Deep Blue Sea Review
by "Berge Garabedian" (drsuess AT microtec DOT net)August 5th, 1999
DEEP BLUE SEA
RATING: 7.5 / 10 --> Very good movie
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There was a time when films like JAWS and THE SHINING (9/10) scared the beejesus out of us. Nowadays, special effects have taken over the movie industry and Hollyland expects us to be thrilled by computer-generated houses and sharks. THE HAUNTING (4/10) failed miserably at this task, DEEP BLUE SEA on the other hand, chewed right into it and bit off my thumb up!
PLOT:
A team of research scientists genetically toy with sharks in order to find a cure for the human disorder of Alzheimer. When things go awry, the sharks get smarter, angrier and stronger. They also want to chew up those damn humans!
CRITIQUE:
In my mind, the definition of a "fun summer popcorn flick" has something to do with turning off your brain at the door, enjoying the thrills and chills of a preposterous yet interesting situation, laughing, biting your fingernails, and having a blast, whilst digging into your preferred snack de la jour (Nachos, cheese and salsa for me, thank you very much). If you go into this movie expecting to find the answers to genetic testing on animals and its ability to cure human diseases, you will be highly disappointed. If, on the other hand, you are going into this film expecting to find some cool-looking sharks chewing on human bodies, one-liners galore, over-the-top situations which hold you in bated breath, and a motley cast of diverse characters just waiting to be ripped to bits by these mutated sharks...then this puppy is definitely the summer movie for you! Think...JAWS on speed.
Unlike THE HAUNTING (4/10), this summer film doesn't rely solely on its special effects to do the trick. It adds interesting and entertaining characters, a plausible plot, some nice style, a heart-pounding score and even some genre-bending surprises here and there. I personally would have liked to have seen more of those rapid-fire sharks crunching into folk, but hey, I'm just a guy munching on nachos down here. The plot also doesn't take long to get going, and once it does, you could expect all kinds of crazy shark action. The story is obviously not rich in breadth, with a simple "shark angry-let's get away from the shark" explanation covering the rest of the film, but director Renny Harlin makes sure that we all have a blast in the meantime. Actor-wise, it is LL Cool J who steals the show with his one-liners, with the "Sam Jackson scene" being the most memorable, and the shark wrangler dude, Thomas Jane, also pulling in a fine performance. If you can't stomach scenes featuring humans being chewed up by large sharks, well guess what, stay away from this movie! But if you're looking for mindless entertainment, with a diverse cast, fun thrills and some super cool sharks, sharpen your fins and get your ass on over to your nearest multiplex, and prepare to dive right into this deep blue sea of blood (Okay, okay...no more puns!).
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
The "L" in Samuel L. Jackson's name stands for Leroy. Sam was an admitted drug user until he completed drug rehab two weeks before playing a drug addict in Spike Lee's JUNGLE FEVER. Some may remember him as Stacks Edwards from Martin Scorsese's 1990 mob flick GOODFELLAS (10/10). He also played the character of "Black Guy" in the 1989 Al Pacino thriller SEA OF LOVE (7.5/10). His city of birth is Washington, D.C.
Director Renny Harlin's birth name is Lauri Mauritz Harjola. He was born in Finland. He stands 6'4" and was married to tall actress Geena Davis for about four years.
Thomas Jane's (The Shark Wrangler) mom is an antiques dealer and his dad is a biogenetic-engineer. He has five younger siblings.
In the "wink or you'll miss it category", note that director Renny Harlin can be seen leaving the seaport facilities with the rest of some folks near the beginning of the movie. Guess he didn't want to stick around for any of the carnage, eh?
This film was originally titled TIME OUT.
The first scene of this film could easily be interpreted as an homage to the JAWS films.
Review Date: August 3, 1999
Director: Renny Harlin
Writers: Duncan Kennedy, Wayne Powers and Donna Powers Producers: Akiva Goldsman, Robert Kosberg, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche Actors: Samuel L. Jackson as Russel Franklin
LL Cool J as Preacher
Saffron Burrows as Dr. Susan McAlester Thomas Jane as Carter Blake
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
