"The Reef: Stalked" is a sequel to a now largely forgotten film from a decade ago (as of the time of this review. This time director Andrew Traucki makes a film unbound by the loose history that limited the original. Both films are generic shark survival films. This sequel at least offers the opportunity for some limited character development.
The film opens with four women returning from a diving trip. They take a group photo and one of the husbands greets them in the parking lot. She is Kath, the sister of the main character, Nic. Kath's husband is an abuser and later drowns her in the family bathtub. Nic discovers the body and becomes traumatized by the sight. Not traumatized enough to avoid future diving trips. She and her other sister visit two friends (from the original group) on a new adventure a year later. A shark stalks the group and eats one them while attacking a few others. Eventually, the group kills the shark in a convoluted manner not unlike the ending of "The Shallows."
Traucki is a technically competent filmmaker. He is able to build tension with the use of a good score. You are never entirely sure when or how the shark will attack. The group is never far from the beach yet it doesn't affect our ability to feel engaged. Nic constantly sees flashbacks of her sister drowning in the bathtub. This motif adds some agency on her part when she concocts the plan to kill the shark. The film never comes close to the character study of "Jaws," but is a huge improvement over the original where the cast was shark bait.
This film and the original are also worth comparing for their appearance. The original was shot on 35 mm film while the new one is digital. Digital films have a lifelike look to them I don't like for monster films. Traucki knows this and either uses real shark footage or limits the shark's appearance due to how low quality the CGI is compared to the lifelike actors. The original doesn't have this issue to the same extent as 35 mm has an artificiality to its look that we associate with cinema. I can enjoy a shark movie more when I don't think that the shark is really in the ocean where I swim.
The film opens with four women returning from a diving trip. They take a group photo and one of the husbands greets them in the parking lot. She is Kath, the sister of the main character, Nic. Kath's husband is an abuser and later drowns her in the family bathtub. Nic discovers the body and becomes traumatized by the sight. Not traumatized enough to avoid future diving trips. She and her other sister visit two friends (from the original group) on a new adventure a year later. A shark stalks the group and eats one them while attacking a few others. Eventually, the group kills the shark in a convoluted manner not unlike the ending of "The Shallows."
Traucki is a technically competent filmmaker. He is able to build tension with the use of a good score. You are never entirely sure when or how the shark will attack. The group is never far from the beach yet it doesn't affect our ability to feel engaged. Nic constantly sees flashbacks of her sister drowning in the bathtub. This motif adds some agency on her part when she concocts the plan to kill the shark. The film never comes close to the character study of "Jaws," but is a huge improvement over the original where the cast was shark bait.
This film and the original are also worth comparing for their appearance. The original was shot on 35 mm film while the new one is digital. Digital films have a lifelike look to them I don't like for monster films. Traucki knows this and either uses real shark footage or limits the shark's appearance due to how low quality the CGI is compared to the lifelike actors. The original doesn't have this issue to the same extent as 35 mm has an artificiality to its look that we associate with cinema. I can enjoy a shark movie more when I don't think that the shark is really in the ocean where I swim.