Deep Blue Sea

Franklin: "Was that a damned shark, broke through that door?"
Carter: "I expect so."
Franklin: "You expect so? Huh. Well, well, well. Am I the only asshole down here who thinks that a tad bit odd?"

release year: 1999
genre: horror/action
viewing setting: home Bluray 8/17/21 and 11/28/20 and 3/7/16 and DVD, 3/15/13 and 8/12/10 and 5/22/01 and theater 7/31/99

synopsis: Genetically-engineered supersharks at a floating research facility get their chance to escape when bad weather cripples the station.

impressions: It gave me exactly what I wanted: swift, violent shark attacks. There was a minimum of plot to get in the way, and this is the way it should be: just lots of tension, underwater shark-swimming action, and blood! It also had a couple of totally unexpected plot twists. One thing I can say: when these sharks attacked somebody, you KNEW that person was DEAD, no messing around. There were often lots of floating halves of bodies after the sharks struck. This movie delivered the body count that I craved, and that Lake Placid lacked.

body count: 8 humans, 1 bird, 1 regular shark, 3 super-sharks

acting: Thomas Jane is the tough shark wrangler. LL Cool J is the cook, who also provides some comic relief. Saffron Burrows is the scientist whose obsession causes many deaths. Michael Rappaport is the engineer who's both serious and funny. Samuel Jackson is the executive who picks the wrong weekend to visit the facility.

final word: Simple but entertaining monster-movie type entertainment.

back to the main review page