Black Water

An Effective Genre Piece, 9 July 2009

Author: gary-444 from United Kingdom


*** This review may contain spoilers ***


This story of four day trippers who become stranded up a tree and are then stalked by a large crocodile in the Australian Mangrove Swamps works within those parameters. The on location filming is lush and convincing, as is the crocodile.The main problem is that a 90 minute running time is too long for a very restricted setting with very few options.

The plot unfolds with formulaic certainty, there is little opportunity for surprise.The characters are generally unappealing, but to be fair their acting skills are largely deployed at looking "scared in a tree". The twist that secures freedom is a little disappointing, and the dialogue risible.

It is the crocodile and the action sequences which save the day and ultimately give the film its purpose. A routine, albeit quite enjoyable, addition to the, " humans stalked by dangerous creature" genre.