Adrift (Open Water 2) (2006) |
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Adrift (Open Water 2) (2006) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Thriller |
Menu Animation Trailer-Jindabyne, Snakes On A Plane, Stick It |
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| Rating | ? | ||
| Year Of Production | 2006 | ||
| Running Time | 90:43 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Hans Horn |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Susan May Pratt Richard Speight Jr. Niklaus Lange Ali Hillis Cameron Richardson Eric Dane |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music | Gerd Baumann |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English for the Hearing Impaired | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
I assumed Open Water 2: Adrift was the latest DVD in the avalanche of recent straight-to-DVD sequels to moderately successful movies. But as with the recently released 8mm 2, Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) also has absolutely nothing to do with its 'prequel'. The German film (shot in English with US Actors) Adrift enjoyed a theatrical release in Europe and was renamed Open Water 2 only to be released straight to DVD in the USA and Australia.
Inspired by a true story, the excellent Open Water was a harrowing film about two scuba divers accidentally abandoned in chilly, shark-infested waters. "It is undoubtedly one of the most white-knuckled, intense, and suspenseful thrillers that I have ever seen. Open Water had me genuinely squirming in my seat, and it is definitely one of the must-see DVDs". My full review can be read here.
However, the title Open Water 2 is merely to attract people into picking it up off the DVD rental shelf.
As with Open Water, the film Adrift also claims to be "based on true events". Indeed, the films have similar themes: Both force their main characters to spend most of the film trying to stay afloat in the open sea, and both focus on the small yet very significant distance that lies between modern urban life and uncivilised chaos.
Adrift opens with a small group of old high school friends, Amy (Susan May Pratt), Zach (Niklaus Lange), Lauren (Ali Hillis), and Dan (Eric Dane), reuniting in Mexico for a birthday weekend on Dan's luxury yacht. Amy and Dan were previously a couple, but Amy brings her husband, James (Richard Speight Jr) and baby Sarah (Mattea Gabarretta), while Dan has brought his new girlfriend Michelle (Cameron Richardson).
Soon Zach, Lauren, James and Michelle are in the open water for a quick dip. The severely aquaphobic Amy stays onboard to watch her baby. Her aquaphobia caused by a childhood drowning trauma, Dan decides to "cure" Amy by pulling her into the water with him.
Unfortunately, nobody had thought to first lower the yacht's ladder, and the slippery hull proves impossible to climb up. Unable to board the yacht, the group must contend with cramps, dehydration, starvation, exhaustion, and the fear of underwater creatures. With their hope dwindling, Amy is forced to listen to the crying of her baby Sara, who is now alone on board.
Adrift is a survival story that isn't particularly remarkable, but the seriousness of the situation provides all the necessary ingredients to maintain a certain level of tension throughout. As viewers we find ourselves as being the seventh person stuck in the water with them, trying to figure out some way to get back into the yacht despite having very few resources available.
Adrift also has some good points: Firstly, following Open Water, and the fact that it was "based on true events", I was genuinely unsure how it was going to end. The film is also quite attractive to watch. The direction by Hans Horn is stylish and well edited, with a good sense of visual imagery in the story telling. The acting performances are also good. In particular, Susan May Pratt of 10 Things I Hate About You and Center Stage is particularly strong.
More information can be found at the film's official site: http://www.open-water-2.de/
Overall, the PAL transfer is good, as one would expect of a recent film.
The widescreen transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced.
The sharpness is good. For example, consider the definition in the beads of water on the stern of the yacht at 36:26. The black level and shadow details are both fine.
The colour is excellent, and well saturated. The skin tones are accurate.
The transfer often appears grainy, which I assume lies in the source material, but there are no problems with MPEG Artefacts. Film-To-Video Artefacts are present in the form of aliasing, such as the shimmer on the fence at 4:37 and on the waves at 52:08. Tiny film artefacts appear infrequently throughout.
English for the Hearing Impaired Subtitles are provided, and they are accurate.
This is a single-sided, single-layer disc, which is acceptable for the content. The feature is divided into 17 chapters.
| Sharpness |   |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
There are two audio options: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s), and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s).
The dialogue quality and audio sync are excellent on the default English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
The score features a Mexican flavour and is credited to Gerd Baumann.
The surround sound mix is subtle. The rear speakers are used at times to help provide ambience, such as the sound of the wind at 12:54 and 36:17.
There is not a strong LFE presence, and I never noticed the subwoofer being required.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
There are few extras.
Static and silent.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Adrift will be released on DVD in Region 1 on February 20, 2007. As far as I can tell, the only difference in content will be the trailers included.
Adrift is an adequate film that maintains tension throughout, but it is not the suspenseful thriller that Open Water was.
The video quality is good.
The audio quality is also good.
The extras are slim.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras |  |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer DV-535, using Component output |
| Display | Samsung 106cm Plasma TV (42 Inch). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Sony STR DE-545 |
| Speakers | Jamo |