River Wild

River Wild 2023 is a fairly thrilling Netflix movie. There are definitely some parts where it lingers too long on dialogue and stock footage of northern American wilderness but otherwise its fast pace keeps your attention. There's plenty of action, combat, and white water rafting.

The story is fairly standard, an unhinged ex-con gets into trouble on a camping trip and goes on a crime spree trying to avoid jail. You only really care about the two main characters, Gray and Joey, because they're the only ones with character arcs. There are a few plot holes here and there, a couple really dumb decisions that'd give a cheesy slasher a run for its money. So if you're easily frustrated by dumb people in horror movies, best to avoid River Wild. I didn't mind it as a fan of shlocky horror.

All-in-all, the stunts are good, pretty scenic shots, well-choreographed fistfights, thrilling life or death situations. I wish they spent more time white water rafting, but otherwise it's an enjoyable high-stakes thriller netflix original.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Two siblings fight to survive deadly rapids while on a river rafting trip with a small group of strangers, one of whom has a dangerous past.

The film was written and directed by Ben Ketai with writing help from Mike Nguyen Le.

In case you're wondering, this movie has nothing to do with the 1994 movie The River Wild starring Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep. The stories are completely different, although this one was released on the 29th anniversary of the first one.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast includes Adam Brody, Courtney Chen, Eve Connolly, Matt Devere, Taran Killam, Leighton Meeter, Olivia Swann, and Nick Wittman.

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester are a couple in real life.

It must have been difficult to keep the camera steady on the river during the day and the night. The cinematography was very good. The various shots of the waterfalls were gorgeous.

It's good to be a doctor or, at least, to know some First Aid in an emergency!

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

Sometimes, the camera goes out of focus during action sequences.

I've seen the movie listed as River Wild as well as The River Wild. Which one is it?

There are some plot holes and a serious escalation of bad choices.

I hate watching characters make stupid decisions.

It's really hard to see what's going on in the dark, night scenes.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity and crude expressions People flip the bird.

We see blood.

People die.

Various weapons are used in several fights.

Pretty standard action/thriller survival movie set in the mountains near Canada.

Things this movie has going for it: location is beautiful (entire film is outdoors), some solid acting and directing on scenes that are logistically challenging (rapids, fights in water, etc)

Things this movie struggles with: plot holes, some really stupid character decisions and other things that just didn't make sense, overall pretty lame plot that doesn't really add up.

In the end it was entertaining enough, with enough tension in act 3 to pull it off and keep me interested. Some of the action shots are pretty dope and leighton meester does a great job as the doctor sister role. 5.7/10.

The movie is fine, a little overly dramatic, but altogether a fine watch when there's nothing else to watch. I did wonder if the actors and filmmaker were friends because there are a lot of connections between actors.

But the thing I'm taking umbrage with is the number of people on here trying to say this isn't a remake. It IS a remake in the actual sense. The end credits specifically say: Based on the film "The River Wild" written by Denis O'Niell. So, even though it's been rewritten and all, it's factually a remake.

And AS a remake, it's actually quite good in that they took a story and recreated the dynamics but still deliver on the same dread as with the original. Similar to the 2022 Wrong Turn remake.

I don't know why people compare this to the 1994 movie. It is completely a different movie. Only thing in common is water.

The script was average. Very predictable. But as someone else explained, you end up yelling at the TV. There are things happen that cause you to wonder why did they film it this way.

Other times it just doesn't make sense to film it that way. I try not to give things away so you can make up your own mind.

I like strong characters, this had too many weak ones.

Not sure why it got a 5.7 but it wasn't a bad put together film.

I do wish the cinematographer used more for what the landscape had to offer.