The Deep Blue Sea (1999) 1 star out of 4. Starring Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Renny Harlin.
I have a confession: Deep down in my darkest soul, I'm a sadist. I enjoy watching people get killed in gruesome ways in movies. It sort of helps to let out all the pent-up aggression.
Therefore, for those of you who think along the same lines, "The Deep Blue Sea" is your kind of movie.
Nothing is as satisfying as seeing human beings transformed by sharks into sushi.
Too bad, though, that, there's so little of human vs. shark interaction in the movie. At one hour and 45 minutes, about 90 minutes is filled with humans interacting with other humans. And that is too bad.
For when the sharks are away, the people are bores. Actually, they are not even people - merely types: the dedicated scientist who, by breaking protocols in the name of humanity and research, creates smart sharks that can outthink the humans; the outsider, loner adventurer who is the only reach match for the sharks; the black cook who has rediscovered religion; and the industrialist who only cares about his publicity and the bottom line.
You really don't give a hoot about any of these people. They are merely shark bait. And you merely sit and watch, waiting for the next person to be bit in half by the trio of man-eating denizens at a high-tech research facility in the middle of the ocean.
Even the computer-generated effects are second rate. When the sharks speed up or take a nibble on one of the performers, the screen becomes a bit blurry and the action looks like something off a computer game.
All in all, "The Deep Blue Sea," directed by Renny Harlin, is a grade-C movie that should be running at the drive-in on a double bill with "Lake Placid."
Between killer sharks and killer 'gators, it is not nice to mess with Mother Nature this summer.
Nope, "The Deep Blue Sea" is a big watery bore. You can find more fun and excitement at a water park than on the screen.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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