‘The Reef: Stalked’ is a horror thriller that follows a group of women, - Nic, Jodie, Annie and Lisa as they go on a kayaking adventure after the untimely an tragic passing of Nic and Lisa’s sister Cath. The group soon find themselves in trouble as they are being stalked by a shark and have to come together to save each other.
The film opens on Nic, Cath, Jodie and Lisa enjoying a day at the beach diving and spearfishing. As the group part ways, Greg turns up to pick up Cath, and Nic sees her sister arguing with him before they part ways. Soon after, Nic gets a call from Cath, prompting her to rush to her aid, only to arrive at her house to find her drowned in the bathtub by Greg.
Nine months later Nic returns to her homestead from having worked abroad to meet with Jodie, Lisa and Annie as they have planned a kayaking trip, going from island to island to reach a luxury resort. Soon after the women set off, they realise they are being followed by a shark. The shark soon strikes as it goes after Annie, yet in rushing to help, Lisa is dragged underwater to her death.
The trio then rush for the nearest island where a couple of children are swimming on the beach, They try to warn them, but the shark manages to bite a little girl’s leg. Without any cell reception, Annie resolves to go to the nearest island for help by way of a small motorboat. Jodie agrees, but Nic is hesitant to go. The three eventually set off as time is running out for the little girl.
On their way to the next island the women realise the shark is still behind them and they try to bait it with a fish Jodie had caught earlier, tricking it into dragging a kayak down with it, as Nic had suggested tying it to the hook. The shark bites and drags the kayak down, yet re-emerges shortly after, dragging the kayak along.
Overcoming her PTSD, Nic resolves they must catch and kill the shark. Using the net on the small boat the three manage to trap the shark, but Annie falls and becomes caught in the net as well. Jumping in to save her, Nic manages to kill the shark with a machete an the three sail to safety.
After some time, Nic, Jodie and Annie meet again on the beach to pay tribute to Cath and Lisa, remembering the two and mourning their loss.
At its core ‘The Reef: Stalked’ is a monster thriller, with a clear comparison between Cath’s untimely demise by her partners hand and the shark stalking Nic as a ruthless and unyielding force. The film makes heavy use of choppy flashbacks to showcase Nic’s fear and trauma, as she is terrified of going in the water as she has flashbacks of her sister’s lifeless body, as she had found her in the tub. Not too subtle in its delivery, the film spends the majority of its runtime beating the viewers over the head of the trauma Nic has to overcome.
The film delivers a handful of suspenseful scenes as the shark attacks – especially when it takes it’s first victim Lisa, dragging the woman to her watery grave, in an almost mysterious manner, as she disappears in the murky blood-filled pool of her own blood. Besides the gruesome and sudden death Lisa experiences, the film seems to go forward with predictable beats, not evoking a sharp sense of surprise until the final showdown. Even then, when Nic manages to overcome her fear and aid her sister, the movie seems to lack in is culmination, providing a murky climax to the feature.
Perhaps unintentionally, the film also delivers a laugh-out-loud moment towards the end of the feature, as Annie literally screams ‘Fuck off!’ to the shark, detracting from the severity of the situation and injecting a humorous note in the otherwise stark and treacherous situation that the group find themselves in.
Besides the tension that the film ramps up and the few suspenseful cat-and-mouse moments the film delivers, there isn’t much novelty or originality to the feature. The film makes great use of its cast, including Teressa Liane as Nic, Ann Truong as Jodie and Saskia Archer as Annie and the magnificently scenic surroundings of the Pacific islands the group make their way to, yet the film falls flat as it struggles to create any memorable action set pieces or unconventional or unexpected plot developments. The film delivers exactly what it advertises – a monster thriller, with a heavy handed comparison between the shark and an abusive partner.
Without much else to say or show, viewers may be better off viewing the originator of all shark horror features – ‘Jaws’ (1975) for a more impactful and memorable experience, or ‘The Shallows’ (2016) for a deeper insight and more satisfying resolution to one woman’s struggle in facing her own fears and fighting for survival.
Score: 1/4
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