Deep Blue Sea
One of the many, many Jaws knockoffs, with a bit of Dr. Frankenstein mad scientist thrown in, 1999's Deep Blue Sea was most notable for defying expectations and horror movie tropes in terms of expected deaths and survivors. It also provides some templates reused in Jurassic Park and its various sequels including an untimely storm and Thomas Jane as a sort of shark wrangler for a pack of killer creatures far smarter than their creators.
Originally a Navy submarine refueling depot, the setting for everything to go wrong is a cutting-edge genetic research lab experimenting on the brains of sharks in hopes of discovering a cure for Alzheimer's disease. We get Saffron Burrows and Stellan Skarsgård as the facility's head scientists, Samuel L. Jackson as a corporate executive brought in to reevaluate the project, LL Cool J as the cook, and the likes of Aida Turturro, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, and others as walking monster food.
As for our genetically enhanced sharks, director Renny Harlin used a mix of animatronic sharks and CGI versions for different scenes (along with some limited shots of actual sharks a well). Deep Blue Sea also made use of the giant tanks created for Titanic allowing for parts of the set to be constructed and submerged. The mix of CGI and practical effects, including many gallons of water, holds up pretty well more than a quarter of a century later.
After about a half-hour of setup, things at the facility start to go wrong during a routine test that leads to multiple catastrophes, and the discovery of the "plans" of the super-sharks, forcing anyone still alive into survival mode for the rest of the film with several characters, including the film's biggest star, not making back to the surface.
Deep Blue Sea was a success for Warner Bros. Despite earning mixed response from critics, it's credited with revitalizing shark-based horror films. It's been released several times over the years on home video on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, and is also currently available on multiple streaming platforms.
- Title: Deep Blue Sea
- IMDb: link
