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594 comments in total

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49 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun and entertaining, 6 June 2001
Author: Sunil Patel (poltrcow@umich.edu) from Ann Arbor, Michigan

After the opening scene of *Deep Blue Sea*, in which (predictably) a shark terrorizes a quartet of partying teenagers on a boat, I decided I was in for a crappy movie. A crappy movie that would contain basically every movie AND horror movie cliche I could think of. I was right. And wrong.

I will say that the premise for this movie is great: super-intelligent sharks. Sharks are bad enough, but...smart sharks? Immediately you have terrifying possibilities running through your mind. The sad fact, though, is that this is one of those movies where the screenwriters (and I can't believe it took three people to come up with this) threw some dice and picked which character was going to die next. That's what the plot boils down to: things go wrong; someone dies. More things go wrong; someone else dies. And so on. People whom you couldn't care less about die. People who you really don't want to see die die.

The people are an interesting band of characters. The female scientist, pleasing to the eye and the ear (I'm a sucker for accents), is utterly consumed by her research. (And for all you testosterone-driven males, she does strip down to her underwear in one scene.) Samuel L. Jackson goes about saying his lines as president of a pharmaceutical company. I just love the way Michael Rapaport talks: he's welcome in any movie. LL Cool J deftly provides the comic relief and was clearly the audience favorite. Sure, there are some other characters, but pretty much everyone's one-dimensional, as expected.

I think I've bashed this movie enough. It's time to get to the crux of the argument: this is an entertaining movie. As soon as the movie entered the lab facility, I became completely immersed in the film. As the movie progressed, I didn't think about how long it had gone on and mentally calculate how much was left. Once the trouble started, the movie grabbed me and never let go. I was not perhaps literally on the edge of my seat, but no outside thoughts penetrated my mind. It's not that the movie is scary or anything; it's that it's suspenseful. Predictably suspenseful, but suspenseful nonetheless. There is one scene in the film (I cannot conclusively tell whether it falls nearer or the beginning or the middle because, as I said, I lost track of time) during which I sensed the ENTIRE AUDIENCE jumping out of their seats. At the risk of getting off on a tangent, the sharks were believable. And the speed at which they moved unnerved me. They did succeed at their purpose: to keep a continual shudder running through my body. Let's just say you couldn't get me within ten miles of that facility. Oh, look, I did get off on a tangent, just great. At times I of course found myself wondering why some of these characters were so unbelievably stupid in their actions, but it's all part of the fun. And that's what I ended up deciding about this movie: it was fun. Blood-soaked, cringe-inducing fun.

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43 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
Under the right conditions, it's entertaining, 10 September 1999
Author: Wizard-8 from Victoria, BC

I saw DBS for $2.50 on the big screen (cheaper than renting it on video), and on that day I was desiring nothing more than a dumb action flick that would entertain me for about 100 minutes. That's what I got, so I was satisfied.

Still, under different circumstances (higher admission price, wanting something more out of a movie on the day of seeing it, etc.) I probably wouldn't have liked it. The characters were really thin - you hardly learned a thing about them, and they were pretty much interchangable. The dialogue was weak and cliched. The sharks - supposedly intelligent - didn't get much of a chance to show their supposed intelligence. The sets were okay, but still had a look to them that suggested that extra money could have polished them up. The characters commit some really stupid actions along the way.

Wait until you are in the right frame of mind, and it's free or at a low price. Chances are then you'll be acceptably entertained.

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33 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Not that "Deep", Just fun, 27 July 1999
Author: Brian Orndorf from Minneapolis

"Deep Blue Sea"

With "Die Hard 2", "Cliffhanger", the misunderstood "Cutthroat Island", the underrated "Long Kiss Goodnight" and guilty pleasure (but pretty damn good) "Adventures Of Ford Fairlane", Renny Harlin has proven himself time and again as one of the most visually competent action directors around. I've always stood behind his work, I sincerely love most of his movies. With "Deep Blue Sea", Harlin is in the midst of trying to keep his career going due to the low box office take of his previous films. The result is a movie that's on autopilot. An attempt to reclaim the respect of the studios and the audience with a slam-bang summer film that gets the job done easily, you just won't respect it in the morning.

Maybe the largest problem in "Deep Blue" is the casting. Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane lead the cast that also includes Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, and Michael Rapaport. Both Burrows and Jane give what can only be described as seriously lacking performances. As the members of a science and research team in a state-of-the-art ocean facility off the coast of Baja, Mexico, the crew is in the midst of a study on sharks. The sharks hold the key to a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease and other brain dysfunctions(explained more thoroughly in the trailer for the film than in the actual film). The scientists have enlarged the brain of the beasts, making them smarter and faster. When a corporate executive (Jackson) arrives for a tour of the facility, the sharks begin an uprising that threatens the crew's very existence. Out in the middle of nowhere, the team tries to survive both the sharks and the sinking structure.

Saffron Burrows is just the wrong choice for the lead scientist role. Her British monotone ruined a bad film ("Wing Commander") and brought down a good one ("The Loss Of Sexual Innocence"). I don't believe she has that much talent besides her beauty, and her lethargic presence here directly conflicts with the high-octane action that surrounds her. Thomas Jane on the other hand, was good in the role of Dirk Diggler's drug-dealing friend in "Boogie Nights". He seemed more alive in 30 minutes of screen time in that film than all 95 minutes of "Deep Blue Sea". I'm a bit surprised that nobody mentioned the lack of enthusiasm during filming. For the lead role, the film needed someone who can burst off the screen with fury and charm. Jane has neither. He leaves the film all wet.

Saying that "Deep Blue Sea" needed better acting might be stretching it a bit. This is a action film with plenty of thrills and many explosions. You cannot expect Shakespeare when you buy a ticket to this. Still, the script credited to three writers is very weak(I assume large parts of the story were cut for time) and the score by Trevor Rabin is the blandest, most perfunctory music to hit the ears in a long time. Hopes were really high for this, but all the bad parts add up quickly.

Harlin's specialty is the action sequence. He's one of the few directors left who knows how to squeeze the audience just right. "Deep Blue" is filled with wonderful suspense sequences and a genuine amount of anxiety. The computer-generated sharks move with alarming speed and dexterity. They keep the patrons on their toes. I cannot remember the last time I heard an audience scream with fear. Harlin milks every moment for the most thrills. I was very tense throughout the film. Rare for a guy as jaded as me.

The comparison to "Jaws" is very unfortunate. Just because the film features sharks doesn't immediately suggest a "Jaws" ripoff. We have had about 10 high school films with interchangeable plots and identical climaxes, yet nobody bats an eye over that. "Deep Blue Sea" stands alone with it's rousing thrills and deeply undernourished script. "Jaws" it ain't.

It's hot and the summer is about 3/4 of the way through. Escapism with "Eyes Wide Shut" or "Blair Witch Project" is impossible. "Deep Blue Sea" feeds the good old need of action, action, and more action. It's summer entertainment in the highest order, and damn it, the thing works. Hopefully Harlin can rebound in the future with better material. For now, this is the best source of thrills for the summer. ---------- 7

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27 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
The Sharks ate the plot, 30 December 2006

Author: mjw2305 from England

Deep Blue Sea is one of those films that you simply cannot take seriously or you will go out of your mind with annoyance. It seems like the film makers thought about having a plot, but then they found they could have way more fun playing with the CGI Sharks (which are pretty good actually) The conversation between the film makers probably went something like this.

'Hey i have a great idea for a story, we can breed super sharks with oversize brain capacity in the quest to find a cure for Altziemers disease'

'That sounds good, then we can have the sharks get out of control and add some action sequences'

'Yeah good idea, but lets show the scientific side first while we build the characters'

'Yeah of course we have to build the characters and set the scene, wow what's that over there; come and take a look what the special effects team have done it's brilliant'

'Wow that's really cool, lets have lots of that.'

'But what about the story and character depth'

'We could always show the sexy female lead in her underwear, i reckon that and loads of sharks and death will distract the audience enough and they'll never notice'

And so Deep Blue Sea was born, and guess what? It's actually a good laugh and has wall to wall action, sharks and blood; and oh yeah! The female lead gets down to her underwear too, SHOCKER!

Please accept my apologies for the rather corny review, but i felt it was very fitting for this movie.

6/10 By the way Yes i did enjoy it, just in case you were wondering.

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27 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
Better than SOME People think, 29 July 2005

Author: George Mirams from United Kingdom

This is a lot better than people seem to think. Its a good shark movie, but completely different then the more sedate Jaws and some of the scenes are actually quite scary. When i first watched this i must have been 9 years old and i WAS scared. It has humour, shocks, action what more could you possibly ask for? Who cares about a complicated plot, this is a popcorn blockbuster which you will enjoy for 1 1/2 hours. The simple plot works (scientist finds cure for Alzeimers in sharks brains, unfortunately sharks brains are too small for the drug to be widely produced so the scientists create genetically modified sharks that are bigger so therefore have bigger brains. Unfortunately (again) the sharks get smarter and etc. Also this gets 5.5 out of 10 and Deathwatch gets 5.6 out of 10, no way is that very poor excuse for a horror film is better then this shark infested tale

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21 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Good laughs make up for its lack of terror., 7 March 2006

Author: TOMASBBloodhound from Lincoln, NE USA

Deep Blue Sea is really more of a satire than anything else, despite the frightening image on the DVD cover. As you view this film, you will notice the tendency of the better actors to become shark food before the lesser ones. This actually leads to some pretty good surprises along the way.

The plot centers around a group of scientists trying to genetically engineer the brains of sharks to help find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. All they end up doing is making a trio of hungry sharks smart enough to hunt in packs and wipe out most of the humans in the underwater facility. The film has plenty of stomach-churning gore, but the humor of the film makes it easier to take. The film was directed by Renny Harlin who usually knows how to pace his films, and his skill is on display here with this one.

The acting is not very memorable since basically all those who can act are gone before the end of the first hour. Thomas Jane (Boogie Nights) and LL Cool J are pretty much the heroes, and they do as well as they can within the limitations of the script. The film could have used a better title, in my humble opinion. "Deep Blue Sea" sounds almost like some romance film you might find on Lifetime or some women's network.

BIG SPOILER: As far as the biggest highlight of the film is concerned..... well, let's just say I have nothing at all against Samuel L. Jackson. I could, however, count on one hand the number of times I've laughed harder at something in a movie than I did after his death scene. That was unexpected, and hilarious. Anyone who claims they saw that coming is full of it.

Deep Blue Sea is a fun movie. It's well-paced, has some thrills, and may keep you guessing. It's certainly no classic, and you won't remember much the next day after seeing it, but you could do much worse for a night of movie-watching.

6 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

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29 out of 43 people found the following comment useful :-
really good shark movie, 24 January 2005

Author: total_sweetheart from United States

i'm no professional, but i thought deep blue sea was an excellent shark movie. the sharks were scary, surprising and fast. i thought the casting was excellent ("carter" was a cutie and the cook was funny) and i really liked the ending...no matter what anybody says. i thought the plot was good and simple enough that you didn't have to do any deep thinking really. and there really wasn't enough time during attacks for my stomach to untense. the girl scientist's accent got annoying at times, but she was a believable character. i wasn't crazy about samuel l jackson's character, but he made it work...and did i add that the shark attacks were scary and GOOD!! i'll admit it...i JUMPED!!

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18 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
A CGI Masterpiece, 19 April 2008

Author: alexkolokotronis from Queens, New York

This is true but that doesn't mean it was a great movie. The effects were just simply great, especially for a shark movie. Definitely ahead of the Jaws series and almost everything else in terms of effects.

The directing was not great but it was not bad. Harlin does enough to keep you entertained the whole movie but that is about it. Don't expect some Spielberg Jaws masterpiece. What pushed it to above average was the one kill scene that you will never see coming. His directing probably made it more funny than scary. That is not horrible though. I won't say who though. The acting was average. This is not a superb cast but that shouldn't be too shocking if you look at the storyline. Nothing else is really worth talking about in the technical aspects.

Just watch it and you will see why it is just a CGI masterpiece.

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17 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Just when you thought it was safe to go into the video store., 27 July 2005

Author: communistgodzilla from Canada

If 'Jaws' and 'Alien' had a baby, that baby would probably look a lot like Deep Blue Sea', a big, loud, dumb action movie that doesn't try to pretend to be anything else. It's short on logic, the dialog is dumb, most of the actors don't seem to be trying very hard, and the science is dubious at best, but despite all that, 'Deep Blue Sea' manages to entertain.

The plot of the movie is simple: a group of scientists at an undersea research facility are on the verge of discovering a cure for Alhzheimer's disease. How? By meddling about with the brains of live sharks (don't ask). Things are going swimmingly, until Mother Nature grows tired of having some of her creations tampered with. One typhoon and several gratuitous explosions later, the scientists find themselves cut off from the surface of the facility and at the mercy of a group of sharks that are smarter than the average fish. It seems that those meddling scientists made the sharks smart, and they're about to pay for their folly. With the base flooding and sharks roaming the corridors, the survivors find themselves in a race for survival.

For the most part, 'Deep Blue Sea' works fairly well, and there are some good jolts and action sequences, but at the same there's nothing here that's particularly fresh. However, there is one death that is so unexpected and surprising, you might find yourself hitting the 'back' button on the DVD remote to make sure you weren't seeing things.

'Deep Blue Sea' is not an actor's movie, but most of the cast acquits itself fairly well. Rapper LL Cool J does a good job with what could be a clichéd character (the religious man who struggles with his faith under dire circumstances), and injects the role with humanity and humor. He also has a very memorable encounter with a shark in a kitchen. Thomas Jane has the 'action hero' part, and he's solid, but unspectacular. Saffron Burrowes is okay as the lead scientist, and she's not above stripping down to her undies if the situation calls for it. But once again, no one will be watching 'Deep Blue Sea' for the acting. The sharks are the stars, and everyone involved with the movie knows that.

'Deep Blue Sea' is not a classic movie, but it delivers in its own modest way. If you can't get enough movies about people and the sharks that eat them, you can do much worse than this.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Tense and underrated film from an under-appreciated director., 17 August 2008

Author: BroadswordCallinDannyBoy from Boston, MA

The premise of many movies can usually be crudely approximated by saying that it is: *insert movie title here* meets *another movie title*. Sometimes you can put in a "via *yet another movie title*" at the end for additional detail. If that's the case, then this movie is simply "Jaws" meets "Aliens" via "Godzilla" or "Jurassic Park." It is a very simple premise. But this movie is all about the execution.

And the execution is very good. Nicely done elaborate sets, tense pacing, and some truly heart-pounding moments as scientists who have become trapped in an underwater, and slowly sinking deeper, facility try to make it out alive. The science is perhaps a little less fascinating that the science (or, rather, science-fiction) of "Jurassic Park," and the science aspect of the film is kept to a minimum as this film is all about suspense. And it knows it, and as a result, that is just what it serves.

Directed by the quite underrated Renny Harlin who has never had too much success after the smash sequel to "Die Hard" and the reasons are all beyond me. He directs great action scenes that make use of a variety of techniques and not just the quick frenetic cutting that other action directors seem to love. He really captures the motion of the action that is happening, and he manages to do it in a nice graceful fashion, which is ironic in capturing utter chaos. But that is really no matter since it works wonderfully. A scene where a helicopter crashes resulting in a tremendous explosion is a terrific example of this and it only gets better from there. Despite some corny story elements (this is an action movie, remember) and some glaringly obvious CGI (I don't think they dared use real sharks for some scenes!) it is still entertaining since the clichés are not there to the point of insult. In an action movie, clichés are inevitable, since the focus is on action and not deep plot. Many films fail at this by providing an assault on the senses for action, lame attempts at drama (that can be side-stepped in an action film with some cliché), and unrealistically badass characters. Sure, an action hero has got to be badass to a point, but some are just plain old silly since it totally conflicts with the drama they a film often tries to inject into its characters. Harlin has a knack for realizing this and offering great action/suspense and an acceptable level of cliché that is just part of the genre. --- 8/10

BsCDb classification: 13+ --- violence/gore

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