User reviews

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.

This is one of those 'why are the captives so stupid?' movies. The kind of film where any six-year-old would have behaved smarter than the three hostages. It's impossible to believe that even 20sometings could be as dumb...make that clueless...as the sort of good guys are in River Wild. Oh, and it's yet another film where an assailant fires a ten round magazine at least 20 times without reloading. And there's no indication of where he got a spare magazine either. But that's the least of the flaws in this thing. These people can't even use rocks! I can sum this mess up in one word: exasperating. Gave it a two for the scenery and overhead shots. This is one stupid movie.

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.

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.

The characters in this film make some of the dumbest decisions, and the main motivation for the "villain" really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Also for a film about rafting it doesn't have very many intense rafting scenes like the 94' film has. The storyline doesn't make a whole lot of sense and isn't written well at all. Plus the movie just ends abruptly.

The River Wild from 1994 is a much better film, and I just recommend watching that instead if you have never seen it. The new film is supposed to be inspired from it and not actually a remake, but it does take certain plot points from it. The original plot though is so much better in every way.

If you think it's a remake/reboot of The River Wild 1994,well you're basically wrong.. It has a few elements that feel similar a bad guy,rapids,rafting & survival.

This movie wasn't great but could of been worse,typical clichés & plotholes.

Was cast ok & acting was decent,cinematography was average.. The color tones & views of the river,felt lackluster/low-quality.

Spots in the movie dragged,as the storyline became redundant & predictable.

Although not a huge fan of partners working together,as it can usually negatively impact how their acting is.. Adam & Leighton did fine.

Is it worth seeing? Sure! It passes time or if you like,the actors or genre.

Still,best advice.. Watch the 1994 movie!

This reimagining of the exciting 1994 white water rafting crime/thriller of the same name, seemed to arrive out of nowhere. It's not a movie I think anyone expected to be "remade." It's strange that it released right at the 29th anniversary of the original. It perhaps would have made more sense to release it a year later on the 30th anniversary. Regardless, when I saw it pop up on Netflix, I hardly hesitated to jump in. I'm a big fan of the original, and I knew it would be ridiculous to expect this movie to be as good as that one. I was hopeful for an entertaining enough experience, but was prepared for a complete cheesefest. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this movie worked. Everything about it, from the cast to the action sequences to the story itself, is smaller scale than the 1994 film, yet I was put on edge. It'a got great tension!

Sure, there's at least a couple of moments where it's unrealistic and the characters are frustratingly dumb, but if you allow yourself to look past that, it's not hard to get pulled into the current of this story for an entertaining ride. Remakes get a bad rap, and I'm sure there will be those who express their opinion that this remake was unnecessary, but I think it hit the mark it was aiming at. I can't complain about it too much because I literally stated at the end of my review for the original film, that we needed some new white water rafting thrillers made, and here we've got one! I would have preferred an original movie over a remake, but this movie is very different from the other, so it works as its own thing. A matter of fact, don't try to compare the two movies when watching this one. Just enjoy it for what it is. It's a nice and short little thriller that's nothing special, but it's surprisingly easy to watch.

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.

Had zero expectations going into this film and I was hooked the whole way through. Acting was good, plot was thrilling and mostly believable. Main character was likable and I appreciated the use of her medical expertise throughout the journey, without it being too forced. There was some backstory that helped tie in the relationships and provided some character development. My jaw even dropped on a few separate occasions. I'm not usually a fan of action/adventure movies, but this was very enjoyable. The darker thriller elements added a lot to the film beyond rowing a boat on rough waters. Average rating should definitely be closer to 7/10!

WATCH THIS MOVIE !! Do not believe the reviews!!!

There are no spoilers in this review, so feel comfortable reading the little bit that I've written.

What I disliked about this movie, is the overall dark, "gray" or dreary look that it has. There's no real brightness or sunlight, which can give a movie a "dull" and/or "boring" feel.

There's no big "Hollywood effects" with that being said, What makes this movie scary, is knowing that all of this could actually happen to someone in real life.

No matter how long you've been acquainted with someone, do you really know them?

WATCH THIS MOVIE !!!

On a good note, that acting was actual decent from the main characters, which is rare from a beloew average film.

The problem? The writing, character development and direction. We do not get proper motivations on why the character is acting this way(think season 8 of GOT). So when one of the character 'turns', it feels out of place and throws off the whole movie. Two other characters follow suit in making decisions that are not on par with what we saw previously.

For plot device the director used stupidity. So many scenes where you want to toss something at your TV. Grab that! Run! Tell someone! Grab that again! Somehow my TV made it unscathed from the objects I was throwing at it.

In an attempt to try and relive old times, an estranged sister and brother duo decide to go on a rafting trip, accompanied by a few others which include the latter's unhinged childhood friend which is a dead giveaway that bad things are certain to happen. A supposed remake or more appropriately a standalone sequel to the vastly superior Meryl Streep-Kevin Bacon thriller, but aside from the title and a whitewater setting the two have almost nothing in common; this is one of those movies where you have to constantly question, or rather just yell at the screen while watching clueless characters make one foolish decision after another. It helps a little that the scenery is nice, it hurts a lot that the acting is unimpressive and the outcome pretty obvious. **

My main gripe with this one was how predictable I thought it was. You could almost predict scene by scene what was going to happen even to when the credits started rolling.

The villain was kind of predictable but from the movies tagline you thought it was someone else. I just found him to be kind of annoying and definitely overreacting in all of his decisions. I don't think a person would behave like that in this circumstance. Bad writing?

The scenery was obviously beautiful. It still wasn't enough to make me want to take a float trip in those waters but it was beautiful.

Just an on predictable thriller. You've seen this before.

This movie is so bad on so many levels. Adam Brody in this role is comical. From the first moment he arrives on screen I was laughing. His fake tattoos and whiny voice just really cracked me up. You could tell right away they wanted him to be "the bad guy" but that added to the comedy.

The fact that the other lead male actor on the film (whose name I don't recall, Matt...??) did not even attempt to overpower such a wimpy excuse for a man was also comical. This other guy was significantly larger and also a much better actor, by the way. Between him and the two other files they easily could've overpowered Adam with his handgun. I can't believe the directors ever thought this casting would work. I guess Adam takes what he can't get since the OC and I thought his performance in Shazam would've helped his career, but I guess his ability is limited likely due to his horrid voice and annoying persona.

Leighton Meester (or whatever her name is) looked worn out, old, and just plain out of place in this film compared to the other women in the film. She had the same look on her face the entire time but barely did nothing to develop any type of character. I'm guessing they cast her because of her "name".

I never wrote reviews on here but felt so offended by this horrid film that I had to add my two sense. If you do decide to watch, please come back to let us know how horrible you thought it was. Because I am certain that's what you'll say. Trash, right up to the very end.

When deciding whether to invest over 90 minutes of my life in watching a new movie, I typically consult IMDb. If it has 5.9 stars or less, I usually decide to move on. But this particular movie was available on an airplane, and checking IMDb wasn't practical, so I decided to just give it a whirl. To my surprise, it turned out to be a hidden gem. Even more surprising was finding out later that it only had a 5.4 rating on IMDb.

How could this movie have such a low rating? Were we all watching the same film?

Maybe we were, but I think we were looking for different things. While others were busy counting plot holes, I was more focused on how the movie made me feel. To me, it felt raw, quietly tense, chilling, and well-acted.

What also stood out was how this version reimagines the classic film River Wild, originally featuring Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep. The dynamics between the central characters have been reworked, making this one feel edgier and grittier than the 1994 version. It brings fresh character motivations, an undercurrent of suspense, and new energy. The eerie music and cinematography also played a key role in driving the chilling tone throughout.

This remake actually has something to offer, and I'm glad I didn't miss it. It may not be perfect, but it deserves more credit than it got.

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.

I loved her in gossip girl and I love her music too. Not sure why she's not as big as co star Blake Lively. This is NOTHING like the Meryl Streep version they both are about rafting down a wild river and there is a dangerous psycho criminal involved. Everything else is different this was very well directed acted and exciting. Gorgeous Idaho scenery too. It's a great little thriller and very appropriate for any age as long as it's realized it's got murders in it. No gore and no swearing. I don't know why I have to keep writing IMDB should require less words to post a review. Solid action Thriller!!!!!!

Okay is the best word to describe it. The characters are likeable - just enough to worry for. The cinematography is gorgeous. Still, the underdeveloped script limits the other actors from being able to portray characters with actual unique and engaging personalities. The 1.5 hours are way too short to successfully pull off a riveting story, sad because there was great potential here. By the time the scene was set and context was given, the movie had 20 minutes left.

Meester and Brody, with their central, vitaI roles, save 'River Wild' from being a dull documentary, making it an actual thriller movie.

Leighton Meester portrays her fear so well, even with such a script, a pit grew in my stomach with her emotion. Her wails were so uncomfortable to watch. Great job.

Brody took a character with about a sentence's worth of provided backstory, and gave us a performance that says so much whilst saying so little about the characters history. He was truly psycho. It was great.

The other actors did a good job with what they were given, but sadly their characters were given little attention, so their dialogue was forgettable. It's always a real shame when a movie uses characters purely to progress the plot then just keeps them silent the rest of the film.

Overall, I would watch this film when i'm craving a thriller on a Friday night before I completely dose off. It goes by so quick and lacks substance, so you need to be unfocused to enjoy and ignore its faults. I'm usually overcritical so my review focuses mainly on negatives so it sounds like it would be a 4, but I'd give 'River Wild' a 5-6/10.

Another, what has become typical, crappy unimaginative Netflix movie. Incredibly poorly written. Completely unbelievable scenerios. Looks like someone needed to give a buddy a writing job. So they did a dreadful, lazy remake of The Rivers Wild.

As if 3 adults in a raft, armed with paddles couldn't have easily and swiftly taken the scrawny bad guy out within the first 5 minutes.

This movie isn't suspenseful. It's simply annoying, stupid avs frustrating

Netflix is turning into just another version of Lifetime. Stupid, unoriginal poorly written films.

Really! This is the best you can come up with?