Overview: A weekend cruise on a luxurious party yacht goes horribly wrong for a group of old high-school friends. They forget to let the ladder down before they jump into the ocean for a swim. The boat proves impossible to climb. They are stuck in the water many miles from shore, with baby Sara left alone on board. Sara's mother Amy must contend with her aqua-phobia as well as the group's increasing desperation, as the friends begin to turn on each other. Soon the exhaustion of keeping afloat and the struggle to get back on board begin to take a terrible toll. The happy reunion turns into a fight for survival...

DVD Verdict: Amy has a dire fear of water. The sight of sparkling waves sends horrid flashbacks flooding into her head. Alas, Amy must brave her fears in celebration of her old friend Zach's birthday held at sea on a gorgeous yacht. She decides to bring along her husband, James, and her baby girl, Sara, to this boating extravaganza. A weekend reunion in paradise seems within grasp for these old high school friends, including Zach's old flame Lauren, yacht captain/owner Dan, and his flame of the week, Michelle.

Reluctant to cross the plank onto the yacht, Amy regains her composure long enough to settle her little girl in below deck. Amy, brightly adorned with an orange life vest, starts to enjoy this miniature reunion. Such inviting water amidst the hot, humid ocean air couldn't possibly be denied a swim, right? One split second of sheer brainlessness would become the bane of this aquatic shindig. While the rest of the party leisurely enjoys a dip in the ocean, captain Dan hoists aquaphobia-stricken Amy in his arms and jumps into the water, leaving no one else on board. The neglectful captain overlooks one simple issue: without the retractable ladder out, none of them can return to the deck of the yacht.

Wading in the chilly water can undoubtedly cause "fatigue", "hypothermia", and "death", as the tag-line states. Leg cramps and overall irritability make this situation even worse from the start. While all this is quite true, this wading, weak crew prolongs their suffering in large part because of their severe lack of attentiveness. Once within the water, all the friends manifest into overdrawn dim stereotypes that lack much competency. Screaming at the fumbling, absent-minded party becomes second nature during 'Open Water 2: Adrift.' Both 'Open Water' films rely on subtleties within the plot to build tension. Though 'Open Water 2' doesn't carry its predecessor's frantic strength, it does manage to conjure a few edgy moments.

Amidst beautifully crisp blue waves and entrancing sunsets, this film doesn't suffer from a lack of style, either. The visual aura of 'Open Water 2' might surmount the original in finely-crafted cinematography. This added polish crafts a simple, yet beautiful torture trap for this unfortunate band of friends. It's a shame that these characters fail to develop further, especially with a host of performances that dimly shimmer in spurtslike light upon waves. With that in mind, though based on true events, this scenario in 'Open Water 2: Adrift' ultimately lacks the engaging cinematic panache and primal anxiety necessary for this kind of situational horror. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

"The Making of Open Water 2"
English Closed Captions
English and Spanish Subtitles
Trailers