63
Metascore
38 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaWithout doubt one of the scariest, creepiest, gut-churningly unsettling pictures to come along in ages.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliIt offers genuine scares and chills without the self-aware, packaged feel of many horror/thriller films.
- 75Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneA slow drip, but one all the more intense for its Gothic minimalism and its underlying parable of naturalistic determinism: It's no fun to fool with Mother Nature.
- 60Film ThreatFilm ThreatEvery hour that ticks by your stomach drops a little more as the outlook becomes more bleak.
- 60Dallas ObserverLuke Y. ThompsonDallas ObserverLuke Y. ThompsonIt's moderately compelling drama, but also fairly static stuff, image-wise.
- 60The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe sharks are scary, and the ocean is vast and indifferent, but the most effective parts of Open Water, which is ultimately too modest to be very memorable, evoke a deeper terror, one that can chill even those viewers who would never dream of putting on a wet suit and jumping off a boat.
- 50The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinWriter-director Chris Kentis has dreamed up an ingenious premise, but he botches its execution. Every once in a while, the film stumbles upon a twist that ratchets up the tension, but then haphazardly discards it.
- 40L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasOpen Water is just one tedious scene stretched out to feature length. It's terrifying all right, but only for what it says about the extents to which a couple of hungry actors and a bullish director will go to turn themselves into overnight celebrities.
- 30Village VoiceDennis LimVillage VoiceDennis LimOpen Water is simply a stunt--hopelessly literal-minded and cheap in every sense.