, breaking the water then diving back below again. An exploratory strike as the animal tries to work out what they are, if hey are predator or prey, and if the latter, if it can eat them. It can, and Matt is the first to find out as he is attacked when he goes back for his floating board and the shark arrows in, taking off his leg. With the shock and the loss of blood it isn't long before he gives up the ghost, and mere moments after being attacked he is dead, literally, in the water, and they have to leave him in the hopes that the shark's hunger – or more likely, its curiosity – has been sated. Fat chance.

And then there were three. Night begins to fall as they remaining friends swim further, Suzie suffering the loss of her boyfriend in the aftermath of the shock of his death. She loses it, blaming Luke (well, you would, wouldn't you?) and obviously wishing she had stayed on the boat and taken her chances. How exactly they expect to find their way to this island in the dark with no GPS or radar or even a compass (Luke earlier pointed out north by the position of the sun, or something) is beyond me. As Suzie says despairingly, “We're lost in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the fucking night!” Kind of about the size of it, really.

Except as they wake the following morning (thankfully, uneaten) they sight what appears to be land in the distance. Relieved and with renewed energy tey make their way to what turns out to be a small rocky outcrop from which they can definitely make out the outline of land, though if it's the island they've been making for it seems very small, even in the distance. Abandoning the rock and returning to the sea, they continue their journey, with this time at least a proper direction to head for. Suddenly a fin breaks the water, and they all scream, thinking the shark has returned, but it turns out only to be a dolphin, to their intense relief. It's short-lived though, as the next time they see a fin it is the shark, and it attacks Suzie, pulling her underwater and leaving nothing behind but a thick spreading red stain. Two down, two to go.

Of course it turns out not to be an island they've sighted but (say it with me) a reef, but it's still better than being in the water, so they make for it anyway. Kate realises her foot is bleeding. This is not a good thing to do with a shark in the water! A very formulaic reconcilation occurs between the two just before they re-enter the water, A few moments later the shark is back, ready for more. The two make a last desperate break for the reef, swimming for all they're worth, trying to outdistance the shark. They make it to the reef, but it's slippery and there are few handholds. Kate manages to scramble up to safety, but poor old Luke is too late and the shark gets him as he tries to climb up, the girl unable to pull him up.

So now she's left alone on the reef, in the middle of the ocean, no idea where she is or if help can come for her. Oh. I was about to make a prediction about how it would end, but, well, that's it. It's over. It ends with her sitting on the reef bawling about losing Luke and there is no resolution. Boo and double boo, though I suppose you have to give some credit for a certainly unexpected and not happy ending.

QUOTES
Matt (after they clamber back on to the capsized boat): “What happened?”
Luke: “Don't know. Must have hit something. Reef? Whale?”
(Yeah, I'd really trust this bozo to deliver my million-dollar yacht! Who the fuck was steering when they hit whatever it was they hit, and why was he, as the person responsible, not at the helm?)

Luke: “The boat's fucked. I don't think it's going to stay afloat. And when it does sink, we're in the water.”
(What stunning insight! My confidence in this man grows with every scene!)

Warren (to Suzie, who is wearing a wetsuit): “You look like a seal in that. Sharks love seals.”

Matt: “That was one big turtle!”
(The unspoken question: what the fuck could tear the head off something as big as that?)

Kate (about the shark): “It's the same one, isn't it?”
Luke: “I think so.”
Kate: “I know it is. I know it is.”
(What the fuck does it matter? You think a different Great White is going to be more merciful?)

Good scenes

It's very early in the movie – a mere few minutes in – so you're not going to be fooled, but while Kate and Luke are diving under the sea preparatory to leaving on their trip everything goes quiet underwater as Kate watched the vista in front of her, then suddenly something attacks her from behind. But it's only Luke messing around. There' s no long drawn-out suspense scene or ominous music, so I doubt that the viewer was meant to be tricked into thinking it was a shark, more just a bit of fun. Works well enough.

The crash is handled quite well; you get the feeling of being tossed around and suddenly everything is under water.

The scene where they come across the headless turtle is handled well also. It takes a few moments, as the animal bobs towards them on the tide, and then they have to grab it and spin it around to discover it's missing its head. They let it go pretty quickly after that!

The scene where the dolphin appears and they all think it's the shark is quite funny.

Obviously, this is only a personal thing but I found it funny. I think it's the second appearance of the shark, when it comes back after having snacked on Matt and still hungry. It floats into shot, and the look on its face to me says “So where is everyone? I was told I should meet them here?” It just looks a little puzzled. No, I will not seek psychiatric help: it's already way too late for that.

Notes on cinematography

Oddly enough, this isn't something I tend to look at that much in movies, not knowing very much about it, but in movies about sharks (or anything that involves camerawork underwater) I think it's important to take it into account, as it can really add to (or detract from) the overall atmosphere of the movie.

Before they set off there are some nice underwater scenes where Luke and Kate are swimming. They're done well enough; gives you a sense of being underwater, sure, but nothing exactly breath-taking. The shots of the boat underwater, when Luke goes down to try to save what he can, are quite effective, starkly showing the contrast between what was a short time ago a pleasure craft and a place to have a bit of fun, and what it has now become: a murky, watery shell. The aerial shot as the three push off from the capsized boat succeeds in giving a very clear picture of the odds they are facing.

However I must point out that when they get to the rocky outcrop on the way to the island, the camera continues to move up and down, even though they are now – if only temporarily – on dry land, which sort of ruins the idea. I'm not sure why they couldn't have steadied the camera for these shots, then let it bob up and down after the guys go back into the water. Makes it look as if they're moving along on the rock through the sea, which of course they can't be.

It must also be pointed out that unlike a lot of other movies which rely on CGI to create the sharks, this movie did at least use footage of real actual sharks, cut into the action, which makes it seem at least relatively authentic.

02-08-2017, 03:07 PM	#32 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	I think it's fair to say that before 1975 most of us didn't know much about sharks. There were no shark movies, nothing dedicated specifically to sharks, no real information about them. We'd had Flipper, so we knew about dolphins, Skippy taught us about kangaroos and if you wanted to know a little about whales you could watch or read Moby Dick, but for me anyway, and I think for a lot of people, sharks were reduced to a shadowy, vaguely threatening presence that haunted the likes of the Indian and the Pacific Ocean, and that we (certainly here in Ireland) had no reason to fear. If we saw sharks on the telly at all, they were an indistinct, blurry shape in the water, or more usually the iconic triangular fin cutting through the waves, most often in cartoons. Nobody knew really what sharks were (big, scary fish?) and really, I suppose, nobody cared. The chances of us falling foul of one, unless we lived in the likes of Australia, went surfing or took a deep-sea voyage, were minimal. And then came Jaws. Based on the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, who had no experience with and no real knowledge of sharks, yet took to writing a novel that grew into a box-office blockbuster movie that simultaneously brought the shark to the forefront of human interest and painted it as the savage killer of the seas, Jaws suddenly reminded us how apparently dangerous sharks were, and that they should be feared. Benchley later repented of his ill-founded and completely baseless assumptions about sharks, becoming an ocean conservationist in later life, and bewailing the fact that people seemed determined to accept the ideas in the novel as fact, not fiction, leading to a horrifying increase in culls of sharks, shark hunting and a general mistrust turning to hatred of the animal. In recent times this has been somewhat redressed, with channels like National Geographic and Discovery running “Shark Weeks” and trying to explain, rather than villify, the nature of sharks, and through these we have learned that though yes, sharks are dangerous and can eat people, they generally shy away from contact with humans, and though there are many reported incidents of shark attacks every year, most if not all can be attributed to a case of mistaken identity – the shark mistaking the human for a seal or other prey – accidents (sharks often “taste” something to be sure it is edible; humans are not to the shark's taste but unfortunately a small taste for a shark can cripple or even kill a human) or other factors. Sharks are not, we now know, the remorseless, evil killers of the deep depicted in Jaws. This newfound understanding of sharks has not, however, prevented a minor film industry building up around the myths and half-truths espoused by the original shark movie, and though these days much of the material written about them seems to concern tongue-in-cheek or frankly ridiculous storylines – Sharknado, Ghost Shark, Sharkocalypse etc – there are still some good movies around with sharks in them. Some are better than others, and most, not surprisingly, cast the shark as the villain of the piece, but at least they take their subject semi-seriously. Even a movie like Deep Blue Sea, with its idea of genetically enhanced sharks, is easier to credit than, say, Sharktopus, although it should be pointed out that I have never watched any of these “B” shark movies. I may, at some point, but even without seeing them the taglines give you enough of an idea to know that they are certainly not taking their subject seriously. Flying sharks? Sharks buried in ice? In sand? Ghost sharks? Give me a break. So none of those will feature here, but here's a list of the ones I intend to look at in some detail, perhaps comparing them along the way. If you know of a good shark movie I should include, let me know, but for now this is the list. I don't know what order I'll be doing them in, and this will run throughout the year (which is why I resisted calling it Shark Week or Shark Month) among other features, so this list is in alphabetical order. As I review them, I will mark them accordingly and link. 12 Days of Terror Bait Cruel Jaws Deep Blue Sea Jaws Jaws 2 Jaws 3-D Jaws (4): The Revenge The Last Shark (aka Great White) Mako: The Jaws of Death Mission of the Shark: the Story of the USS Indianapolis Night of the Sharks Open Water Red Water The Reef Shark Attack Shark Attack 2 Shark Attack 3: Megalodon Shark Swarm Shark Zone Having seen only a mere handful of these movies, I have no doubt some will turn out to be utter shite, but hopefully there'll be some good ones in there, apart from the ones I already know. As this was shown recently on the telly I've decided to review it first so I can clear if off my Sky Box if nothing else. Title: The Reef Year: 2010 Nationality: Australian Starring: Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley and Adrienne Pickering Directed by: Andrew Traucki Written by: Andrew Traucki Cinematography: Daniel Ardillery Music: Rafael Ma Budget: 3.8 million AUD Box Office: 125,000 AUD Says “based on true events”, so that's a plus. Maybe. A group of friends decide to join one of their mates who is delivering a boat to Indonesia, and set off for their destination. There's obviously some history between Luke, the salesman, and Kate, his ex-girlfriend and sister of the other male lead, Matt. Two days out they hit something and the boat capsizes. They manage to scramble up onto the hull of the boat, but are now alone and drfiting in the water with no way to contact anyone for help. Considering their options, Luke suggests they abandon the boat and try to swim to the nearest island. This being about ten miles away, his advice is not popular; most of these people can swim but not that far, and of course everyone fears that there are sharks in the water. Had they looked at the video cover, they would have seen this is indeed the case. Luke therefore, being overridden, goes below into the sunken remains of the boat to see what he can salvage to keep the thing afloat, as it is now their only sanctuary from the embrace of the deep. It quickly becomes apparent though from his exploration that the boat is doomed to sink, so they decide to swim for it after all. Except Kate, who is adamant she will remain, believing their chances of making it slim in the extreme. The other three leave her behind with Warren, who refuses to go into the water. At the last moment she changes her mind, probably not relishing the idea of being left alone with the depressing Warren, and heads into the water to join her friends. A short while after leaving the boat behind they come across a turtle floating in the sea, but are disturbed to find it is missing its head. And it's not a small turtle, so something rather large and nasty is nearby. Back at the boat, Warren, who didn't want to risk swimming, sees something in the water, circling the vessel. Meanwhile, back with our heroes, they too are beginning to believe something is stalking them in the water. They're not wrong (well, if they were, it would be a pretty short and boring movie, now wouldn't it?) as a shark hoves into view. Not the kind of thing you really want to see where you're out in the middle of the ocean! The shark begins to circle them – it's kind of their own fault; they're attracting its attention by kicking, splashing and screaming. I know it's easy to say, and were it me there'd definitely be a long brown streak in the water by now (assuming I could swim, which I can't) but if they just floated and kept quiet the chances are the shark would lose interest in them and move on. Of course they don't, they can't, and the beast moves closer. The fact that the fin suddenly disappears is not really to be taken as a good sign, as it usually indicates the shark has dove in order to launch an attack. And so it proves, as the thing surfaces almost on top of them, breaking the water then diving back below again. An exploratory strike as the animal tries to work out what they are, if hey are predator or prey, and if the latter, if it can eat them. It can, and Matt is the first to find out as he is attacked when he goes back for his floating board and the shark arrows in, taking off his leg. With the shock and the loss of blood it isn't long before he gives up the ghost, and mere moments after being attacked he is dead, literally, in the water, and they have to leave him in the hopes that the shark's hunger – or more likely, its curiosity – has been sated. Fat chance. And then there were three. Night begins to fall as they remaining friends swim further, Suzie suffering the loss of her boyfriend in the aftermath of the shock of his death. She loses it, blaming Luke (well, you would, wouldn't you?) and obviously wishing she had stayed on the boat and taken her chances. How exactly they expect to find their way to this island in the dark with no GPS or radar or even a compass (Luke earlier pointed out north by the position of the sun, or something) is beyond me. As Suzie says despairingly, “We're lost in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the fucking night!” Kind of about the size of it, really. Except as they wake the following morning (thankfully, uneaten) they sight what appears to be land in the distance. Relieved and with renewed energy tey make their way to what turns out to be a small rocky outcrop from which they can definitely make out the outline of land, though if it's the island they've been making for it seems very small, even in the distance. Abandoning the rock and returning to the sea, they continue their journey, with this time at least a proper direction to head for. Suddenly a fin breaks the water, and they all scream, thinking the shark has returned, but it turns out only to be a dolphin, to their intense relief. It's short-lived though, as the next time they see a fin it is the shark, and it attacks Suzie, pulling her underwater and leaving nothing behind but a thick spreading red stain. Two down, two to go. Of course it turns out not to be an island they've sighted but (say it with me) a reef, but it's still better than being in the water, so they make for it anyway. Kate realises her foot is bleeding. This is not a good thing to do with a shark in the water! A very formulaic reconcilation occurs between the two just before they re-enter the water, A few moments later the shark is back, ready for more. The two make a last desperate break for the reef, swimming for all they're worth, trying to outdistance the shark. They make it to the reef, but it's slippery and there are few handholds. Kate manages to scramble up to safety, but poor old Luke is too late and the shark gets him as he tries to climb up, the girl unable to pull him up. So now she's left alone on the reef, in the middle of the ocean, no idea where she is or if help can come for her. Oh. I was about to make a prediction about how it would end, but, well, that's it. It's over. It ends with her sitting on the reef bawling about losing Luke and there is no resolution. Boo and double boo, though I suppose you have to give some credit for a certainly unexpected and not happy ending. QUOTES Matt (after they clamber back on to the capsized boat): “What happened?” Luke: “Don't know. Must have hit something. Reef? Whale?” (Yeah, I'd really trust this bozo to deliver my million-dollar yacht! Who the fuck was steering when they hit whatever it was they hit, and why was he, as the person responsible, not at the helm?) Luke: “The boat's fucked. I don't think it's going to stay afloat. And when it does sink, we're in the water.” (What stunning insight! My confidence in this man grows with every scene!) Warren (to Suzie, who is wearing a wetsuit): “You look like a seal in that. Sharks love seals.” Matt: “That was one big turtle!” (The unspoken question: what the fuck could tear the head off something as big as that?) Kate (about the shark): “It's the same one, isn't it?” Luke: “I think so.” Kate: “I know it is. I know it is.” (What the fuck does it matter? You think a different Great White is going to be more merciful?) Good scenes It's very early in the movie – a mere few minutes in – so you're not going to be fooled, but while Kate and Luke are diving under the sea preparatory to leaving on their trip everything goes quiet underwater as Kate watched the vista in front of her, then suddenly something attacks her from behind. But it's only Luke messing around. There' s no long drawn-out suspense scene or ominous music, so I doubt that the viewer was meant to be tricked into thinking it was a shark, more just a bit of fun. Works well enough. The crash is handled quite well; you get the feeling of being tossed around and suddenly everything is under water. The scene where they come across the headless turtle is handled well also. It takes a few moments, as the animal bobs towards them on the tide, and then they have to grab it and spin it around to discover it's missing its head. They let it go pretty quickly after that! The scene where the dolphin appears and they all think it's the shark is quite funny. Obviously, this is only a personal thing but I found it funny. I think it's the second appearance of the shark, when it comes back after having snacked on Matt and still hungry. It floats into shot, and the look on its face to me says “So where is everyone? I was told I should meet them here?” It just looks a little puzzled. No, I will not seek psychiatric help: it's already way too late for that. Notes on cinematography Oddly enough, this isn't something I tend to look at that much in movies, not knowing very much about it, but in movies about sharks (or anything that involves camerawork underwater) I think it's important to take it into account, as it can really add to (or detract from) the overall atmosphere of the movie. Before they set off there are some nice underwater scenes where Luke and Kate are swimming. They're done well enough; gives you a sense of being underwater, sure, but nothing exactly breath-taking. The shots of the boat underwater, when Luke goes down to try to save what he can, are quite effective, starkly showing the contrast between what was a short time ago a pleasure craft and a place to have a bit of fun, and what it has now become: a murky, watery shell. The aerial shot as the three push off from the capsized boat succeeds in giving a very clear picture of the odds they are facing. However I must point out that when they get to the rocky outcrop on the way to the island, the camera continues to move up and down, even though they are now – if only temporarily – on dry land, which sort of ruins the idea. I'm not sure why they couldn't have steadied the camera for these shots, then let it bob up and down after the guys go back into the water. Makes it look as if they're moving along on the rock through the sea, which of course they can't be. It must also be pointed out that unlike a lot of other movies which rely on CGI to create the sharks, this movie did at least use footage of real actual sharks, cut into the action, which makes it seem at least relatively authentic. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 03-07-2017 at 05:21 PM.