A film review by Gio Corsi Copyright © 1999 Gio Corsi

They say that trouble comes in three's... well that's what they say anyway and it is true for Director Renny Harlin. He first burst onto the scene with little films like NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. 4 and THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE but then he scored the successful one-two punch with DIE HARD 2 and CLIFFHANGER, then trouble started. First off, there was the big-budget, big-bomb CUTTHROAT ISLAND, then came the critically-praised but little seen THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT. With these two black marks against him, Harlin took a few years off but returned in a big way with his sharks-gone-bad film, DEEP BLUE SEA. Would this film pull his career out of it's nose-dive? Or would it be the final nail in the coffin and mark the end of him? I don't know, but I do know this, I have never been more entertained by a movie I disliked.

DEEP BLUE SEA is the story of Dr. Susan McAlester (played by WING COMMANDER's Saffron Burrows), a researcher who's working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease at a oceanic research facility bankrolled by Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson). Since Sharks are the only creature that don't suffer from de-generative brain tissue with age, Dr. McAlester hopes to genetically enhance some Sharks brains in order to provide enough proteins to hopefully make a cure for human brain degeneration or Alzheimer's Disease. Unfortunately, these enhanced sharks become much smarter and more fierce along the way. One weekend while Russell Franklin is inspecting the facility and only a skeleton crew is on shift, a storm rolls in keeping most people off of the surface and within the underwater confines of the station. It is at this point that the three genetically-mutated sharks decide to declare war on the doctors and the rollercoaster ride begins.

One thing Renny Harlin can do is action and there's a lot of it in this film and I do mean a lot. Once all the pieces are in place, the action doesn't stop until the end of the film and if that's what your looking for, then you won't be disappointed. These few characters try their damnedest to escape from the bowels of the facility to the surface, but these smart-sharks are trying their best to stop them and make them a main course. As you can imagine, they try everything to get topside but the sharks try everything to get to them and I mean c'mon, how the hell is some scientist gonna beat a genetically-mutated-brain-enhanced shark that's 30 feet long? Could you?

Speaking of sharks... I found the shark effects to be an impressive mix of CG and animatronics. Where JAWS used subtlety and rare shots of the shark to build up tension, DEEP BLUE SEA goes for "in your face" sharks that are always in the picture. Sometimes it is obviously CG but the cuts are quick enough so not to destroy the effects totally. What really got me were the shark attacks, more violent and bloody then any other shark/sea movie, when these guys attacked, you knew there was no way out. Some of the shark attacks were so surprising and original (one in particular), they alone made the movie better.

Now for the downside, the script. Again I mention the script and it seems to be a major point for me in my reviews because so many movies no longer rely on one (most recently THE HAUNTING). Sure enough there is a basic story and plotline that barely covers the entire film but there is no depth and the dialogue is absolutely ludicrous. It is so unbelievable that these type of intelligent characters, caught in this type of incredible situation would utter such stupid dense tripe! Also the acting could have been much stronger, great talent like Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgård (RONIN, GOOD WILL HUNTING) and Michael Rapaport (COPLAND) are barely used and when they speak you can't help but shudder at the unbelievability of their lines. Lesser known actors like Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows and rap-accident LL Cool J carry the movie through the murky script. Burrows in particular does an above-adequate job of her character but I had to laugh everytime Jane's character "Carter the Shark Wrangler" spoke because his character was so silly. Sure he pulled off the action but the dialogue? C'mon and I mean really, how effective is a Shark Wrangler gonna be against these things?

Despite these truly gaping problems with the movie I did enjoy it for the most part. I laughed a few times, I jumped a few others and didn't find myself bored throughout the film. If you truly can leave your brain at the door and accept that you are gonna see a mindless-action-rollercoaster ride, then you will love this film. But if you are like me, you need to use your brain a bit even if it is solely for entertainment purposes. I've read nothing but great press about this film and while DEEP BLUE SEA is enjoyable, it is far from good and it needs a lot more meat on it for this shark to call it truly great.

	Running Time: 95 Min | Rated R | US Release: July 28th | More >>

Related 'Deep Blue Sea' Links:

• Official Site
• Ravecentral: Deep Blue Sea
• Upcomingmovies.com: Deep Blue Sea
• Moviefan Online - DBS Theatrical Preview

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