Bleu d'enfer 2: Le récif

Sebastian (Chris Carmack) and Dani (Laura Vandervoort) run a dive boat in Hawaii. Unreliable Mace (Michael Graziadei) and his long-suffering girlfriend Kimi (Mircea Monroe) are their best friends. They are hired by Carlton (David Anders) and Azra (Marsha Thomason) to look for the legendary wreck of San Cristobal.

I kinda like the treasure hunt and then a bikini volleyball game breaks out. At that point, it becomes a battle between all the B-movie aspects that the movie insists on adding, and the thrilling story of the underwater search. I actually like the treasure hunt. David Anders is a good villain. In the end, the B-movie stuff does overwhelm.

I wasn't all that impressed with either 1977's "The Deep" or the film it inspired 28 years later, 2005's "Into the Blue." They were decent oceanic thrillers but that's about it. I liked the actors in both -- Nick Nolte, Robert Shaw & Jacqueline Bisset in "The Deep" and Paul Walker, Scott Caan & Jessica Alba in "Into the Blue" -- but unless you're rabid fans of Bisset and Alba (or the guys) neither film ever rose above the level of average.

2009's direct-to-video "Into the Blue 2: The Reef" is a sequel-in-name-only that successfully builds on the template of those other two films, delivering a far more entertaining experience IMHO.

"Into the Blue 2" simply has a more engaging story, more dazzling filmmaking and better, more numerous bikini-clad babes. In other words, everything that you might be looking for in an island thriller is here, only better than those earlier pictures. Although the main cast is relatively no-name (Chris Carmack, Laura Vandervoort, Marsha Thomason & Dave Anders), they do a splendid job; plus the film is highlighted by two solid cameos of Parvati Shallow ("Survivor") and Audrina Patridge, both incredibly gorgeous. Another highlight is the ultra-serious and thrilling final act, which comprises the last 35 minutes or so. Up to that point the story is pretty much just a fun, light-hearted beach/diving flick. The dramatic change in tone works in the film's favor and keeps it from being one-dimensional.

Since "Into the Blue 2: The Reef" is a direct-to-video release it cost a fraction the expense of "The Deep" and "Into The Blue," the latter of which cost a whopping $50 million, believe it or not. This makes an interesting study: Filmmakers can make better films at a fraction of the cost; it's simply a matter of ingenuity. Hats off to director Stephen Herek, writer Mitchell Kapner and the cast - awesome job!

"Into the Blue 2" was shot in Hawaii whereas the other two were filmed in the Caribbean.

The runtime is 92 minutes.

GRADE: A-

Ninety minutes of attractive people prancing about in bathing and birthday suits. There's some talking and the actors do some stuff, but whatever they were up to wasn't the focus of the film.

Six stars.

Suspenseful and intriguing underwater thriller concerning an innocent couple, Chris Carmack, Laura Vandervoort, get involved in a search for some strange boxes located at the bottom of the sea. They are a pair of professional divers hired to find Columbus' hidden treasure. They descend deep into the big blue without the aid of any kind of breathing apparatus, though sometimes use scubas. While such exuberant optimism characterises the first part of this Hawaii-set thriller, but later on, a strong note of caution emerges and things go wrong.

An underwater thriller with action, fights, tension, violence and grisly killings. This is an entertaining seagoing adventure in which the ocean deep figure prominently, though this time guarding some sunken boxes. The action is plentiful with undersea excitement with terrifying underwater scenes. The briskly sketched roles and fantasy-led storyline have a B movie feel, brazenly supported by the camera's eagerness to exploit the actors' sexual charms. Made mainly as vehicle for the handsome, beautiful main stars: Christopher Carmack, Laura Vandervoort, and they show particularly in the technical excelence of the underwater scenes. They show off their considerable screen presence , both attracttive and slender. Lightweight entertainment notable for sunny outdoors and underwater cinematography, as well as Laura Vandervoort in a bathing suit , a glamorous bikini. In fact, Vandervoort's wiggling rear is the star of many an underwater scene. Along with them, other nice actors as Marsha Thomason, Michael Graziadei, Mircea Monroe , Audrina Patridge and Amanda Kimmel.

Gorgeous photography manages to keep this afloat with fab footage maritime by cameraman Thomas Yatsko. As well as pulsating and exciting musical score by Robert Duncan. The motion picture was professionally directed by Stephen Herek, though nothing special. Herek is a good craftsman with a long career, getting cinematic successes as Critters, Adventures of Bill and Ted, Professor Holland, The three Musketeers, Holy Man, Our little secret , City limits, Dog gone, Rock Star, and directing several episodes of notorious TV series as Mcyver, Hawai 5.0, Dallas, among others. Rating: 4.5/10. Average, but acceptable and passable at times.

I started the movie expecting to turn it off because it was so bad. Instead, I watched to the end and quite enjoyed it.

It.is not a movie that requires deep intellectual thought and never aspires to be. Instead it is.a popcorn flick with good looking people searching for treasure and it delivers on this.

If you just want to spend a couple of hours enjoying something light and entertaining, this is a good option.