Movie Review: Black Water

We've all been there – stuck up a tree in the Australian outback with a hungry crocodile in the water, chewing on the head of one of our unlucky pals. This familiar scenario forms the base of this Aussie horror flick, which takes the classic victims-in-a-single location setting and gives it a fresh spin.

A trio of holiday makers on an outback expedition make the unfortunate decision to hire a boat to head upriver into remote jungle. When their boat is upturned by a huge crocodile, our heroes clamber to apparent safety. Unfortunately, they're miles from civilisation, and the only way out is to get back in the water.

A film like Black Water relies heavily on sustained tension to keep its audience on edge. Unfortunately, with the three protagonists stuck up the tree for most of its running time, directors David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki struggle to keep things as gripping as they should. While the performances are strong, there is just too long between croc attacks and there's only so long you can gaze at a load of shadows in a murky swamp.

And given the amount of dialogue during the first 45 minutes, we learn surprisingly little about the characters - it's the universal fear of being munched on by a giant reptile that provides the scares, not because we care that much about its victims. Luckily, the film comes alive in the second half, when the trio finally realise that they have no choice but to fight back.

Although shot for a low budget on digital video, Nerlich and Traucki have an impressive visual style. There is a particularly nightmarish sequence set during a nighttime thunderstorm, and the directors follow the rule of less is more, only showing as much of the ravenous croc as is necessary.

In fact, a couple more attacks in the first half would've made this into one of the better horror movies of the last 12 months. But as it is, Black Water will appeal to hardcore horror fans and tree-lovers, but probably no one else.