Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray

Deep Blue Sea

 (1999)

Researchers on the undersea laboratory Aquatica have genetically altered the brains of captive sharks to develop a potential cure for Alzheimer's disease. There is one unexpected side effect. The sharks are getting smarter. Which could mean trouble for the researchers. And lunch for the sharks.

For more about Deep Blue Sea and the Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray release, see the Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray Review

Starring: Saffron Burrows, Michael Rapaport, Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane, Jacqueline McKenzie
Director: Renny Harlin

Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray Review

Does Warner's catalogue release sink or swim?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 11, 2010

Nature can be lethal, but it doesn't hold a candle to man.

Renny Harlin seemed poised for a major breakout after he directed the entertaining Die Hard 2: Die Harder and the exhilarating Cliffhanger in the early 1990s, but alas, his career stagnated with a string of mediocre big-budget Action movies. Harlin's films suffer not from a lack of technical proficiency -- he can be counted on to craft a nice-looking and energetic movie -- but instead an absence heart and purpose, two key ingredients even in the Action genre. His films seem to settle for a big scope, loud violence, and plenty of adrenaline, but such attributes can only take a movie so far, and Harlin's become something of an anomaly as a filmmaker with one excellent film (Cliffhanger) under his belt and a bunch more that could have been so much better had they found more drama and emotion to counterbalance the overload of action. He's kind of a Michael Bay-lite, a director who knows both the nuts-and-bolts and the finer points of the Action movie better than most, and like Bay, his films rarely seem to excel beyond the basics. Deep Blue Sea is perhaps Harlin's most generic picture, a "smart shark" movie that's packed with high energy moments but that's lacking anything else to solidify it as something greater than a coherently-assembled string of action scenes. In other words, it's typically Harlin, a fine movie from a technical perspective but one that doesn't really resonate the way it should.

Real, mechanical, or CGI? Only Renny Harlin knows for sure.

The cure for Alzheimer's may lie inside the bodies of sharks; the sea-dwelling creatures show no signs of memory loss as they age, and scientist Susan McCallister (Saffron Burrows, The Bank Job) believes that with enough money, a few cooperative sharks, and a stable research facility, she can discover a cure for the terrible disease that could be administered in but a single pill. She solicits the world's wealthiest man, a pharmaceutical magnate named Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson, Sphere), to spend the weekend at her isolated lab in the middle of the ocean where she's on the verge of a major breakthrough. With the help of shark wrangler Carter Blake (Thomas Jane, The Mist), she secures her shark and the experiment goes as planned, with the extracted material demonstrating its ability to counter Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, the shark giveth, and the shark taketh away. Just when a celebratory mood has taken over the room, terror strikes: a scientist's arm is torn off by the jaws of an angry shark, and the facility is quickly besieged by several angry -- and abnormally intelligent -- Makos. The survivors struggle to survive both the crumbling facility and the deadly sharks, all the while trying to discover why the sharks are showing signs of heightened awareness, intelligence, and aggression. It's only a matter of time before the team is picked off one by one or drowned in the unforgiving environment deep below the ocean's surface.

Deep Blue Sea is a generically entertaining movie that's best suited for a lazy watch with expectations lowered to zero and the brain left at the door. Cliché, yes, but so is Deep Blue Sea, a movie constructed around a flimsy premise and hedging its bets on little more than a few shocking moments amidst an otherwise tedious and very wet 105 minutes. Indeed, Deep Blue Sea is basically setup, then a shark attack, then characters trying to escape, then a shark attack, then characters trying to escape, then a shark attack, then characters trying to escape, and so on, as the number of survivors is reduced by one every 15 or 20 minutes until only a few are left to try and make it through to the bloody end. There's no purpose to the film other than as basic escapist entertainment and a showcase for some horrific gore and a few cheap thrills; that's all well and good as not everything can be some deeply profound Criterion Collection-worthy piece of artsy cinema, but that doesn't mean that Deep Blue Sea couldn't have used a bit more feeling to put it over the top and into the realm of better-than-average. All that really saves the movie as it is Harlin's technical proficiency. His movie looks and sounds good -- even if the special effects haven't held up very well -- but even his spit-and-polish simply cannot save an otherwise trite and forgettable picture.

Even Deep Blue Sea's relatively strong cast seems wasted on a generic script and the resultant tone-deaf film. Thomas Jane brings some energy to the picture, but even the venerable Samuel L. Jackson seems to be doing little more than cashing the proverbial paycheck. There are several jarring instances where it seems the cast is content to monotonously recite their lines -- to literally scene-destroying effect -- and the listless performances only reinforce that film's overall generic tone. The characters are obnoxiously one-dimensional and typically none-too-bright, making it all the easier to root on the sharks, even if they do manage to sever a few limbs and devour unsuspecting people with grisly and occasionally nauseating effect. Gore fiends will love Deep Blue Sea for its arm-severing shot, though they'll likely be disappointed by the absence of some additional violence, most of which seems lost in the middle of some poorly-realized CGI effects. As with the rest of the picture, the special effects seem forced rather than natural; even Jaws -- a movie almost a quarter-century Deep Blue Sea's senior -- features far superior visual effects, not to mention a story built around characters rather than visuals. Deep Blue Sea might have been a better-than-average film with some TLC and less emphasis on what are some shoddy effects, but as it is, it's little more than a forgettable Action/Horror movie with no real value over any other movie of its kind, making it merely another footnote in Renny Harlin's textbook mediocre career.

Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Deep Blue Sea bites into Blu-ray with a steady and pleasant 1080p transfer. Although contrast seems occasionally out of balance and flesh tones exhibit a red push, Warner's transfer is generally handsome and film-like in texture, showcasing decent detailing and retaining a fair amount of grain. Details are strongest in close-up scenes; the image's dominant cold and watery gray-blue color scheme gives the image something of a slightly reserved appearance, and as a result backgrounds can appear a bit dulled, drab, and flat. The transfer is additionally neither super-sharp nor terribly soft, instead finding a rather pleasing middle ground throughout. There's no evidence of excessive digital tinkering, blocking, or banding. Blacks are stable throughout as well. Deep Blue Sea's transfer is unremarkably solid; it's not breathtaking and it's no way a disaster, either. This is an accurate and well-rounded Blu-ray transfer from Warner Brothers.

Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Deep Blue Sea's aggressive DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack lacks the absolute stability and crispness of the best lossless tracks, but it's nevertheless a rip-roaring good time that's loud and packed with excitement. The track is spacious and smooth, with music and sound effects both spilling out of every speaker. While the track never finds that pinpoint accuracy that seamlessly places the listener in the midst of the action, the sheer force behind the track almost makes up for what it lacks in precision. Bass rumbles throughout the listening area with regularity, and the heavier action scenes are as well-realized as the calmer elements heard primarily during the opening act where water gently rolls around the stage and seagulls merrily fly overhead. Later, a potent thunderstorm tears through the soundstage, and various heavy effects -- rushing water, explosions, and screams -- penetrate the listening area with startling authority. Dialogue is accurately relayed through the center speaker with a few nice echoing effects spilling out of the sides. As with the video, Warner's soundtrack is very impressive but not quite to the level of format perfection; fans should nevertheless find a great deal to like about this lossless presentation.

Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 


Warner Brothers scrapes together a few extras for this Blu-ray release of Deep Blue Sea. Things begin with an audio commentary track with Director Renny Harlin and Actor Samuel L. Jackson. Discussions include the origins of the film, the technology behind it, changes to the script, shooting locations, special effects, the performances of the mechanical sharks, and everything else that commentary veterans should expect of a track accompanying a midlevel movie; it's for diehard fans only. When Sharks Attack (480p, 15:02) is a basic behind-the-scenes piece that focuses on all the important shark elements, including shooting with real sharks, working with the mechanical sharks, and building them in the digital realm. This extras also touches on the film's score. Sharks of the Deep Blue Sea (480p, 8:19) is little more than an extension of the last piece as it further analyzes the sharks seen in the film. Also included is a selection of five deleted scenes with optional director commentary (480p, 7:59) and the Deep Blue Sea theatrical trailer (480p, 2:22).

Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 


Good cast, bland movie. Deep Blue Sea by its very nature was never destined for greatness, but the film could have benefited from a little more purpose beyond being merely a showcase for one shark attack after another. Deep Blue Sea works well enough in a vacuum; as mindless entertainment it does the trick, but more demanding fans might want to look elsewhere for their Action/Horror movie entertainment. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Deep Blue Sea features a quality technical presentation and a few extras, but the quality of the movie relegates this one to a recommendation as a rental only.

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