Parents' Guide to The Reef: Stalked

This standalone sequel to Australian writer-director Andrew Traucki's 2010's cult hit The Reef shares a title and a shark with its predecessor but not much else. The Reef: Stalked's mix of real-life and special effects footage of sharks -- which was one of the reasons the original movie was praised -- is also back. But this movie doesn't manage to repeat the slow-burning intrigue of its predecessor, with an uneven balance between the movie's action and thriller elements, and the emotional journey of its lead.

Liane does her best to keep Nic focused on the task at hand while processing a prior tragic loss. However, there's not enough backstory about her or the other characters to sustain them when they leave the shore. So, unsurprisingly, Jaws this isn't. The dialogue is mostly fraught and frenzied, as different characters attempt to bat away a killer shark armed with not much more than their kayak paddles and teamwork. The most remarkable aspect of the film is that for a 90-minute life-and-death battle, it lacks any sense of drama or danger.