Caffeinated Clint
By Clint Morris
If there’s one film that never called for a follow-up it’s the wishy-washy deepwater heist thriller ‘’Into the Blue” (2005).
Starring the likes of Josh Brolin (pre-“No Country for Old Men”), “Blue”, directed by actor cum filmmaker John Stockwell, told of two couples out to find some loot buried deep on the flooring of the ocean. Not that anyone who saw it will recall much of a story; in fact, the only thing guys will remember about the film is that it encompassed some smokin’ hot shots of Jessica Alba in a bikini. I know that’s about I took away from it.
And like its predecessor, the new straight-to-DVD sequel – essentially a remake of the first flick – will likely garner more of a following with pervs, than movie buffs.
If you’re into hot little babes with very-thin two pieces – and who isn’t? – then look no further! And if it’s bare breasts you want, “Into the Blue 2 : The Reef” has also got those! But if you’re looking for a deep-and-meaningful story to go with your alluring photoshop presentation of swimsuit models then you’ll need look elsewhere – this one will satisfy lovers of fine film about as much as a coke at a swish after-party.
Having said that, there is a place for junk in this world – and in the case of Moviehole, we always need films for our ‘So Bad It’s Good’ column – and this is as unhealthily delicious as it gets.
Pimpleless and perfectly-built couple Sebastian (Chris Carmack, Luke from “The OC”) and Dani (Laura Vandervoort, Supergirl from “Smallville”) run a small diving company in Hawaii; their job basically consists of taking tourists out to dive in the beautiful waters.
A suspect couple (David ‘Alias’ Anders and Marsha Thomason), seemingly not short of a dollar, present our scantly-clad duo with an offer too-good-to-refuse : They’ll be paid super, super well if they help them recover their lost goods in the dangerous reef.
This is – despite the title – a pretty shallow affair. There’s nothing much in the way of a story here, and what there is of one, is, quite frankly, a bit of a mess. Having said that, director Stephen Herek seems to be able to make the thing pop a little more than what it would’ve in, say, a point-and-shoot style filmmaker’s hands. Herek, responsible for many of Disney’s hits like “The Mighty Ducks”, makes full use of the locale’s beautiful colour palette, the beautiful bodies of his cast, and, if even unknowingly, seems to play on the film’s over-the-top storyline so much that it almost becomes an entertaining laffer. The film is better because of his presence – but it still begs the question, surely his talent might be better served elsewhere?
Extras
The DVD contains several blah featurettes, and the Unrated of the movie contains a bit more flesh than the standard one.
