BLACK WATER - DVD review

One of the surprise hits at the box office in the summer of 2004 was the low-budget sleeper "Open Water." Based on actual events, the film tells the horrific story of how a vacationing couple find themselves bobbing up and down by themselves somewhere in the middle of the ocean after the boat of their scuba-diving expedition accidentally leaves them behind. The whole situation was certainly terrifying, and the fact that the incident could easily happen to just about anyone had a huge impact on the psyche.

"Black Water" from 2007 follows the same basic template as the aforementioned psychological thriller, but instead of being lost at sea and praying they'll be able to fend off the terrors of the deep, the protagonists end up in one hell of a bind when a rogue crocodile holds them hostage in one of the mangrove swamps of Australia.

Now I know what you're thinking, but in this particular case it isn't like the menacing reptile is holding out for safe passage by helicopter to Mexico and millions of dollars in ransom money. It's just an unfortunate case of a few unlucky travelers being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being a tasty part of the food chain, or maybe the crocodiles are just sick and tired of being skinned for fashionable boots and handbags.

The story begins when Grace (Diana Glenn), her boyfriend Adam (Andy Rodoreda), and her sister Lee (Maeve Dermody) pack up and head out for a short holiday in local Australia. It's slow going at first as character development builds, but the directors (David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki) take care to not drag things out for too long. The intent was to try to find enough of a balance between formulating a minimal connection to the characters, while not concentrating too much focus on them as specific individuals. This makes it much easier for the audience to subconsciously visualize that their friends or family members are the ones in the story.

The first stop on their itinerary happens to be a crocodile farm that foreshadows what's coming later on in the film. Much like a small zoo, it's the kind of place where the public can have their pictures taken with a variety animals and can see teased crocodiles do tricks for their meals, usually a raw chicken dangled from a safe and secure platform. I've been at Gatorland in Florida when I was younger, and it isn't hard to feel sorry for the creatures, especially those that are housed in compartment-like pens whose fate is becoming apparel or souvenirs.

The next day, however, is when the characters' lives would never be the same. Deciding to take things easy with a relaxing fishing trip, Grace, Adam, and Lee venture out to one of the fishing holes and end up hiring a guide named Jim to take them out on the river. They climb into a rickety four-seater motorboat and travel down the river, enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery before finding the ideal spot to cast their lines.

Things seem to be going smoothly until a large saltwater crocodile suddenly surfaces out of nowhere and attacks the boat. Between the shifting weight of the sheer panic going on inside and the plowing lunges of the crocodile on the exterior, the tin boat inevitably flips over, sending the foursome plunging into the cool water. At first, I thought that this stunt might have been a bit of a stretch, but I suppose if the stars were aligned and everything happened just right a boat doing a complete 180° is at least plausible under ideal circumstances.

Grace and Adam are able to swim to the nearest large tree and hightail it up into the branches out of the water, while Lee isn't quite as fortunate and can only find safety by climbing onto the bottom of the overturned boat. As for their fishing guide, let's just say that our snaggletoothed villain "snapped into a Slim Jim."

Eventually, Lee musters up enough courage to cautiously wade into the danger zone and try to make a break for the tree to join her sister and Adam. It's a suspenseful moment, but she succeeds and this basically sets things up for the rest of the story. With no guide, no boat, and no nearby solid ground in sight, the trio are trapped and not only forced to deal with psychological tension but also to find enough will power to stay alive and find a way to get out of their nearly hopeless predicament.

One of the things I found respectable was that the filmmakers insisted on using real crocodiles instead of going today's usual CGI route. While other creature features like "Anaconda" and "Lake Placid" may have a flair of their digital eye candy, they tend to lose a sense of realism and some of their credibility when they fire logic out the window.

The actors themselves also deserve high props. None of them were familiar faces to me, and their performances definitely weren't Oscar caliber by any means, but they did a fine job at making their tragedy believable. The look of fear in their eyes and terror on their faces seemed genuine, and even the tears from when they were crying looked real.

The camera work was superb as the filmmakers made sure not to show very much of the crocodile until near the end, very similar in fashion to Spielberg revealing only glimpses of the Great White in the first half of "Jaws." This amplifies the suspense in the movie, as the viewer never can really pinpoint where the crocodile is or when it is going to strike next.

I also liked how they used a few different stylish techniques with the cameras. There's a scene where the crocodile is doing its natural "death roll" and the camera viewpoint is shown from the victim's perspective, enabling the viewer to experience a crocodile attack in a much more gruesome manner. My favorite artistic edge, though, was at nightfall when the screen literally went pitch black. The sounds could still be heard clearly, but every once in a while a bolt of lightning would strike somewhere close to instantly lighten up the screen for only a brief few seconds at a time.

Although I enjoyed the tightness of the movie and was relieved that it wasn't bloated with unnecessary fluff like outrageous action sequences or cheesy one-liners, I still felt that there was something minimally missing. I guess the only way to explain it is that there were no real defining moments to make it rise to the level of an instant classic; yet it was certainly better than most of the horror movies that I've seen lately.

Video:
"Black Water" should fill the entire screens of most widescreen TVs having an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. For a standard DVD, I was amazed by the quality of the picture that displayed the full spectrum of brilliant colors found in the Australian wilderness and even went as far as showing miniscule skin imperfections in the cast. I don't know what kind of camera technology they were using, but the filming was noticeably better than some so-called "high definition" programming I've seen via satellite and was without question first-rate.

Audio:
The sound on the disc showcases Dolby Digital 5.1 with English and French audio tracks and optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles. Every little bubbling hiccup emanating from the water can be heard with clarity, and the constant, shrill buzzing from the cicadas virtually teleported my living room into the mangrove swamp. The soundtrack wasn't overbearing or distracting, either; in fact, music was seldom used in the whole picture, and it enhanced the creativeness of the film.

Extras:
Viewers will find a solid assortment of special features tucked neatly inside the "Black Water" DVD, starting with a feature length audio commentary by writers/rirectors Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich. The two of them provide an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the film, and a large focus went into how often they were at the mercy of Mother Nature. For instance, when the river tides went out, it made it exceptionally difficult getting around by boat, and in the secluded area where most of the movie takes place, the water was only there for three hours a day. During that small window of opportunity the water was also only a few feet deep, so the cast had to create the illusion of an additional foot or two of depth by kneeling most of the time.

The featurette "The Making of Black Water" is a more condensed version of the production details brought to light in the audio commentary, and it runs approximately twenty minutes. It primarily covers the story, cast, crew, effects, and location for the movie in chapters for each of those topics.

Next, there are three deleted scenes with options to "Play All" or access them individually. "Arrival in Seaside Town" expands on their trip to the crocodile park, while Grace is at the store looking at pregnancy tests. "Shower Cubicle" is an awkward moment when Adam walks in on Lee exiting the shower. And "Overturned Boat" is an extension of the scene where Lee has to climb off the boat into the water to try and untangle the rope.

Also included is a trailer for "Black Water," but unfortunately it reveals a little too much of the story for my taste. I'd strongly recommend watching the actual movie before taking a peek at this preview.

Finally, there is a collection of the following previews: "Blu-ray Disc is High Definition," "30 Days of Night," "Zombie Strippers," "Gabriel," "Slipstream," "Boogeyman 2," "Rise Blood Hunter," "Cleaner," "Damages: Season 1," "Hot Action Movies," and "Fearnet.com."

It would have been nice to see a blooper reel or a collection of outtakes, though, since those are always a hoot to watch and usually the very first thing that I make a beeline for when checking out bonus materials on a DVD.

The Final Cut:
I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting too much from this DVD release after briefly skimming the synopsis and noting that the art on the front of the case made the crocodile look more like some sort of prehistoric serpent. However, for a film that operated on a shoestring budget of only $1,000,000 with an entire cast that you can count on one hand, I must say that "Black Water" pleasantly surprised me, and it just goes to show that you should never judge a book (or a DVD) by its cover.