Most films that target millennials or the younger generation tend to provide a storyline that will leave them satisfied. It’s usually a clichéd and the forgettable premise that has the power to entertain more than an out-of-the-box intelligent concept. Even though “Black Water: Abyss” had everything to qualify as an unnecessary film to be made, it somehow manages to redeem itself in the most unexpected way.

“Black Water: Abyss” follows five friends who travel far to a remote cave system in Northern Australia for the sake of having fun. As they were hoping to spend quality time with friends and escape the daily routine life, they have no idea about an extremely hungry crocodile that is waiting to have a bite of someone’s meaty flesh. What was meant to be an exciting trip turns into an effort for survival, where the human is nothing in comparison to the large reptile.

The film opens with a Japanese couple who find themselves lost in the woods. The husband and wife try to decide which way to go when the man, impatiently, makes his own decision that brings sudden death to both himself and his wife. This is when we meet Eric (Luke Mitchell), Jennifer (Jessica McNamee), Yolanda (Amali Golden), Cash (Anthony J. Sharpe), and Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes) who, after finalizing their plan, hit the road towards the unknown.

As they arrive at their destination, they are all excited to find the exact place where the Japanese couple have disappeared, not realizing that one of them will more or less share the same fate. As soon as they reach the deep end of the cave, the real drama begins to unfold that is mixed with horror and despair. When Eric realizes what kind of mess he brought his friends into, including his girlfriend, Jennifer, he steps up as a leader who tries to come up with a decent plan to have everyone rescued without a scratch. However, when a crocodile attacks Viktor first, our heroes quickly understand that team effort is not enough to defeat a starving reptile that has no intention of letting its preys go away.

Written by John Ridley and Sara Smith and directed by Andrew Traucki, “Black Water: Abyss” is a decent and watchable horror thriller that won’t leave you disappointed. Even though it avoids all the bloodshed some may expect, the film does not overload the viewers with unnecessary scary scenes that would probably make less sense. As the film tries to continue its focus on a narrative, a few scenes, even though were predictable enough, does not leave its loyal audiences lost in translation.

That being said, Andrew Traucki delivers an interesting and engaging horror film with the ending that fits well into the demands of the twenty-first century. And that’s not for playing politics but because it was logical. Like most films, it lacks perfection but with a premise like this, it did not have to prove anything. It is good enough to be proud of in itself and, more importantly, worthwhile of your shot.