“The Reef” Movie Review

Runtime: 94 minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: July 19, 2011

Director: Andrew Traucki

Luke makes a living transporting boats around the world for its owners, and on his latest job, he decides to take his friends with him for a short trip. There's his best friend Matt, Matt's girlfriend Suzie, Matt's sister Kate who has an on again/off again relationship with Luke, and Warren, who is the only person who seems like he really knows what he's doing. After a day of partying, swimming, and drinking, they strike a coral reef and the boat starts going down.

Warren, who knows the waters and sailed them before, decides to stay with the boat. As he tells the others, he knows all about the creatures in the water, and he has no desire to jump into the ocean. Luke, Matt, and Suzie decide to make a swim for land, though Suzie makes it clear that she can't swim ten miles or more, which is what Luke estimates. Kate originally plans to stay with the ship, but she decides at the last minute to go with them.

The first few hours go okay for the group, until they find the headless body of a large sea turtle in the water. Then, Matt gets attacked by a shark in the water. Despite nearly losing her mind at losing her boyfriend, Suzie tries to keep going. As the surviving trio get closer to the land that they started swimming towards, they discover that the shark isn't ready to let them go.

“The Reef” is actually a strong creature-feature. Though it's slightly similar to “Open Water,” it comes across as a better flick. Suzie is easily the most annoying person in the film, but you can almost relate to her. All she wanted was to spend some time with her boyfriend and friends, and despite being a poor swimmer, she manages to stick with them when they go for help.

Luke is the character that you will hate. He clearly doesn't have the experience to lead anyone out onto the water, and I can't imagine why anyone would agree to go with him when he decides to swim for help. Trust me, I'm not a bad swimmer, but if I had to swim more than ten miles for help, I would probably just lay down and let the shark eat me.

It's also one of those movies where you might start wondering what you would do in the same situation. Would you stick with the boat and hope a plane might spot you in the water, or would you swim deeper into the water in the hopes of finding land somewhere? No matter which scenario you find more appealing, you will enjoy this flick.

“Jersey Shore Shark Attack” Movie Review

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: 2012

Director: John Shepphird

A group of men drilling off the coast accidentally release a swarm of sharks, which naturally head to the Jersey Shore. A stereotypical group of people, who look like they just stepped off the background of the television show of the same name, must naturally band together to save the day. That might be a little difficult given that no one in the group really seems to like each other. There's the couple who recently broke up but might still harbor some feelings for each other, the drunk friend who wants nothing more than to have a few (or more drinks) and start dancing, and naturally, the guy who thinks that he's better than everyone else. As an added bonus, there is even a little cameo from former boy band member Joey Fatone.

Who wouldn't like to see a movie where the cast of “Jersey Shore” winds up eaten by sharks? Unfortunately, that's not what this film is about. “Jersey Shore Shark Attack” plays like a film created when someone decided to make use of the sets and extras left over when MTV decided to end the television show. Everything feels slightly familiar, even for those of us who never watched the show, but in a completely cheap and cheesy way.

The one big highlight in the film is that cameo from Fatone, but if you watched the trailer, you already saw this moment. Fatone shows up to lead a party on the beach, but seconds after he steps in front of the microphone, a giant shark leaps out of the water and proceeds to swallow him whole. Ah, if only Justin Timberlake would reach the point in his career where he did films like this! Take my advice, skip “Jersey Shore Shark Attack,” and stick with one of the far better recent shark films like “Bait” or “The Reef.”