Deep Blue Sea
review by Ren C.
Rated R
Studio: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Starring: Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport,
Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson
Written by: Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers and Wayne
Powers
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Retail Price: $24.98
Features: Commentary, Trailer, Documentaries, Deleted
Scenes, Stills Gallery
Specs: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English Subtitles
This is one of those great action movies where the plot
is completely secondary to the action sequences. The plot is
established merely as a reason to move the action along.
"Deep Blue Sea's" plot, tenuous at best, is that the
scientists in the underwater lab Aquatica are attempting to
harness the gray matter of sharks in order to create cures
for humanity's debilitating mental diseases, such as
Alzheimer's. The reason for this is that sharks never show
age, and never suffer from ailments like Alzheimer's.
These scientists are genetically altering the sharks in
order to enlarge their brains, thereby giving them more
material to work with. There is a side effect to this,
howeverÉthe sharks are getting smarter. With ultra-smart,
ultra-strong sharks, you can guarantee that someone is going
to wind up shark chow. The problem is complicated even
further when a major storm shuts down Aquatica, and forces
the scientists into a man versus nature battle with the
sharks.
Among the shark fodder is a surprisingly large group of
talented actors. Among the actors are Michael Rapaport,
Stellan Skarsgard, and the man himself Samuel L. Jackson.
While this is not a movie that will ever be remembered for
its great acting, the actors do the most with what they
have. The real star of the movie is, of course, the action.
That does not disappoint at all, providing several edge of
your seat shocks, and many twists and turns throughout the
course of the movie.
While many people have bashed the movie for being
contrived, it's not supposed to be a classic, it's supposed
to be a fun ride, and it definitely does that.
The movie was just released last year, and as such, it
looks really good. This is a movie where most of the action
takes place underwater and in dark places, so the blacks and
blues look very rich and full. The picture is crystal clear,
with no signs of grain or artifacts. Great transfer,
overall.
Again, the movie definitely shines here. As an action
movie, there is definitely going to be something for your
sound system to play with. Loud explosions, thunderclaps and
fast moving sharks all sound fantastic on this disc.
Warner Brothers has gone all-out on this disc, providing
basically everything that a fan of the movie would want. We
start with a commentary from director Renny Harlin and
Samuel L. Jackson. Harlin is very technical, taking the
viewer through which sharks were animatronic, and which were
CGI, and things of that nature. Jackson on the other hand
seems to realize the nature in which the movie is intended
and spends his time cracking on things that are on the
screen, up to and including him. Very entertaining.
Next is a documentary called "When Sharks Attack!" which
is the HBO making-of documentary. Not really all that
informative, leaning toward promoting the movie rather than
giving information about how the movie was made. As such,
the other documentary "The Sharks of Deep Blue Sea" is more
appreciated. This one goes in-depth into the making of the
sharks, and how they were used in the movie.
Also included are several deleted scenes, both with and
without commentary from Harlin. Harlin makes an excellent
point about these scenes, stating that they were cut because
the audience for a movie like this wants to see more action
than plot. The scenes were all right, but they would have
made the movie longer without really adding anything.
A stills gallery is included with-amazingly, photos from
the making of the film. Not terribly exciting, but a nice
inclusion nonetheless. The final supplements are the fairly
standard cast and crew bios, and the theatrical trailer.
There are also some DVD-ROM features included which,
according to the package, include genre essays, sampler
trailers, and access to an exclusive website. The only
complaint I have with the features is that there was a video
by LL Cool J for the song "Deepest Bluest", played over the
end credits. Unless it is a hidden feature that I didn't
find, the video is not here. It would have been a nice extra
piece to the puzzle, as would have been the MTV "Making the
Video" that was made for it. Overall, though, a nice set of
features.
The movie is definitely never going to be regarded as a
classic. It's one of those feel-good, no thinking movies
that we all love, and it's definitely been done justice
here. Warner Brothers has put together a nice package, with
great video, great audio and a good set of features. High
recommendation.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
(4/5)
(4/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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