River Wild

Neeeaahh it was alright. The wilderness and scenery was pretty. They gave the bad guy too many chances… one of those pictures.

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.