DVD Review: Into the Blue 2 - The Reef

Tell me again who was looking for an Into the Blue sequel. What was that? I can't quite hear you. Little louder. Just a bit louder. Sorry, I still can't hear you.

All right, that I heard loud and clear. No one. No one was looking forward to this movie; yet here it is, Into the Blue 2: The Reef, ready to take us out on the water in search of treasure and filled with thrills. In other words, it is a release sure to disappear on the racks, swallowed by other direct-to-video releases not to mention the latest blockbusters. That raises the question of why I would bother with it. The answer ties back to the original 2005 film, which I found surprisingly entertaining — not particularly good, but well worth my time.

The original film was gorgeously shot and a nice balance of Caribbean travelogue and thriller movie. It had a decent cast, including Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, and Josh Brolin. It was not so much about its story as about looking slick. To that end, the movie was surprisingly effective and featured a good deal of lovely ladies in bikinis, if you like that sort of thing.

Now, jump to the present day, shift locations from the Caribbean to Hawaii, leave the entire cast of the original behind, populate the cast with television actors on break, and you are all set for another adventure on the high seas.

As The Reef opens, a boat is being pursued, and rather than be caught with their merchandise, the crew dumps it overboard, where it lands on the reef (hence the title). Shortly thereafter, we see the boatmen meeting with their employer, who is none too pleased that his merchandise was tossed overboard. You have to know that nothing good rests in those containers and that they will be at the center of the drama that is to come.

With this initial setup out of the way, it is time to start meeting our main characters. Sebastian (Chris Carmack, The OC, Butterfly Effect: Revelation) runs a dive shop along with his girlfriend Dani (Laura Vandervoot, Smallville). They are a happy couple with big dreams for the future. Then fate walks through the door, in the form of the smarmy Australian Carlton (David Anders, Heroes, Alias) and his slightly menacing girlfriend Azra (Marsha Thomason, Lost, Las Vegas). They come in with a request to dive along the reef, but actually they want to get those dumped containers, and are willing to pay.

Meanwhile, we also have Eric (Kamakani De Dely) and Kelsey (Audrina Patridge, The Hills), a troubled couple obviously in love as evidenced by their constant bickering followed by unrestrained make-ups. They do not have much to do throughout the film. I am assuming they were there to assist in the others' character development, which is pretty much non-existent.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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