A trio of sharks are made intelligent as a byproduct of Alzheimer's
research, and when the station floods, the scientists become the prey. HORROR
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Deep Blue Sea (1999)Directed by Renny Harlin
Written by Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, Wayne Powers Starring Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport, Jacqueline McKenzie, Stellan Skarsgård |
No shark movie will ever surpass Jaws, though many have tried. The Shallows, 47 Meters Down, Orca to an extent, and of course Deep Blue Sea all come to mind as films that have attempted to live up to the golden god of shark movies. But this one is ridiculous fun in its own right. For starters, instead of the traditional great white shark, our villains are mako sharks, which are particularly fast and single-minded predators. Add to that a cast of decent character actors and a number of shocking moments, and you've got a late 90's cult classic.
Welcome to Aquatica, a research lab in the middle of the ocean. Dr. Susan McAlester (Burrows) has been using sharks to attempt to cure Alzheimer's in humans. How? Movie science, shut up. Unfortunately, the sharks have been made super intelligent as a result, and when they cause a helicopter crash that floods the compound, the scientists have to figure out a means of escape without becoming shark chow. Is it inventive? Not at all. Is it entertaining? Most of the time. Where else are you gonna see Samuel L. Jackson bitten in half right in the middle of an inspiring leadership speech? Deep Blue Sea is exactly what I expected. It's dumb, but it's mostly fun. I mean, the standout here is LL Cool J as a chef/preacher with a pet bird who calls him names like "Fat Butt." This ain't winning any awards. But if you want to turn your brain off and watch the B-list of 1999 take on some super sharks, you could do worse. |