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"Three Cheeky monkeys, sitting in a tree,. Teasing Mr Crocodile. "You can't catch me". Along comes Mr Crocodile, quiet as can be and SNAP..."
Before starting this review I will be completely honest; the standard for crocodile movies keeps lowering with each passing year.
Black Water was a film I'd heard a few things about; mainly concerning the fact of using real crocodiles as opposed to taking the usual CGI route. From the sounds of things, I thought that it would take years for the eventual release and the product wouldn't be too great.
2007 was the year for crocodile movies. The year first welcomed Primeval; a Hollywood crocodile movie that was terrible in every way.
But the director of Wolf Creek, Greg McLean, had been given the green light to make a crocodile movie with a number of big name producers behind him. Rogue became the only decent crocodile movie that had ever been released. And for the creators of Black Water the odds must have looked hideous when they heard what they were up against.
But truth be told, Black Water is an effective, terrifying horror film that can easily add itself to the list of decent crocodile movies. This film is the crocodile version of Open Water; playing on our fears and emotions while in a perilous situation.
As the film opens we are introduced to three characters; Grace (Glenn), Lee (Dermody) and Adam (Rodoreda). They are taking a vacation together in Northern Australia. But when they head out for a fishing trip their lives are changed forever. The film is then a tale of survival while the characters find themselves stranded in the isolated mangroves and swamps while a hungry crocodile lurks beneath the gloomy waters.
Black Water is more of a psychological thriller that takes the route of "less is more". This isn't some sleazy horror fest where the crocodile is visible whenever there's a suspense scene. Instead the filmmakers chose to utilise shots of the croc scarcely; instead showing us ripples in the water that might suggest the croc is about to strike.
The film is filled with tension and some pretty suspenseful horror scenes. It's not bucket loads of blood and all out action - the filmmakers instead rely on the fear of not knowing where the crocodile is. There's still strong violence during the attacks; but the focus wasn't primarily on the gore.
I will admit that the acting was sometimes below average. The actors were not big names, but small time folks who haven't had much experience. Some of the scenes of drama had some terrible acting for sure. But into the second half I could definitely feel some talent shining through; the characters genuinely seem petrified of the situation. And the use of real crocodiles is a fantastic move. The croc never looks fake, and hence we can never laugh at one of the attacks.
The camera work was beautiful. There are many stylish cinematical techniques during the horror scenes. However some obscure shots of the water make it obvious that the croc is about to strike. In some circumstances it comes as no shock when the hungry reptile reveals himself from the depths.
The script was mediocre. Because of the genre we're going to get some stupidity; it's to be expected. The dialogue is sometimes laughably cheesy as well. The character development is kept to a minimum; instead developing the protagonists as a whole so it's even more devastating when someone is attacked or killed.
For a small time low-budget Aussie crocodile feature, Black Water completes its objective. The film is intense and skillfully crafted; and ended up being a lot better than I thought it would be. It's interesting that the Americans have forever tried to make an effective croc film but kept failing terribly. The Aussies try twice in the one year and strike gold. Worth seeing for aficionados of the genre.
7/10
