DEEP BLUE SEA
Renny Harlin (1999)
4 STARS
Super intelligent sharks systematically sink an underwater research facility by manipulating the movements of the humans trapped inside. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it works. Deep Blue Sea has a charm that flips those sighs in to smiles and the eye rolls to bright eyed wonder. As long as you go in to this film aware that it isn’t Citizen Kane, or more appropriately, Jaws, you’ll have a good time.
The film is aware of its prestigious predecessors and rewards its audience with references to them; Alien and Jurassic park call backs can be found here as well as a very cheeky nod to Jaws. The shark that the scientists feed to their super sharks at the start of the film is the same size as ‘Bruce’, Jaws himself. It even has the same licence plate stuck between its teeth.
The pacing of the film is perfect with brilliant shock moments of drama, including the perfectly timed death of a certain Hollywood hero. The aesthetic of the film is also admirable, the combination of CGI and animatronics to represent the sharks works well and is quite honestly impressive for 1999, there are a plethora of films from this era in which the special effects truly take you out of the film. The acting, plot and cinematography also all maintain the relatively high standard.
Four stars may seem generous for this film but, in my opinion, this is the second-best shark film made to date. As long as you have a box of popcorn and a couple of friends to watch with, Deep Blue Sea will succeed in making you smile, laugh and there may even be a scream or two in there.