ADRIFT

Starring:
Susan May Pratt, Richard Speight Jr., Niklaus Lange, Ali Hillis, Cameron Richardson and Eric Dane

Director:
Hans Horn

Running Time:
95 mins

Out to buy on DVD 26/12/06

"Where's the ladder!"

High School friends Amy (Pratt), Lauren (Hillis) and Dan (Dane) come together to celebrate Zach's (Lange) 30th Birthday. Having not seen each other for over five years, they meet in Mexico and board Dan's luxurious yacht. Joined by Dan's new girlfriend Michelle (Richardson) and Amy's husband James (Speight Jr.) and baby daughter Sarah, the group head out to open water to start the celebrations. When they stop for a swim however, everything starts to go wrong when they realise that they haven't put down the ladder and they can't get back onto the boat.

Been trapped in the middle of the ocean with little chance of rescue might sound very familiar but can 'Adrift' create more tension than 'Open Water'?

The term 'based on true events' can be the words that movie fans dread because everyone knows that you are not going to get the complete version of events but Hollywood's interpretation of it. When you know that there is the possibility that most or all of the people in the story could die and in some occasions they all do, watchers tend to become extremely angry that they have just watched a film that has been completely made up. How do we know what characters have said or done during their adventure if there is no survivor? Unlike 'Open Water' or 'The Perfect Storm' for example, the good news is that there is a survivor.

This is the first positive for the movie and the second is that this is a movie with a known star. If you have a name actress or actor in a film, you are virtually guaranteed to know who will survive at the end of the move but 'Adrift' with its collection of up and coming performers leaves you guessing throughout. With the chance that anyone could meet their maker, the film keeps you closer to the edge of your seat for longer than the premise should have.

The comparisons between this and 'Open Water' are inevitable, in fact the film was originally called 'Open Water 2' during its production. The only real connection is the fact that they are trapped in the middle of the ocean with little chance of help but instead of having to survive against the elements and nature, the six friends have battle against their own fears and themselves. As an audience you find yourself trying to figure out how they can get back on the boat and watch in frustration as they fail at attempt after attempt.

The performances are a bit of a mixed bag however. Susan May Pratt is good as Amy, the mother and wife who has had a fear of watch since childhood. She portrays her character's fear extremely well, never over dramatising this fact with hysterics as you might have expected. Richard Speight Jr. is also good as her husband James, who tries to keep a calm head in this desperate situation. Ali Hillis isn't bad as traveller Lauren but it is the performances of Eric Dane as Dan, Niklaus Lange as Zach and Cameron Richardson as Michelle that struggle to raise the tension. Michelle is the stereotypical character who panics and become hysterical and Dan and Zach are never really pushed to their potential, especially the playboy type character of Dan.

'Adrift' manages to raise enough tension to make you start to edge toward the edge of your seat but never enough to keep you on tenterhooks throughout. With a no name cast meaning that anyone can die at any time, it is only the lack of a rather obvious form of danger that doesn't increase the fear factor as much as it could have.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Making of Featurette (20.07mins)
Director Hans Horn, producer Dan Maag, Susan May Pratt, Richard Speight Jr., Niklaus Lange, Ali Hillis, Cameron Richardson and Eric Dane take you behind the scenes of Malta shoot for 'Adrift'. The cast and crew talk about the characters, who they became involved and how the story was based on true events. They also reveal how they had to train for the film and what it was like acting in the water.

Theatrical Trailer (0.38 mins)
Watch the trailer that previewed the movie in cinemas

Trailers
Previews of 'Severance', 'Perfume: The Story of a Murder', 'Harsh Times' and 'Reeker'

OVERALL

With only a featurette, fans could be a little disappointed with the extras for 'Adrift'. While the featurette is good, the lack of anything else like a commentary or deleted scenes means this a lacklustre DVD release.

DVD

Open Water


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2006