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The Bay Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    66

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 40

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times

    The story becomes more ridiculous as it escalates, the film's over-determined ecological focus undermining any real horror movie tension. Levinson's casting choices are off-the-mark as well - star Kether Donohue is just plain bad.

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  • 40

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    There is a lot of nasty stuff to look at, but very little that is genuinely haunting, jolting or terrifying.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    Village Voice

    Despite a handful of legit creepy moments, the film's concern with superficial realism prevents it from really hitting home; its fuzzy, fractured depiction of disaster never comes close to conjuring the "holy shit it could happen here don't touch that doorknob" real-world paranoia of last year's artfully Hollywood-ized disaster film, "Contagion."

    Read Full Review

  • 63

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    Although there are some scary moments here, and a lot of gruesome ones, this isn't a horror film so much as a faux eco-documentary.

    Read Full Review

  • 91

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    One hell of a creepy little eco-horror picture.

    Read Full Review

  • See all The Bay reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 16+

Fake docu about disturbingly believable gory disaster.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Bay -- a horror movie about a terrifying, murderous environmental disaster -- is made up of "found" footage from various video cameras (it's presented as a documentary but is fiction). There's lots of death and blood, as well as a general disgusting, disturbing tone as survivors try to figure out what the culprit is and how it works. Language is strong, with several uses of "f--k" and "s--t," both spoken and written (in text messages and emails). In one scene, a teen boy and girl flirt briefly before going swimming; the teen girl is shown in her bra. The Bay comes from the creator/producer of the Paranormal Activity movies, though it's unlikely to have the same kind of draw.

  • Families can talk about The Bay's violence. What's the impact of seeing dead bodies in large numbers vs. people getting killed off one by one in (as in a slasher movie)? How does a movie's plausibility affect the impact of its violence?
  • Does this movie's premise seem believable? Does the fake documentary format help? Why do you think filmmakers are drawn to that format?
  • What does The Bay have to say about the environment? Should we, as citizens, be more aware of what's going on around us? How?

The good stuff
  • message true1

    Messages: A cautionary tale -- albeit a bloody, scary one -- The Bay could inspire teen viewers to be more aware of environmental issues and how man's actions can change things in both subtle and drastic ways.

  • rolemodels true1

    Role models: Donna is a college-age reporter who survived an ordeal and later pieces its story together on video. From her vantage point of hindsight, she criticizes her own prior ignorance and her on-camera performance. But on the positive side, she has learned from her mistakes and shows a great deal of bravery and selflessness in trying to tell her story to the world.

What to watch for
  • violence false4

    Violence: Dozens upon dozens of dead bodies -- including kids -- with lots of blood (dripping and oozing) and amputated limbs. Also dead fish and birds. A creepy bug jumps out of a fish's mouth and later burrows out of a man's neck. People, including a young girl, have weird boils and blisters covering their skin. Characters throw up blood. They eventually describe the perpetrator: a mutated parasite that not only eats its victims from the outside in but also from the inside out. (Victims' tongues are eaten, but this isn't shown.) There's a general sense of disgust and discomfort throughout the movie. A baby is part of a particularly scary scene.

  • sex false1

    Sex: Two teens flirt briefly before going swimming. A teen girl is shown in her bra/bathing suit. A married couple is shown being comfortable with each another and kissing. While watching herself on video, Donna makes a comment about how tight her pants are.

  • language false4

    Language: Strong language includes several uses of "s--t" and "f--k"; they're also shown in text messages and email. Other words include "son of a bitch," "damn," "hell," and terrified uses of "Jesus" and "oh my God."

  • consumerism false1

    Consumerism: Google and YouTube are used on various computers.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.333
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
1

Please take heed! Either by MovieFanAddict74
If you see this film, you will be more than grossed out. It will kill your like of seafood, will have you drinking purified water for days, and generally keep you away from the beach, lakes, bays, and rivers. It IS a film. Not a documentary, but I sure jumped, and covered my eyes. NOTHING EVER scares me or really grosses me out, but this film sure did. I warn you to really think twice about seeing it. If you fish, like sushi, or seafood in general, be prepared to look at it all suspiciously for a long time. That being said, the SFX was pretty obvious. SFX makeup was very obvious, and the digital SFX was just above mediocre. However, it really wasn't the makeup, the gore, or any of that, that really did me in, it was the true footage mixed in from news reports, as well as the knowledge that what I saw is entirely possible. See it at your own risk! I can either rate it as a Must Go if you really are into this or OH No, if you don't go for the horror that can actually happen.

Read all The Bay reviews at Fandango
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