Dead Sea is a movie that I should rate lower, but I’m giving it a bump because, despite its many faults, I realized I cared. Somehow this tepid, slow-paced thriller full of frustrations and annoyances convinced me to root – ever so slightly – for its dumb heroes.

The flick is about four friends who set off from the Florida Keys to the Bahamas on jet skis… which seems like a bad idea to me but I’m not a hot young actor in a suspense thriller. Anyhow, the expected happens and they are “rescued” by a nefarious fisherman.

The look of this flick is a real mixed bag. The camera work often feels awkward and low budget… but they get a lot of free atmosphere and set decoration from filming in the Keys, on the ocean, and aboard a fishing boat that’s seen better days.

The suspense and thriller moments were never as tight or taut as they clearly wanted them to be. What should have been thrilling suspense felt more annoying and aggravating. I wanted smarter characters who could move at more than a snail’s pace. It frustrated me greatly.

Which is when I realized my frustration was actually hiding the fact I wanted the characters to live. I wanted the abusive director with his slow pacing to let loose these people and let them be smart and clever. In that they weren’t was where I found my grudging respect for the film. It manipulated me into hoping they’d live regardless of the flaws.

Oh, and credit due… there’s a nice guest presences from the US Coast Guard… including boats, helicopters, and ambulances. It’s a strange compliment but they could have saved a lot of money cutting these vehicles and crew. But their appearance went past where a lot of movies would have cut to credits and I respected the effort.

So, yeah, this isn’t a very good movie and has a lot going against it… but I could recommend it if you wanted to see a pretty thriller starring pretty people who you just might want to live. But if you hate it, I didn’t actually recommend it. Nosirreebob.

Score: 71