81 reviews
- BreakawayDaily
- Mar 10, 2012
- Permalink
I suppose I can give Dark Tide some credit for its realistic, non manipulative depiction of the great white shark. This is certainly no monster movie. So what kind of movie is it then?
Dark Tide would have to qualify as an adventure drama, or rather an anti adventure drama. It seems that each time director John Stockwell goes seaward with a production, the movies get progressively worse. Into the Blue, was entertaining, but certainly dumb. Blue Crush, was dumb and unentertaining. This latest movie is just confused and almost devoid of any reason to watch it.
I return to my point about Dark Tide not being a horror film. So why then are the characters deliberately as uninteresting and obnoxious as the cast of any Friday the 13th sequel. Halle Berry is playing the kind of half-assed, adolescent role that I'm used to seeing Jennifer Lopez play. Dark Tide gives you an idea of how far she has fallen in the last ten years. She is sleeping with the fishes.
The movie lumbers along for a good hour, with nothing except the quality of its underwater photography (getting you nose to nose with twenty foot sharks) to keep you in your seat. The characters exchange lines of sloppy dialogue and do silly things, until it's time for distaster to strike, in the last half hour. It's fair to say that Stockwell manages to generate some suspense in the climax, but he stretches it out too long, and the camera work is disorienting.
The whole thing doesn't work. It lacks direction, intelligence, and professional acting. For all I know, Dark Tide may just have been an excuse for Stockwell to go diving in South Africa with the sharks and leave the storyline behind.
Dark Tide would have to qualify as an adventure drama, or rather an anti adventure drama. It seems that each time director John Stockwell goes seaward with a production, the movies get progressively worse. Into the Blue, was entertaining, but certainly dumb. Blue Crush, was dumb and unentertaining. This latest movie is just confused and almost devoid of any reason to watch it.
I return to my point about Dark Tide not being a horror film. So why then are the characters deliberately as uninteresting and obnoxious as the cast of any Friday the 13th sequel. Halle Berry is playing the kind of half-assed, adolescent role that I'm used to seeing Jennifer Lopez play. Dark Tide gives you an idea of how far she has fallen in the last ten years. She is sleeping with the fishes.
The movie lumbers along for a good hour, with nothing except the quality of its underwater photography (getting you nose to nose with twenty foot sharks) to keep you in your seat. The characters exchange lines of sloppy dialogue and do silly things, until it's time for distaster to strike, in the last half hour. It's fair to say that Stockwell manages to generate some suspense in the climax, but he stretches it out too long, and the camera work is disorienting.
The whole thing doesn't work. It lacks direction, intelligence, and professional acting. For all I know, Dark Tide may just have been an excuse for Stockwell to go diving in South Africa with the sharks and leave the storyline behind.
.... and wishing they'd arrive soon and gobble up the entire cast of this terminally boring movie. But, alas, they didn't; and the thing dragged on and on interminably... until, after what felt like an eternity, it finally reached its always predictable, anticlimactic climax.
What can we say about the cast? It would perhaps be more accurate to describe them as the miscast. Halle Berry looks great. If I went through what she went through in this movie I'd look like something the cat brought in. But even at her most artistically bedraggled, Berry looks as if she could just slip into a D&G dress and sashay down the catwalk in Paris or Milan. Boat skippers have wind-washed complexions. Throughout this movie Berry always looks as if she could have just stepped out of the beauty parlor, with her perfect eye-liner, her manicured nails and her perfect tan. Her hair gets tousled every now and then, but that's about the extent of her dishevelment. If they wanted me to believe that she was the head of a model agency, or the editor of a woman's magazine, I might have bought it. But a shark expert who spends half her life on a boat? No way, Jose. And the rest of the miscast were no more believable.
In fairness, the cinematography was excellent. The sharks were great, too. But they arrived about an hour and twenty minutes too late, for which they will not be lightly forgiven by anyone who got suckered into wasting 94 minutes of their life watching this god awful movie.
What can we say about the cast? It would perhaps be more accurate to describe them as the miscast. Halle Berry looks great. If I went through what she went through in this movie I'd look like something the cat brought in. But even at her most artistically bedraggled, Berry looks as if she could just slip into a D&G dress and sashay down the catwalk in Paris or Milan. Boat skippers have wind-washed complexions. Throughout this movie Berry always looks as if she could have just stepped out of the beauty parlor, with her perfect eye-liner, her manicured nails and her perfect tan. Her hair gets tousled every now and then, but that's about the extent of her dishevelment. If they wanted me to believe that she was the head of a model agency, or the editor of a woman's magazine, I might have bought it. But a shark expert who spends half her life on a boat? No way, Jose. And the rest of the miscast were no more believable.
In fairness, the cinematography was excellent. The sharks were great, too. But they arrived about an hour and twenty minutes too late, for which they will not be lightly forgiven by anyone who got suckered into wasting 94 minutes of their life watching this god awful movie.
- katex-320-709015
- Mar 16, 2012
- Permalink
What possessed someone with Halle Berry's acting chops to take on this very tepid melodrama is anyones guess.
The film starts out promisingly enough with a suspenseful shark attack that delivers the goods, but quickly degenerates in soap-opera-ish melodrama that never really engages or interests the viewer on any level.
Berry phones in her performance on this show, and whilst some of the cinematography is beautiful I certainly didn't see $25 million on screen. It all just reeks a little of missed opportunity to me. I can see why the film was relegated to the DVD bargain bin in so many territories.
While Dark Tide isn't a terrible film, it's certainly not a good one either.
A feeble 4...
The film starts out promisingly enough with a suspenseful shark attack that delivers the goods, but quickly degenerates in soap-opera-ish melodrama that never really engages or interests the viewer on any level.
Berry phones in her performance on this show, and whilst some of the cinematography is beautiful I certainly didn't see $25 million on screen. It all just reeks a little of missed opportunity to me. I can see why the film was relegated to the DVD bargain bin in so many territories.
While Dark Tide isn't a terrible film, it's certainly not a good one either.
A feeble 4...
- rhaynes1974
- Jul 5, 2013
- Permalink
If this would've been a documentary, I would've been full of praise. Beautiful pictures, even those without Halle Berry in them, and great environment. Unfortunately I cannot judge this just by those underwater shots. I have to also rate the dialog and the story. Both of which lack a lot, not only in comparison to the scenery.
Halle Berry and her love interest in this are annoying to the point they make the real bad guy look like the only sane person in this thing. And that is just because he has a clear goal, nothing will get him off that. But our heroes? Better not ask. Especially because their answer will bore and/or annoy you to death. I love Halle, but only watching this because of her or the sharks has to be a decision only you can make ... don't count on an intriguing story though!
Halle Berry and her love interest in this are annoying to the point they make the real bad guy look like the only sane person in this thing. And that is just because he has a clear goal, nothing will get him off that. But our heroes? Better not ask. Especially because their answer will bore and/or annoy you to death. I love Halle, but only watching this because of her or the sharks has to be a decision only you can make ... don't count on an intriguing story though!
The plot of Dark Tide is not good. Character development is overacted to the point of parody while also completely underdeveloped. None of us care about any single one of these Characters, or their relationships. Halle Berry works with what she's been given, but she is miscast in this movie and she's about as good of an actor as Kristen Stewart. Sure, she is beautiful, but her acting has never been believable or diverse in anything I've ever seen her in. She's very much one flavor only, and I feel she only ever puts in "just" what's required of her and nothing more. Zero charisma.
All that said, this plot, the story, the characters, the conflicts and situations, the decisions, the choices, predicaments, dynamics of characters and their relationships, the proposals and screenplay are NOT believable. At all. Half of the movie is unnecessary entirely. We don't need, or care about, the arguments between a husband and wife, exes, a greedy and selfish father and son, and we don't, or even care to, understand what all of Halle's overacted anger and mood swings are about. There are WAY too many conflicts, one on top of the other, and a snowball of ridiculously dumb decisions.
But, when it comes to the sharks, that is all very believable. They are not dangerous, but when you tease them and provoke them, they tease back... it's worth a watch. Once.
All that said, this plot, the story, the characters, the conflicts and situations, the decisions, the choices, predicaments, dynamics of characters and their relationships, the proposals and screenplay are NOT believable. At all. Half of the movie is unnecessary entirely. We don't need, or care about, the arguments between a husband and wife, exes, a greedy and selfish father and son, and we don't, or even care to, understand what all of Halle's overacted anger and mood swings are about. There are WAY too many conflicts, one on top of the other, and a snowball of ridiculously dumb decisions.
But, when it comes to the sharks, that is all very believable. They are not dangerous, but when you tease them and provoke them, they tease back... it's worth a watch. Once.
- lauren0531
- Apr 29, 2020
- Permalink
The reviews who say that this movie is bad, boring, and the characters are unlikeable simply expect a different kind of movie and have forgotten the joy in a drama with thrilling elements.
This is not "Mission Impossible: Panties in a Twist" or whatever the latest incarnation is. (And I do enjoy those!) This movie is is a character study, an abundance of beautiful cinematography, and a shark chasing thriller all in one. There is a sense of realism, especially with the interactions between the characters, who react in line with their own backstories- characters who are simultaneously heroic, anti-heroic, brilliant, and ridiculously self absorbed and stupid.
Additionally, Dark Tide perfectly captured the sense of sheer peace and quiet that consumes you once your head is below the waves in the open ocean. I've been scuba diving all over the world, and driven a boat like in this movie. The movie captured the sense of reverence in the water and for the water, and took me far away to reefs of my own past.
Is it thrilling? Absolutely- the action scenes were tense, and you felt the weight of the sharks gliding silently just inches away. Is it slower? I was never bored. I enjoyed the characters, flaws and all. In the end, if anything, I wanted more closure and final introspection. But that is the only thing I found lacking. If you remotely like the ocean and treat it as a thriller with a slower burn, you will enjoy the movie.
6 1/2 stars.
This is not "Mission Impossible: Panties in a Twist" or whatever the latest incarnation is. (And I do enjoy those!) This movie is is a character study, an abundance of beautiful cinematography, and a shark chasing thriller all in one. There is a sense of realism, especially with the interactions between the characters, who react in line with their own backstories- characters who are simultaneously heroic, anti-heroic, brilliant, and ridiculously self absorbed and stupid.
Additionally, Dark Tide perfectly captured the sense of sheer peace and quiet that consumes you once your head is below the waves in the open ocean. I've been scuba diving all over the world, and driven a boat like in this movie. The movie captured the sense of reverence in the water and for the water, and took me far away to reefs of my own past.
Is it thrilling? Absolutely- the action scenes were tense, and you felt the weight of the sharks gliding silently just inches away. Is it slower? I was never bored. I enjoyed the characters, flaws and all. In the end, if anything, I wanted more closure and final introspection. But that is the only thing I found lacking. If you remotely like the ocean and treat it as a thriller with a slower burn, you will enjoy the movie.
6 1/2 stars.
A minimal plot, acting was way below par. I generally like Halle Berry, but she should've sat this one out. A made for TV movie - maybe. Otherwise, total trash in my opinion. Two stars (being generous) for the few minutes of stock shark footage. And for Halle Berry fans - don't be fooled by the bikini photo. Mostly she's wearing baggy sweatshirts.
I am a little perplexed by the low ratings but the question is what does one expect from a Shark movie. People have compared it with the deep blue sea but this movie would trounce the former hands down. Probably the best shark movie after Jaws.
Extremely impressive camera work. True did'nt get the goose bumps but was treated to an amazing photography especially the larger shark shots in the Shark Alley. Halle Barry looked a little woody in the beginning but then came into her own as he movie progresses. Oliver Martinez was impressive though and could do with some meaty roles. This movie deserves to be watched.
Extremely impressive camera work. True did'nt get the goose bumps but was treated to an amazing photography especially the larger shark shots in the Shark Alley. Halle Barry looked a little woody in the beginning but then came into her own as he movie progresses. Oliver Martinez was impressive though and could do with some meaty roles. This movie deserves to be watched.
- faraz_baig
- Mar 11, 2012
- Permalink
I liked Darktide mainly because of it's camera work and portrayal of the Great White shark.
The underwater camera work appeared to be original and was impressive in terms of continuity, unlike most shark films where footage is borrowed from a documentary and pasted in.
The behaviour of the sharks is also more realistic, showing that people with experience can swim with them outside the cage and not be attacked.
The film is let down by a thin plot and bland characters.
I would rate this as the third best shark movie after Jaws(obviously) and The Reef(underrated).
The underwater camera work appeared to be original and was impressive in terms of continuity, unlike most shark films where footage is borrowed from a documentary and pasted in.
The behaviour of the sharks is also more realistic, showing that people with experience can swim with them outside the cage and not be attacked.
The film is let down by a thin plot and bland characters.
I would rate this as the third best shark movie after Jaws(obviously) and The Reef(underrated).
- rik-317-369787
- Mar 13, 2012
- Permalink
Shouldn't there be some kind of protective Union to help prevent poor defenseless animals from appearing in stupid and embarrassing movies? I mean, actors and actress are supposed to be smart enough and decide for themselves whether or not a horrible scenario will negatively affect their careers (I'm looking at you, Halle Berry), but animals can't read clumsy scenarios! The sharks in "Dark Tide", for instance, are truly some of the most beautiful creatures Mother Nature brought forward, yet their astonishing appearance is criminally abused here in this dumb, exaggeratedly clichéd, dull and incompetent film. Amazing animals like these only belong in masterful documentaries or, as rare as they are, in qualitative adventure movies. Luckily enough – for my own personal anger management program, at least – I watched "Dark Tide" with the absolute lowest expectations imaginable, and that's all thanks to the fact I noticed the name of the director from beforehand. John Stockwell isn't a real filmmaker; he's a wannabe with an unhealthy fetish for famous actresses in colorful bikinis on the posters of his films! Kate Bosworth in "Blue Crush", Jessica Alba in "Into the Blue", half a dozen of sexy chicks in "Turistas" and now Halle Berry in "Dark Tide". The only recurring aspects that draw attention are the bikinis on the cover. I don't know John, but it's becoming rather difficult to convince us that you want to be seen as a serious director. The plot of "Dark Tide" features the dullest of stereotypes in the cast (traumatized heroes, obnoxious businessmen dying from cancer
) and immediately reverts to the worst clichés (troubled father-son relationships, heroine facing her demons
). The only thing worse than the dialogs are the miscast actors and actresses citing them. None of the cast members display any sort of conviction or emotion, and why should they? It's nothing but sheer nonsense anyway. If you do, however, make the mistake to watch "Dark Tide" you can at least enjoy the Cape Town filming locations and the shark footage.
- wydeglyde00-55-837506
- Mar 10, 2012
- Permalink
Ever since I first saw Jaws, I've been searching for more good films about sharks, but there is something about the subject matter that tends to turn the film tacky. This film isn't tacky. Sadly it isn't any good either.
Halle Berry plays Kate Mathieson, a marine biologist of the Erich Ritter school of thinking (Sharks aren't dangerous unless you're scared of them - there's a video of him getting mauled by a bull shark on youtube). During a dive she gets someone killed and refuses to have anything to do with sharks thereafter. Until she needs money and a rich guy offers her 100 000 Euro to take him out and let him swim with great whites.
The Good: The sharks, they are so beautiful. And the filming is just exquisite.
The Bad: Someone seems to have filmed the first draft of a so-so script. The dialogue is cringeworthy. The characters are woefully underdeveloped. The background conflicts are tired and predicable. There are logic fallacies at every turn. This is where a set of good actors could make all the difference. But they don't. With the exception of Luke, the characters were was so thoroughly unpleasant I honestly didn't care if they got eaten.
The House Blend: Sharks are not portrayed just as mindless eating machines. But what are they portrayed as? Inanimate objects really. They swim around in circles, not even acknowledging Kate who is touching them, tugging their tail fins, grabbing hold of their dorsal fins and going for a ride etc.
All in all I was disappointed. I wish someone had taken the time to finish the script before turning into a film. A little better dialogue, a little tightening up of the plot, make the characters a little more believable (and sympathetic). It could have made a world of difference.
Halle Berry plays Kate Mathieson, a marine biologist of the Erich Ritter school of thinking (Sharks aren't dangerous unless you're scared of them - there's a video of him getting mauled by a bull shark on youtube). During a dive she gets someone killed and refuses to have anything to do with sharks thereafter. Until she needs money and a rich guy offers her 100 000 Euro to take him out and let him swim with great whites.
The Good: The sharks, they are so beautiful. And the filming is just exquisite.
The Bad: Someone seems to have filmed the first draft of a so-so script. The dialogue is cringeworthy. The characters are woefully underdeveloped. The background conflicts are tired and predicable. There are logic fallacies at every turn. This is where a set of good actors could make all the difference. But they don't. With the exception of Luke, the characters were was so thoroughly unpleasant I honestly didn't care if they got eaten.
The House Blend: Sharks are not portrayed just as mindless eating machines. But what are they portrayed as? Inanimate objects really. They swim around in circles, not even acknowledging Kate who is touching them, tugging their tail fins, grabbing hold of their dorsal fins and going for a ride etc.
All in all I was disappointed. I wish someone had taken the time to finish the script before turning into a film. A little better dialogue, a little tightening up of the plot, make the characters a little more believable (and sympathetic). It could have made a world of difference.
- sunniva_reilly
- Jul 20, 2012
- Permalink
This is one of the worse movies I have ever seen. The cast is absolutely horrible. The acting is horrible. The plot is horrible. Don't waste a minute of your time on this movie.
- nogodnomasters
- Jan 12, 2018
- Permalink
i actually really enjoyed this,if you like the ocean you like great white sharks then this is perfect for you.The acting is pretty decent,the cinematography is really good i'm mean it looks absolutely real!o.k maybe these guys were asking for trouble,but then again there are people that do this everyday out in South Africa and i bet if you talked to every single one of them they could tell you of some seriously close calls,after all you are dealing with the oceans second top predator.(and even though sharks mistake us for food as we are not their usual prey,rogue sharks do exist and have to be killed it happens all over the world so anyone that says sharks don't blindly attach humans are misinformed...anyway)I though it was better than Open Water both one and two and if think there's been loads such as adrift etc etc.The action is great there is some emotional depth between the two main protagonists and to me it seemed like a very enjoyable film.I'd give it a 6.6 out of ten.i thoroughly enjoyed it.Check it out for yourself.
- tomskipomski
- Mar 11, 2012
- Permalink
Dark Tide is a nice movie for those who love shark movies. One of the character who is supposed to be french and have a french accent, in reality he has a Russian accent, not even near a french accent. Maybe it was too expensive to have somebody with a real french accent. This fact makes me hate this actor more in this movie. I think another cast would have been better for this movie. I also think that Halle Berry is discredited in that movie because of the poor script , poor scenario and other poor actors. There's also a false image of sharks because they are represented as being monsters that eat people. The movie has a very simple scenario in my opinion.
If Great White Sharks thrill you and you like Ocean stories you will enjoy this one. Ignore the poor ratings, I did and Im glad. The story is realistic, unlike others like "Deep Blue Sea" this one is not a Hollywood exaggeration. Cimatography is excellent in Dark Tide. If you fear the idea of swimming with Great White Sharks out in the open ocean of South Africa, you will be biting your nails and holding your seat. The night shots are especially scary -and all done by situational context -not CGI or gross exaggerations. -I almost had to Fast Forward through the night scenes because I was so on edge. The character drama and the relationships between the characters was well developed. Acting was excellent. What else would you expect from Holly Berry and Oliver Martinez? I am literally 1 Hour and 28 Minutes into the movie where the final climax is about to start, when it hit me that this movie deserves a GOOD review. No way its a 4.3 rating. If you like Ocean thrillers, based on realistic plot then check this one out, you wont be disappointed.
- johnptomai
- Apr 24, 2012
- Permalink
This was an excellent movie! I'm not sure why it has such a low rating, maybe not enough blood and guts for people.
If you want to see a movie that can show the real power, yet graceful side of sharks this is the movie for you. It has none of the big breasted bimbos screaming at the top of their lungs, doing nothing to save them selves. It has a wonderful actress as a free diver, swimming with the sharks. The dynamic between the characters is amazing, and the characters really cause you to believe that this might actually happen.
The realness of this movie shocked me, as I thought it was going to be another Jaws type movie, but it's far from it. The film makers really did their research when making this movie.
So don't miss out....this is a MUST see movie if you're a shark lover.
If you want to see a movie that can show the real power, yet graceful side of sharks this is the movie for you. It has none of the big breasted bimbos screaming at the top of their lungs, doing nothing to save them selves. It has a wonderful actress as a free diver, swimming with the sharks. The dynamic between the characters is amazing, and the characters really cause you to believe that this might actually happen.
The realness of this movie shocked me, as I thought it was going to be another Jaws type movie, but it's far from it. The film makers really did their research when making this movie.
So don't miss out....this is a MUST see movie if you're a shark lover.
- scottsbride_2008
- Sep 5, 2012
- Permalink
OMG !! Halle Berry why? why baby!? By all means the worst shark movie ever!! 94 minutes while it should be 30 or 35 at most! It's not a documentary and for sure it's not a movie!!why? here are why : 1-No real storyline. 2- Looooooong booooring underwater footage with absolutely no meaning. 3- Shallow characters. 4- awful sound track. 5-below average acting ! 6-more looooooong boooooring underwater footage!! 7-no excitement what so ever !
overall a total waste of time and believe me I love Halle Berry but this movie-like thing is going to make me think twice before I watch any shark movie or Halle Berry's movie !
overall a total waste of time and believe me I love Halle Berry but this movie-like thing is going to make me think twice before I watch any shark movie or Halle Berry's movie !
- filmman-543-702864
- Dec 22, 2012
- Permalink
Shark movies are two a penny, like zombies, a large percentage are just crap. So when I saw this dirt cheap, Halle Berry and a picture of a Great White, jaws open on the DVD cover I thought it's got to be worth a watch.
Sadly it is a long, slow melodramatic burn. The promised shark attack doesn't happen until near the end, by which time I was itching for the end credits. And sadly said attack happens at night, so dark picture, not much to see.
I'll pass my DVD on to a friend who's been cage diving in Cape Town, where this was filmed. I'm sure he'll find it more interesting than me.
- Stevieboy666
- Oct 23, 2019
- Permalink