Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.
Director: Renny Harlin · Writers: Donna Powers, Duncan Kennedy, Wayne Powers
Researchers on the undersea lab Aquatica have genetically altered the brains of captive sharks to develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there's an unexpected side effect: the sharks got smarter, faster, and more dangerous. After a big storm damages their remote research facility, they must fight for their lives.
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Trailer
Director
Renny Harlin
Cast
Saffron Burrows
Dr. Susan McAlester 
Thomas Jane
Carter Blake 
LL Cool J
Preacher 
Samuel L. Jackson
Russell Franklin 
Jacqueline McKenzie
Janice Higgins 
Michael Rapaport
Tom Scoggins 
Stellan Skarsgård
Jim Whitlock 
Aida Turturro
Brenda Kerns 
Cristos
Boat Captain 
Daniel Rey
Helicopter Pilot 
Valente Rodriguez
Helicopter Co-Pilot 
Brent Roam
Helicopter Winch Operator User Reviews (6)
There's quite a cast assembled for _Deep Blue Sea_, not what we've come to expect from the Asuylum-soiled genre of shark movies in this day and age. It's not a fantastic movie, but it proves more watchable that 90% of its company. _Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole_.
Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend. This is probably my favorite shark movie. I know "Jaws" did a thing back when, but I like this better. It doesn't mean it's a better movie, the same way that more people like pizza than salad even though salad is a better food. The biggest part of why I like it so much better is that it's a survivalist situation, in an isolationist setting, and the sharks are "intelligent" so they're actively hunting the humans so it becomes a killer creature feature too. The cast is really good, and you should probably recognize about half the faces, whether or not they've been in Marvel movies. The split story lines bother me a bit, and more when they're voluntary, but it works. And when someone gets eaten by a shark, everyone else greedily makes an opportunity of it in a good survivor's fashion. This is a movie fueled by adversity ins…
An engaging thriller with a mindless plot, Deep Blue Sea managed to keep me hooked throughout its loud 100-minute running time. A doctor and her team of researchers looking to find a cure for Alzheimer's in sharks in an isolated facility in the middle of an ocean - what more do you need for some sweet chaos while also supported by some unethical practices? Deep Blue Sea is not the most realistic shark film out there but it has a lot of cool action, suspense, the added pleasure of flooding sequences, and a protagonist that you love to hate. Go for it. (Grade B-). TN.
**Peak corny shark goodness!** 🦈🦈🦈 Deep Blue Sea falls prey to every shark movie trope and has a blast doing it. Embracing its cheesiness makes this movie one is the all-time best shark flicks—a fabulous cocktail of 90s cheese, sharks, and surprising twists. If you haven’t seen this one, I guarantee you will be surprised by who survives and who doesn’t.
The science behind this may well be plausible - that cures for human ailments may well rest elsewhere in the animal kingdom. To that end Saffron Burrows ("Susan") enlists the help of millionaire philanthropist "Russell Franklin" (Samuel L. Jackson) to develop a cure for Alzheimer's using sharks captive in a converted offshore submarine refuelling base. When he arrives at the facility he meets the rather oddball crew including "Carter" (Thomas Jane") "Preacher" (LL Cool J) and "Jim" (Stellan Skarsgård) before quickly discovering that these genetically altered fish are tired of being the guinea-pigs in the lab and are bent on revenge. The film does not hang about; the effects are quite scary at times but the one great snag is given that the sharks are supposed to be super-intelligent: why did they agree to star in a film with the dreadfully flat Burrows - there are bits of flotsam in this…
Deep Blue Sea is a fun creature-feature film that does not take itself very seriously and maintains a decent pace thoughout. The story is mostly predictable but it did have a few subversions of common tropes that I was pleasantly surprised by. The set and cast is good and elevates this title over a lot of similar productions, even if the CGI is very dated by today's standards. My only major gripe is that the main characters remained very one-dimensional. This generally wouldn't be too bad for a film like this, but the dialogue constantly hinted at backstories that were never explored in-depth or even lead anywhere, so it was a bit of a missed opportunity. The final conclusion still managed to be satisfying though. It's definitely worth a watch if you just want to turn off your brain and watch people get chased by mutated sharks in a ridiculous and over-the-top manner.
