DEEP BLUE SEA A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): 1/2
DEEP BLUE SEA is a movie about intelligence and the lack thereof.
On the intelligent side are 3 jumbo-sized, killer sharks. Through genetic engineering they have had their brains dramatically enlarged. This causes them to be super-smart killing machines. Don't worry, this is all for a noble purpose, the eradication of Alzheimer's Disease. (I'm not making this up.)
On the unintelligent side is just about everyone else. The characters in the story make one stupid decision after another, as if they were trying hard to fail the ultimate pop quiz.
When trapped several stories underground in a platform at sea, for example, the people in the movie just stare as a shark slowly breaks the plate glass in front of them. Only when a river of water knocks them over do they begin to beat a hasty retreat.
A question should also be raised about the sanity of the film's backers. Director Renny Harlin has become known, of late, for his overbudget, lavish fiascoes that bomb at the box office. When he first pitched the movie, he should have been turned down flat. A disaster movie set in the ocean, in which we watch sharks slowly eat most of the cast, isn't exactly original or interesting. And the script by Duncan Kennedy, Wayne Powers and Donna Powers is completely ridiculous.
The movie wastes the first half-hour slowly introducing us to the players. (If you get the urge to walk out during this dead period, do not resist.)
Saffron Burrows plays Dr. Susan McAlester, who is perfectly willing to sacrifice everyone in the name of science -- her father had Alzheimer's, you see. As Carter Blake, Thomas Jane is the diver who's never found any action too risky. Samuel L. Jackson plays the project's financial backer, Russell Franklin, a mountain climber who recently survived an avalanche. There are many others. The filmmakers need plenty of shark food. Finally, the only cast member to insert any humanity into the picture is LL Cool J as the religious, cross-carrying cook.
Played seriously, the movie is no parody, although it becomes so ludicrous that you will laugh, and loudly, on occasion. But this laughter is that of pain as you realize what an awful movie the studios are subjecting you to. Castor oil would taste good in comparison. The film is definitely worst of the year material. On the other hand, if they start giving awards for actors who manage to keep a straight face during a ridiculous farce, every member of this cast would be contenders, save LL Cool J, who seems to understand how noisome it is.
"It's pretty scary stuff, huh?" scientist Janet Winters (Jacqueline McKenzie) asks Franklin about the sharks. "Yeah, it is," he agrees. The problem in the movie is that no matter how many people are bitten in two, it's never the least bit scary because it's never credible. Fear comes only when you can believe what you see. Nothing in DEEP BLUE SEA is the least bit believable.
The list of nonsensical events in the movie is endless. As another example, they call their local flying doctor service in the middle of a hurricane. With gale force winds and seas in excess of thirty feet, the helicopter comes anyway and chooses to fly close to the water. Through a miracle of miracles, the helicopter crew attaches the injured to a cable, which goes a few feet above the shark tank. Now, is there anyone who can't guess the success of the helicopter's mission?
Is there any scene worth saving in the movie? Yes, the film contains, hands-down, the best anti-smoking commercial imaginable.
DEEP BLUE SEA runs way too long at 1:45. It is rated R for graphic shark attacks and for language. The movie would be acceptable for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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