The Reef: Stalked (2022) Review – A Boring and Toothless Shark Sequel
The Reef: Stalked: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A disappointingly sluggish and uninspired sequel that fails to capture even a fraction of the tension found in its predecessor. The Reef: Stalked suffers from glacial pacing, wooden performances, and a lack of genuine thrills, resulting in a survival horror that feels more like a tedious chore than a high-stakes adventure. While director Andrew Traucki’s commitment to using real shark footage is admirable, the execution is hampered by chaotic editing and shaky camera work that obscures rather than enhances the scares. It is a 1.5 star effort that trades the original’s claustrophobic dread for a redundant and predictable plot. Shark horror enthusiasts will likely find this to be a toothless addition to the genre that is best left at the bottom of the ocean.
Details: Director: Andrew Traucki | Cast: Teressa Liane, Ann Truong, Saskia Archer, Kate Lister | Runtime: 1h 33m | Release Date: 29 July 2022
Best for: Viewers who want mindless background noise while scrolling through their phone and shark-movie completionists.
Worth noting: The film attempts to use the shark as a metaphor for the protagonist’s trauma following the murder of her sister, though the subtext is handled with very little subtlety.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Shudder
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
(Dull pacing, inorganic dialogue, lack of genuine suspense)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing shark themed horror movie The Reef: Stalked from 2022. This movie is the sequel to an actually decent shark movie — The Reef. The problem is, it is nowhere near as good as its predecessor. Even worse than that, it is boring as well.
Table of Contents
Yawn inducing shark horror bore
The Reef: Stalked follows a woman, Nic (Teressa Liane), attempting to cope with the murder of her older sister. Hoping to escape from her thoughts, she heads out on vacation with her younger sister and two friends. While kayaking, the group encounter a large shark which then proceeds to haunt them for what feels like 3 hours of mundane cat and mouse bullshit.
“When we talk about low budget shark movies, we can usually be sure of a few things… but you still find yourself having a decent enough time. That’s just not the case with The Reef: Stalked. It is just so slow and dull.”
When we talk about low budget shark movies, we can usually be sure of a few things. A terrible plot, dumb characters, bad acting and even worse CGI. Those are all of the things you go into the movie expecting but you still find yourself having a decent enough time. The movies are so ridiculous and farcical that they are actually quite a lot of fun. That’s just not the case with The Reef: Stalked. It is just so slow and dull.
Very little excitement
Don’t get me wrong, there are a decent number of “intense” set pieces. It’s just that they go nowhere, feature minimal tension and have virtually no consequence. It’s just a group of women paddling in the sea and getting out occasionally to avoid a very incompetent shark. When the movie isn’t being horribly predictable it is being horribly boring.
The shark is useless and easily avoided. The interpersonal drama between the ladies is redundant and difficult to invest in. And the ham-fisted attempt to throw in some extra potential victims to tug on the viewer’s heart strings falls completely flat.
“The shark is useless and easily avoided. The interpersonal drama between the ladies is redundant and difficult to invest in.”
Very little about this movie works and that is a damn shame considering The Reef was a very watchable shark movie. Everything the original had in pace and tension is completely lost here.
A dull sequel
Believe it or not, this movie is helmed by Andrew Traucki. The same director who brought us the enjoyable Black Water and the precursor to this movie The Reef. It really makes you wonder where he lost his way. How did he forget what makes these types of survival movies fun? There is no tension here and no reason to actually invest in the characters.
The Reef: Stalked does keep one of its predecessors traits in that the movie tries to avoid too much use of CGI and, instead, opts for stock footage. This is easy to admire as it reduces the overall hokeyness of the shark but it comes at some degree of cost.
Traucki is limited with what he can do by what stock footage exists and many of the more action packed scenes are bathed in bubbles to hide what is happening. Every single attack is marked by fizzy water and horrible amounts of camera shaking. It can look pretty awful. When combined with the overall lack of action and reason to invest in the characters, it makes for a pretty yawn inducing affair.
Acting, pacing and script issues
Acting ranges from okay to extremely wooden. The dialogue here is pretty naff with Traucki’s writing leaving much to be desired. Conversations between the group feel inorganic and the tension between certain characters feels poorly manufactured and a bit nonsensical.
“Every single attack is marked by fizzy water and horrible amounts of camera shaking. It can look pretty awful.”
Ann Truong, as Jodie, seems a bit more peppy than the other characters and a little more confident in her delivery. Teressa Liane is okay as main girl Nic. Everyone else seems to struggle a bit, either having flat delivery or smiling maniacally in every single scene.
Camera work is okay. The use of stock footage works well in parts but the above mentioned issues with attack scenes crop up repeatedly. Pacing is a big problem. Numerous moments of shoe-horned in tension rarely pay off and the movie is entirely too predictable. Certain scenes make no sense as far as timing and continuity. With the shark suddenly taking far longer to traverse the water than an average human, purely to set up a poorly thought out scare scene.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Realism over CGI: The decision to avoid animatronics in favour of stock shark footage helps ground the film, avoiding some of the “mockbuster” cheesiness.
- Scenic Location: The Whitsundays provide a beautiful backdrop that initially sets a high-production tone for the movie.
The Bad
- Glacial Pace: The movie fails to build momentum, with several “tense” scenes that lead to absolutely no consequence or character development.
- Wooden Acting: Most of the cast struggle with flat delivery, making the already inorganic dialogue even more difficult to sit through.
- Chaotic Action: The attack scenes are so heavily edited and shaky that it is often impossible to discern exactly what is happening in the water.
The Ugly: The “Fizzy Water” attacks. The over-reliance on bubbles and splashing to hide a lack of practical effects makes the shark feel remarkably unthreatening.
Should You Watch The Reef: Stalked?
Probably not. While the original Reef is a masterclass in independent survival horror, this sequel is a dull, predictable slog. Unless you are desperate for any shark content regardless of quality, your time is better spent elsewhere. It is a 1.5 star disappointment that brings nothing new to the table.
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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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