Five friends exploring a remote cave system in Northern Australia find themselves threatened by a hungry crocodile.
Any good filmmaker setting out to make a creature feature would always be wise to follow in Spielberg’s footsteps with his classic “Jaws.” Because that production was plagued with a slew of technical issues, it meant Spielberg wasn’t able to show the shark as much as he initially intended to but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the less we see of the shark, the scarier it becomes. If it pops up every few minutes, the audience stops being afraid and the film ceases to engage. With “Black Water: Abyss,” director Andrew Traucki follows suit and while we know the crocodile is near our protagonists, not knowing its exact location adds to the overall tension and anxiety.
After two tourists go missing in northern Australia, a search team is dispatched but their remains are never found. One of the rescuers comes across a deep hole in the ground and realizes it is an undiscovered cave system and invites four of his friends to come and explore it with him. Once underground, the five friends get more than they bargained for when an approaching storm causes a flash flood, which submerges the cave, causing them to swim to higher ground. As a result of the flood, the entrance to the cave is blocked and with no apparent way out, things only get worse when they realize they are being stalked by a hungry crocodile. As the water continues to rise, the friends must formulate a plan, risk drowning or risk being eaten alive when they stumble upon a possible escape route, which just happens to be underwater.
“Black Water: Abyss” follows all the tropes associated with this genre and delivers a taut, suspenseful film, interspersed with occasional obligatory drama that causes you to empathize with the characters as they await their impending denouement. The acting by all involved is fine, with most of the drama focused on those unlucky few having to wrestle with the crocodile and the reaction of those helplessly watching. Director Andrew Traucki keeps the tension flowing by piling new nerve-racking scenarios on top of each other. As well as the rising water and killer crocodile, one of the injured, an asthmatic, begins to have an attack and as they search frantically for his inhaler, they notice it floating in the water, and in order to help him breathe, they must retrieve it. Most people have a fear of being grabbed by the feet just as they are getting out of the water and the movie serves up this sensation in abundance. The film utilizes mostly live-action creature effects with minimal CGI and it works swimmingly (pun intended) as a result. The movie adds nothing new to the genre but it is an entertaining hour and thirty-eight minutes so if you’ve nothing better to do, it is worth a watch.
In Select Theaters and On-Demand Friday, August 7th
