Open Water 3: Cage Dive (2017) User Reviews

Ultimately...It Sinks!

[nebk · 4/10 · 14 August 2017]

Open Water 3 starts off somewhat promisingly but ultimately fizzles out. It starts of when two brothers and a girlfriend of one of the brothers decide to go to Australia to film themselves Shark Cage Diving in order to enter the footage into a reality TV-show which could potentially earn them $100 000. During their dive however, a freak wave overturns the boat, and they together with the crew members and other tourists are left floating in shark infested waters. Soon almost everyone is separated and trying to survive while awaiting rescue.

The shaky camera found footage filming gets annoying pretty quickly. As does the relationship between the two brothers and the girl. One of the brothers is planning to propose to his girlfriend not knowing that his brother is also in love with her. The same girl gets more and more hysterical as the movie goes on and eventually ends up torching a life raft they were fortunate enough to find floating after almost a day in the water. At no point in time in the raft do they show any signs of exhaustion. This and the fact that these three at no time give any indication that they have dived before or have any clue about what to do also makes the movie less believable. By this point in the movie however the viewers probably couldn't care less because the ending is predictable and is in fact given away in the first few minutes of the film anyway when its stated that what is on the screen is footage from a camera found on the ocean floor. The acting could have been worse but is nothing special. Overall not really worth the time of watching.

Dislikable characters in a cheap story ruin the fun.

[naenne · 3/10 · 11 October 2017]

I've seen a fair share of shark movies(about a dozen), and decided to give this one a chance despite the low ratings. Making a good shark movie isn't easy, and the same goes for found footage films. So with this in mind I did not expect too much of it and just hoped for some good shark footage and maybe some nice shark attack aftermath images.

Without spoiling what happens, there will be sharks! Yes! And they look real and credible. Any use of cgi looks pretty good, no obvious rubber or pixelated sharks. This is the best part of the film.

Sadly the rest of the movie is filled with a really bad plot carried out by 3 unlikable selfish characters. The acting isn't awful, but the story and dialogue are. And it doesn't compliment their dull characters.

Maybe the director should make a "sharks only cut". Because that's all worth seeing.

Open Water 3 Cage Dive: Should have known......

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 12 February 2019]

Cage Dive is all the film was labelled as when I sat down to witness what I thought was going to be a blatant 47 Meters down ripoff, but as the movie progressed I could totally see the connection to the Open Water franchise.

For those unaware both of the previous Open Water films have involved people who find themselves out in the ocean, the boat gone, floating aimlessly in shark infested waters. Basically 90 minutes of them talking, panicking and waiting to be pulled under. Not exactly the most exciting movies, but certainly atmospheric.

Cage Dive is basically the same formula as we see 3 friends participate in a shark cage dive, but when a freak storm/wave hits the boat they find themselves lost out at sea. Throw in a dramatic soap opera like side story and you have all the makings of something really quite bad.

The thing which sets it apart however is that this addition is filmed in the found footage format which actually plays in its favor. To do essentially the same film again they needed to do something different and it works, the film is still not overly interesting but it has a degree of novelty value for this reason.

The lack of budget shows, though you'll see some great nature shots (Especially whales) don't expect the sharks to be quite as on point as the likes of other bigger budget shark films. To make matters worse their budget didn't buy them a good cast, they really only needed 3 people and honestly I don't think casting did a very good job with any of them.

The actual "Cage dive" gimmick is not played out at all so don't expect 47 Meters Down, expect Open Water 3 which is exactly what it is.

The Good:

Found footage format works for the movie

Has some passable ideas

The Bad:

Poor cast

Lack of budget shows

Ultimately it's a "Talkie" in water

We are going to need..........less screaming

[daver6 · 17 October 2017]

I find it difficult to understand why directors and writers make and write films like this. It is well known that most film goers do not enjoy found footage films that pretty well consist of the actors screaming and shouting at each other whilst doing incredibly stupid things. The viewer feels no empathy, just irritation with characters. The viewer does not feel suspense or fear because fear and suspense are swamped by irritation and annoyance. The viewer wants the characters to die.

And so it is with this Asylum-esque teen-scream (almost) offering. The incredibly stupid thing here was so unbelievable in it's stupidity that it would have been a kindness and relief for the film to have ended there. I wanted Megan to die.

In the main the viewer wants an intelligent script, good acting, plausible behaviours,intelligent decisions and mature likable characters. Why directors not understand this? Why is it that they do not take lessons from Jaws or The Reef? Why do they take lessons from Asylum films? It is a mystery.

Oh..the sharks were good though, particularly in the suddenness of one death where one shark was a stalking horse!

Horrible, uninteresting rubbish!!!

[cmackrow · 1/10 · 24 May 2020]

The premise is about three Americans (Two males, one female) going to Australia to record a video for a Reality-tv show that could possibly win them 100,000 USD. However, things take a turn for the worst when their boat is completely destroyed by a savage wave. From there, they will have to survive killer sharks that can strike at any moment they want.

Sounds like a passable shark movie, right. Well sadly, it doesn't live up to its name. The beginning is bearable enough, I suppose. But then, we get to the sharks and the movie loses everything it had going for it. The characters become whiny, dumb, boring, and intolerable brats that just won't be quiet. And you're stuck with these characters until the end of the film! Who thought of this script? Oh, and the acting. It was bad. Real bad. Very bad. But let's just continue on with the part I disliked the most. (Disliked is an BIG understatement, BTW) So what happens is the characters find a raft. However, when looking up and about on the raft, they see a girl in the ocean. They manage to rescue her. But then, Megan (the one female I mentioned earlier) BLOWS UP THE RAFT WITH A FLARE AND KILLS THE GIRL THEY FOUND IN THE OCEAN!!! HOW??? WHY??? WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA IN THE SCRIPT!!! ALL THIS DID WAS ANTOGIZE THE CHARACTERS!!!!! At this point, I was rooting for the sharks and wanted the characters to leave my screen. Then they whine more. and more. and then some more. And then Megan dies / goes missing. Finally!!! And then one of the males dies (not even from the sharks!!!) Let's just bring up the cinematography. It's bad and choppy. In the scene when the male dies, it's almost impossible to see what they're are doing!!! The setting is also a factor in what makes the cinematography bad, too. And thanks the stars, the other male finally dies from the shark.

Summary: The acting, script, characters, suspense, cinematography, and setting were all horrible!!!!!! Do not waste your money on this. (Unless you're a movie completionist, on matter the movie, of course) There are 100% BETTER shark movies out there!!!

Why was this made?

[dene477 · 1/10 · 4 September 2017]

The characters in this are so unlikable, they are all idiots who I actually wanted to die. You need to be able to root for your characters but whoever wrote this shitbox doesn't know that and I have no idea how it got made with the crap script it had. Everything was generic, guy loves girl, girl loves brother, oh no! It was 30mins of them being tools then 50 minutes of them in the water screaming at one another, there was no suspense no tension, as I said, I wanted them to die. Bad writing. How do these people have jobs?

Just bad from start to finish

[kurtis-holmes1974 · 1/10 · 11 August 2017]

I don't leave a lot of reviews but I felt compelled to help others to not waste their time on this stinker. Found footage movies have been worn out over the years and this is no different than any of the other terrible films to come out in this genre. Do yourself a favour and move along as watching this car crash of a movie will probably make you dumber.

They needed a bigger boat.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 10 January 2018]

Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water, a found-footage shark movie swims my way. Cage Dive takes the well-worn hand-held camera/faux documentary route to tell the story of three Californian adrenaline junkies - Jeff, Josh and Megan (Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff and Megan Peta Hill)- who travel to Australia to experience great white sharks up close and personal. Unfortunately, their thrill-seeking experience doesn't go quite as planned when a freak wave capsizes the boat, leaving the friends stranded in shark-infested waters.

I was actually enjoying this found-footage shark movie up to the point where an argument over the use of a flare results in the characters accidentally setting fire to their inflatable life raft; at this point, the film well and truly 'jumps the shark', after which it slowly sinks further and further into the murky depths of bad film-making. And when brothers Jeff and Josh forget about the sharks to have a scrap over Megan, with whom they are both in love, the film finally hits rock bottom.

To director Gerald Rascionato's credit, the shark attack scenes are deftly handled and realistic (I guess that the sharks are CGI; if that is the case, they're extremely well done), resulting in a reasonable amount of tension, and there's one satisfyingly nasty moment where we see a survivor with the side of his face hanging off, but for much of the time it's just three whiny over-privileged idiots bobbing around in the sea. You'll be longing for the fish to start biting again.

4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

Way to go, Megan!

[Aaron1375 · 2/10 · 26 May 2020]

This film is of the type I really do not care for. No, not the person recording the adventure, though I do not think it is a very good way to tell a story. It is the whole, this is true and this is the footage we found. One, we know it is not true and two, you just let me know that there will be no survivors so I am just waiting for the characters to die. After we get to know the characters, then it becomes I am waiting impatiently for these three unpleasant idiots to die.

The story, well, three totally awesome young people from Laguna Beach California really want to go to Australia to go cage diving! One of them apparently has heart troubles, so makes sense that he is an adrenaline junkie! We get to seem them acting all awesome and they are going to be on a show and the one brother is going to propose to Megan and his brother is having a fling with her behind his back! Not cool dude, you definitely are not practicing bros before hoes when you are actual brothers! Well, they finally get to the cage diving and then a wave hits and the cage is gone before you know it. It was the best star in the film! Soon they are whining in the water, not trying to swim towards a boat and then they find a life raft! They should of been saved, would have easily been spotted the next day, but Megan just has to shoot a flare, not understanding that if they can't see anything, then no one is there to see the flare. At this point they all deserved what they got and their Darwin awards.

So what do we get? People floating, people whining and people doing everything in their power to not survive. I mean, I guess they could have done more not to survive like simply puncture holes in the raft as soon as they inflated it, but they do a pretty good job of not trying to survive. They are so unlikable that it is hard to care when they do perish, instead you think, "That's nice, that shark got some dinner."

So there you have it, another open water and another bunch of dead people. They tell you right from the start everyone is going to die so even when they should be in the clear, when they are in the boat, you know something stupid will happen to cause their demise! There are a few good shots of sharks in the water, but at times the blood is obviously fake and so too the sharks, so we know it is not actual found footage, so please, do not insult my intelligence by pretending it is. Well, going to shoot a flare now in my house, because shooting flares indoors is fun and saves lives, even when there is no one to see them!

A decent movie with just enough to reel you in.

[Cobrabat · 6/10 · 5 November 2017]

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. After reading some of the reviews I nearly gave it a miss, but being a big fan of shark movies I decided to give it a chance. Despite the cover leading you to think the sharks are a fanciful size, the actual shark footage was believable and thankfully not overdone.

This is a standalone movie but I would put it on a par with the first Open Water movie and I liked it much more than the ridiculous Open Water 2. The acting was good and while some parts dragged on there was enough (including a few jump scares) to keep you invested in the story.

Some reviews have compared this with "The Shallows" and while this movie is different in many ways it was refreshing that the sharks weren't single-minded in their efforts to get their prey. This movie doesn't pretend to be a masterpiece but certainly has some good moments and is worth a viewing.

The very low and very high reviews are hard to take seriously and despite some of the more annoying moments I reckon it's a solid 6 out of 10.

Pathetic

[coflorida · 2/10 · 25 May 2020]

Two brothers in the middle of the ocean fighting over some bimbo who is banging them both.... Neither deserve to live for being so stupid...

Brilliant

[robotwarsdan · 10/10 · 2 August 2018]

Watched this film today really enjoyed the plot. Also enjoyed the reality of the sharks' behaviour. Compliments to the director and cast

Hated All characters!!

[afrinsandhi · 6/10 · 20 April 2021]

Happiest moment of my life was when I saw the shark eating Megan. She deserved to die that way !!!

Avoid!

[wevzombie · 2/10 · 14 October 2017]

Ugh this film! Bad, pure bad!

OK first the pros...the sharks look decent, when there are any. But having few shark shots and building the tension isn't a bad thing, Jaws after all is all about that, its the characters themselves who are the problem here. We follow 3 obnoxious dumbass Americans filming themselves as they travel to Australia to go on a shark cage dive, things go wrong and we are then suppose to route for these dumb s**ts for rest of the movie. It doesn't help that it takes 30 painful minutes before we even get on the ocean. Its similar to how Blair Witch started except in that at least we are learning about the witch & the drives of the characters etc, but with this movie we have a 30 minute build up telling us how unlikable, shallow and dumb these 3 people are and all i thought was "i have to spend the next hour with these idiots" so by the time they get in the water I was routing for the sharks. And boy are these 3 loathsome fools dumb, iv not seen victims in a horror this dumb for a long while, I ended up annoyed yelling at the TV! The film is even pretentious enough to think you'll care about these meat heads, there is even an awful love affair plot thrown in which the film makers seem to think this will add deeper story & tension, its not enough that the scenario itself is the main drive of the story, how the situation would effect you mentally and what it takes to survive etc...no apparently we need a love triangle to really add to the drama....give me a break! It all comes down to most the film being filler made up of hollow drama because they spent all the budget on a handful of decent sharks shots.

As for the sharks, the shark shots are the only reason this gets any stars form me, they are very decent but so few. So if you didn't care about the characters stuff and just wanted shark action you wont find that here either, even when we finally get a kill its so brief and tame. If your curious enough every single shark shot is in the trailer...all of them!

So in summary this is just a drawn out horrible filler heavy soap opera episode with some sharks. Avoid and just watch the trailer for the sharks and escape watching some annoying brats for 90 minutes.

Alternative recommendations would be 47 Meters Down or The Reef, the characters are likable and the shark bits are really tense!

Sooo bad

[rachelleonstad · 1/10 · 22 February 2020]

So many bad judgment calls. Just cheered on the sharks!

Impossible to watch

[robertemerald · 3/10 · 28 October 2019]

It's a short movie. My counter said 66 minutes at close. However, it is 25 minutes in before we get to the cage dive. There is only ever one camera used which is infuriating. Occasionally there's a cut to a News Bulletin, which, to me, came as a fantastic relief. The three teens are so chummy that the camera seems to revolve and zoom at a vertigo rate the whole time. Before the actual dive I counted innumerable thumbs up directly in front of the lens. Once stranded the filming is tolerable, and at least two shark attacks are genuinely jump scary. For me the movie was ruined when, after they are saved by fortuitously finding an inflatable raft, they unsave themselves by burning it down with a flare. Then there's a fight over who is sleeping with whom. Unbelievable.

Worst shark/stuck see sea movie I've ever seen

[loriwolf-51354 · 1/10 · 27 October 2019]

Acting is awful. Characters are weak with no substance and overall, completely unbelievable. No one behaves appropriately for the situation they're in. Before they're even stranded, they are all so annoying, and as I said, weak/nothing to hold on to. Like who are these people, and does anybody care? Not I. Such a ridiculously stupid script. Special effects, if you want to call them that, are as lame as everything else in this movie. It's extremely slow starting, and it continues on that way thus far. Honestly, I am still watching right now, and I can't wait for them to get eaten! Please tell me they get eaten! It's taking everything in me to finish this thing. I'm not so sure I'll succeed right now. I'm typically not a person who doesn't finish a movie. I think I've only done that twice in my life and I'm no spring chicken.

I've never seen any of the Sharknado movies, but I'd bet that they're better than this, special effects, acting and all. Hopefully that gives you an idea of what we're working with here.

Spoiler Alert The Shark Wins

[blumoon99 · 1/10 · 14 April 2020]

Not even halfway into the movie I was rooting for the sharks. The writing was terrible and the character were basic and vapid. Especially Megan what really irritated me was how stupid she was. She sets the life raft on fire and is like how is that my fault? Go Shark bait!

Just Awful

[bliam138 · 1/10 · 27 October 2017]

Just a horrible film beginning to end. You will root for these characters to die as soon as possible. Needs more shark. It's really awful, and I really enjoyed the first 2 of this franchise, but this was an uber letdown. Its all found footage style, which is just ridiculous, I know if I was in a life or death situation I'd be worried about my camera or filming anything. Do yourself a favor and stick with the first 2

Bland and Annoying Characters Help Sink This

[Michael_Elliott · 13 August 2017]

Open Water 3: Cage Dive (2017)

** (out of 4)

Jeff, Josh and Megan (Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff, Megan Pelta Hill) are three friends from California who take a trip to Australia where they plan on trying out for a reality show. While there they decide to go cage diving with great white sharks but a freak wave tips over the boat and soon the three are stranded in the middle of the ocean.

This film was made as simply CAGE DIVE but I'm guessing when it was bought for its American release it had OPEN WATER 3 slapped to it. For the most part I enjoyed the first film in the series but the second one wasn't nearly as good, although it did remain slightly entertaining. Part three is when the magic runs out and there are a number of issues with the picture but what kept me turned off the most were the characters.

I will say that all three actors do a good job with their roles but that didn't make me like these people. I mean, they're basically very shallow and annoying people and when it comes to a "lost footage" movie you need to like the people you're spending the time with. Sadly I didn't enjoy their company and especially since a lot of the time they were doing extremely stupid things. I know, in order for a horror film to work you need dumb characters. I'm not going to spoil what exactly happens but I guarantee you will know the scene I'm talking about when it happens.

Another problem with the movie is the fact that it's really not that scary or intense. I'm sure some of this has to do with the fact that I didn't like the characters but the attack scenes aren't all that scary on their own and I'd argue that I never really felt as if they were under attack by these sharks. OPEN WATER 3 isn't an awful movie because it did keep me slightly into what was going on but once the movie was over and I started thinking back on it I ended up finding more and more issues with it.

Netflix and Chill approved - though don't expect too much

[BrokenBeats94 · 6/10 · 11 October 2018]

Cage Dive was an enjoyable watch: it's short (80 minutes), it's an independent sequel (meaning no catch up) and it has good use of the found footage format. It has multiple effective jump scares and paces itself fairly well when the ball starts rolling.

However, the introduction felt quite long as it introduced the characters and story - nothing new to see here but it's adds to the scenario - you ultimately don't care too much about characters in a shark movie, you just want the horror aspect. Some of the story is very basic but you have 'go with it' for the sake of the situation.

The use of real life stock footage and minimal CGI means the sharks look realistic for most of the extended scenes throughout, though a bit more grisly shark footage would have been nice and the cage should have been used much more; there would have been a lot more tension in the cage and I would have loved to have seen it utilised more. The music that's teased is decent enough alongside some punchy sound FX but it could have been more bleak. Same with the acting at times, the lines could have been delivered with a lot more conviction and aggression.

You'll enjoy it if you like the mockumentary format but if you don't, you'll feel disappointed.

Worst Shark Movie EVER!!!

[hsimpleton · 1/10 · 8 June 2018]

The three main characters/idiots were so unlikable that I couldn't wait for the sharks to chow down on them!

"Who" sets off a flare inside an enclosed life raft??? You gotta be a special kind of stupid. HARD PASS!!!!

Give it a try

[Mignon00 · 10/10 · 14 September 2017]

I had seen a lot of shark movies. The Reef (2010) and Open Water (2003) are quite authentic but there are also other great movies.

By looking at its cover I could tell it's one of those lame and cheap wannabe suspense movies.

Furthermore, it turned out to be a very good concept: there's a complex relationship between the main characters and the footage is impressive. You have a feeling you're one of them. Worries, struggles, anxiety, fear... it's both horrible and admirable.

I really liked this movie. Somehow different approach, but in a positive way.

Don't expect much.

But at least give it a try.

Open water 3: cage dive film review " Opening has some promise, till tension fails to deliver"- (6/10).

[bhattrell · 6/10 · 24 November 2018]

Open water 3 is a 2017 Drama/Thriller genre film.

The Good

" Okay concept". " Some relationship variety". " Entertaining opening scenes". " Clearly introduced plot". " Good looking characters".

The Bad

" Limited character personality". " Poor tension building". " Shots barely changed". "No scary scenes". " Not believable acting in distress". "Characters easily jumpy". " Dull parts". "Predictable plot". "Uneventful ending". "No twists or turns".

Storyline

The storyline was clear from the start. Anyone can work out the film is about a cage dive and wouldn't be a thriller unless something unexpected happened. Clearly then events were predictable. There were limited twists, and certain parts did drag. You may be surprised to hear then, that the first part of the film before the adventure, borderline impressed me. The plot background was clearly explained which gave the basis for a film anyone could start to get into. After the scene was well set, some playful relationship footage helps entice you in to the drama. In any adventure film, close and believable relationships are essential for audience connection to the characters' emotions. Especially in times of turmoil and activity. Here, these relationships were present, and a little varied, despite not appearing totally authentic. This should have helped continue an engaging plot throughout the film. Unfortunately things rumbled on a little slowly and predictably with no real surprises.

Tension

Tension building is one of the most important aspects of a thriller. Here music wasn't used, so to compensate, expressions and reactions were under the spotlight. Before any real indication of tension, horrific events began to occur. This seemed briefly exciting, but with subsequent tense moments barely distinguishable from normal life, clearly something was missing. Emotions were over-emphasised, during repetitive "easy spooks", yet were hardly believable when something significant actually happened. Camera angles were barely changed, and footage remained above the waters surface for most of the time. Limited variation in shots, dramatic responses and shocking events, kept the film on a fairly dull level throughout. No climax or twist occurred at the end.

Characters

The characters were mostly well played, although emotions weren't always believable. Characters appeared to be selected more for looking attractive, than using a range of expressions to truly captivate the viewer. Limited background information to the characters, meant any troubles faced, didn't tug at my heart strings, or pluck them any faster. I wasn't scared at all throughout the film duration, even though I wanted to be.

Summary

A well introduced and inspired movie, accessible to all. Lack of tension building, slow pace and predictable plot weren't saved by mediocre acting and limited camera angles. I would recommend the viewer watches the introduction until the adventure but little enjoyment follows. Not a disaster, yet barely worth your time.

Also available on my blog ...

Never have I wanted the Sharks to Win so Much!

[xikixite · 1/10 · 21 November 2017]

Awful homemade feeling movie in which you just want the sharks to come and end it all. Take 2 males and 1 blond not too ugly female from America, put them on a plane with a camcorder so they can film their holiday to Australia where they swim with Sharks. Along the way you discover by accident that the girl is sleeping with both men. Guess what they fall out of the shark cage. But how they fall out you'll have to suffer like I did. So predictable the money making this could have been spent somewhere else like on Big Macs for the poor and not wasted on this dribble. At the end we all just kept clapping as each awful character meet their death. Go Sharks!