Bloody Disgusting’s The Reef Stalked review is spoiler-free.
Writer/Director Andrew Traucki‘s 2010 movie The Reef took a less is more approach in narrative bolstered by composited footage of actual sharks. For many, the effective shark attack horror movie often ranks high among fin flicks. For its follow-up, The Reef: Stalked, Traucki employs the same tactic of incorporating shark footage into a different tale of survival. Traucki demonstrates he’s still got a knack for wringing tension out of the subgenre, but an emphasis on human drama bogs this sequel down.
A serene day of diving ends in tragedy for protagonist Nic (Teressa Lane). Nic parts with friends Lisa (Kate Lister) and Jodie (Ann Truong), then heads over to check on sister Cath (Bridget Burt) after observing the bizarre behavior of Cath’s boyfriend Greg (Tim Ross). Nic arrives too late; she finds her sister drowned in a bathtub, triggering a new phobia of being submerged underwater. She leaves behind her family and life, only to return after a lengthy absence for a memorial trip with Lisa, Jodie, and Nic’s other sister Annie (Saskia Archer). Nic struggles with her phobia on a kayaking and diving trip, and mending broken bridges isn’t the only problem; an aggressive shark is also hunting them.
It’s Nic’s conflicts that take precedence; the shark’s presence seems to exist solely to move along the plot and catalyze Nic’s healing. When Traucki focuses on the shark, the filmmaker delivers moments of prolonged tension. A scene in a kayak and an adrift paddle mere moments after seeing the ocean predator lurking below instills a white-knuckle breathlessness. The choice to continue employing actual shark footage over CG fabricated predators is an asset.
If only that tension were matched by the cast. Traucki can’t coax a sense of urgency from the core foursome; the closest any of the cast come to selling the shark as a significant threat is with two island children and their mother. Not even when death or injury occurs do the core foursome seem all that hurried. It doesn’t help that the establishing scene in the kayaks gives a sense that the shore isn’t too far off, leaving salvation constantly in sight and attainable.
Traucki showcases excellent instincts when it comes to building dread and suspense around the survival horror, but it’s overshadowed by the overemphasis and inconsistencies of the human component. The overt metaphor between Nic’s PTSD and an unrelenting shark lacks the connective tissue to make it work or instill rooting interest. Pausing to hug out some unresolved issues in what should be a perilous situation diminishes the survival horror. In most cases, not over-showing your predator is a smart move, but putting so much of the human drama at the forefront often makes the shark an afterthought.
Stalked stages a few suspenseful moments and teases of shark terror that harkens back to the frequent dread of The Reef. But it struggles to keep everything afloat against the heavy weight of a cast unable to sell fear or urgency, and a heavy-handed trauma healing metaphor that comes and goes like the tide.
The Reef: Stalked swims into theaters, VOD and Shudder on July 29.
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