The Reef

Pinnacle Films

R4 DVD

Some years ago the late Douglas Adams wrote a short piece on Australia. In it he discussed the range of animals in Australia that could bite, sting, or crush you to death. It appeared that everything but the sheep was dangerous. Curiously he missed out the sharks. They got a mention in an Australian film, Open Water, in 2003. I thought that film lacked something, though – the ending was never in doubt.

Now we have the latest contribution to Australian Tourism. The Reef is billed as “Pray that you drown first” – I would rather pray for help, really. Despite some comments, I don’t think the film is another Jaws. It doesn’t build up the same feeling of terror, and screaming women may be decorative but get a bit wearying after a while. Nevertheless it is a very good shark film.

A group of friends are sailing a boat from northern Queensland to its new owner in Indonesia. They hit an uncharted reef and the boat capsizes. They are off the normal air routes and shipping lanes so they must swim to an island for help. Enter the shark. One by one they are picked off in a series of sudden, bloody attacks. The shark keeps circling looking for the next meal. The women alternatively whimper and scream. Will any of them make it to land and safety?

The shark is more menacing for being a reasonably normal size – it’s big bit it’s not a giant, it doesn’t seem to nurse any hatred against people, it just does what sharks do in a cold and completely impersonal manner. In its own way it’s the shark that is the main protagonist in the film and it plays its part well even if some of the film is done with clips taken from elsewhere. The other actors are good but not impressive. The script simply wasn’t written for much character development, just for suspense. There is just enough to make the characters human but not get in the way of the story. In that, it succeeds well.

Writer / Director Andrew Traucki has been clever in the way he made the film fit his budget. We don’t get graphic details (well, not too many) of each attack. Many are just a swirl of bloody water and another one’s gone. He lets your imagination do the rest. There has been no effort to “internationalise” the film – the Great Barrier Reef is in Australia and the actors speak Australian. Special effects are kept to a minimum.

Douglas Adams only got half the story. He missed out the crocodiles, sharks, cannibals, Kylie Minogue and demented highway killers. Fortunately for Tourism Australia, I guess. I liked this film. Australian directors are getting the hang of horror films without resorting to cliché-ridden zombies. Now if only we could have a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, starring man-eating budgerigars.

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