The River Wild review
A reimagining of the Meryl Streep/Kevin Bacon 1994 movie of the same name…The River Wild proves to be a worthwhile trip. Streaming on Netflix now.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The River Wild
Directed by Ben Ketai
Written by Ben Ketai and Mike Nguyen Le
Starring Adam Brody, Leighton Meester and Taran Killam
The River Wild Review
The initial reaction you see when a movie like The River Wild comes out is usually something like “why?”. We already have that movie, after all. Which is the first thing we need to talk about. While it’s not a straight remake of the 1994 Meryl Streep/Kevin Bacon vehicle…it is a whitewater rafting thriller where the danger lies in more than the rapids. Does the existence of the 1994 film mean that all rafting thrillers are now off-limits? Is it just the use of the name that marks a cardinal sin for the 2023 version? Is the original movie a classic of some kind where reimagining it is sacrilege? The answers to those questions should, in order, be: No, probably, and no. But here we are. With a movie that dares to tread the same waters as a decent movie from almost thirty years ago. “Why?” … “Why not?”
The River Wild takes the “why not?” approach. It doesn’t care that Meryl Streep braved these waters 29 years earlier in a movie that no one was talking about until a new movie dared to name itself the same thing. The damage that has been done by the recent history of remakes is unavoidable. We are quick to forget that some of the best genre movies have been reimaginings. The Thing, The Fly, It, Invasion of the Body Snatchers… There’s no shortage of quality coming from movies that have the same name as a previous iteration of a story. The River Wild (2023) may not be worthy of standing with those names…but it doesn’t deserve to be dismissed as a soulless cash-in of a known property either.
The River Wild (or River Wild in half the places you look…including the poster) tells the story of a whitewater rafting adventure that quickly descends into madness. Quickly is the operative word here. This movie wastes no time getting down to business. It keeps a high energy pace throughout the story and, with its 91-minute run-time, has very little padding to weigh it down.
Five people set out on this rafting adventure. River guide Gray (Taran Killam), his sister Joey (Leighton Meester) and friend Trevor (Adam Brody) are joined by two paying customers. We learn that Trevor did some prison time and that Gray got him this job to help him turn his life around. Joey is a doctor…which proves to be a conveniently helpful vocation early and often in The River Wild. One of the customers is injured during the first night. She claims that Trevor caused her fall. And it’s a bad fall. Her skull is fractured, and they are now in a race against time to save her life.
A lot happens in the first half hour of The River Wild. It never lets you catch your breath and makes for an excellent way to draw you into the story. Trevor doesn’t want to go back to prison. He begins to actively work against the group’s efforts to help the girl he injured. What makes this work so well involves the backstory between Trevor and Gray. We learn that he went to prison to protect Gray. This leaves Gray in a terrible spot. Stuck between having his friend’s back and doing what is right.
The River Wild escalates very quickly. Gray’s predicament of aiding the film’s villain gives us something fresh as the group attempts dangerous nighttime rafting or altercations at a ranger station. Trevor is desperate to get to Canada where he can cross the border and disappear. Joey wants to save the injured girl and get everyone out alive. Gray finds himself caught in between them.
This is a survival movie through and through. While it’s rafting sequences never rise to the level of danger felt in the original film…the movie sustains a balance of danger and tension throughout the whole ride. Brody is great (as always) in the antagonist role. His actions are based on his own self-preservation. He’s not a rote, cliched evil person. He’s a desperate one who does evil things. Killam is great as the tortured friend and brother. He does the extra heavy lifting of explaining how dangerous their ride is…which does more to create the suspense than the actual rafting sequences sometimes can. Meester’s Joey is a strong character to oppose Trevor. Smart, capable, and fearless…playing off the spiraling Trevor creates a great dynamic. It also makes Gray’s situation that much more interesting. The personal histories of the characters add just enough realism to the proceedings.
The River Wild is a trip filled with suspense, murder, chase scenes, interesting characters, desperate moments, and a will to survive on all sides. Fun and fast-paced…it justifies its existence to those who will give it a chance. It doesn’t try to be anything more than what it needs to be…and does what it needs to very well. With apologies to Meryl Streep, of course.
Scare Value
The River Wild starts the game with two strikes against it in many people’s minds. While not a remake…taking the same title of a well-known film tends to do more harm than good to perception. Which is funny given that the first movie to use that name isn’t exactly a classic anyway. For what it is…2023’s The River Wild is a fun, often breathless, trip. The actual rafting portions pale in comparison to the original…but the constant tension it creates make it a worthwhile watch.
3/5
The River Wild Links
Streaming on Netflix
Rent/Buy on VOD from Vudu
Buy on Blu-Ray from Amazon
