From the beginning, I knew the story would be a bit stupid. I decided to not judge right away. After all, they could have just immediately jumped off the boat without thinking about how to get back on. The thing was, they took their sweet time before going into the ocean. The aquaphobe girl and the yacht's owner were standing there, talking, for about ten minutes. Then he stupidly jumped into the water, taking her with him. What an a**.

Most people would think about how to get back on the boat before jumping off the (at least) twelve foot high deck. Not to mention that the ladder came down with a push of a button. How hard is it to remember the push a button? They should have done that as soon as they stopped in the water.

The mother leaving her baby onboard without anyone around was another mistake. At least one of them should have stayed to watch over her.

The movie put them in a situation that could have easily been worked through. They had six people. There are so many ways they could have worked their way back up onto the boat. Instead, we get two attempts to get back on. The rest of the time is being spent whining and crying about not being able to get back on, while possibly waiting for a ladder to magically appear. There is no sympathy to be felt for them. One of the characters tries to put a knife in the side of the boat so they can climb back up. The "owner" of the boat, flips out and refuses to let him do it, because it belongs to his boss, and ends up stabbing and killing his friend.

Everyone gave up way too quickly. One of the girls drowned herself. Another started swimming for shore, even though they were smack in the middle of the ocean. The rest didn't try anything, but float on their backs and stare at the sky.

At one point a cell phone rings and the coat it's in is hanging over the side of the boat, somehow in reach. When the call ends and the signal dies, the guy holding it throws it into the ocean. That was probably where I stopped feeling any despair for the characters.

In the end, this movie is stupid. You will be face-palming throughout the whole thing and wanting to choke the characters.

ADRIFT is a great little movie. I'd hated the original OPEN WATER; watching two hours of a couple paddling in water, arguing and moaning together and doing stupid things, is not my idea of a good film. I didn't expect much from this one either, to be honest, but it ended up blowing me away. Sure, it contains another cast of people doing stupid things, but this time there are six folk involved, so the plot immediately becomes more complex, the script more sparkly and involved.

After the initial set-up is out of the way, the story gets moving for real. No sharks this time around (good call),but instead all of the kinds of accidents and conditions that can come about when six very stressed people are treading water beside a yacht they can't get into, and night is threatening to call. I really couldn't predict what would happen to each person and I liked it that way; ADRIFT is constantly surprising and had me on the edge throughout.

I ended up caring about the characters – even the stupid ones. Sure, Susan May Pratt's character arc was predictable, but it still had me watching. The last half hour was particularly riveting as we waited to find out who would make it and who wouldn't, and the suspense is spot on. For a low budget movie, ADRIFT is an almost complete success and I see no reason to criticise it.

This has nothing to do with the Original "Open Water", except for the name and the location, of course. It tries to be more of a drama, mixed with the thriller elements and is more "film" than the first one (if you want to compare them, the first being shot almost like a documentary) and is therefor (imo) a little bit more entertaining. Still not really that attention grabbing and suspenseful as you could wish and hope it would be in the end.

Still if you have spare time, I'd suggest you'd rather watch this one, than the first one. The characters do shine through (in contrast to the other Open Water movie) and though you still have to suspend your disbelief, it will be more of "thrill-ride" (no pun intended) than part 1 ...