Reviewed by Alex Ioshpe (C) 1999
BIGGER. SMARTER. FASTER. MEANER.
RATING: 7 /10
"Do you know anyone who is looking for a fun science fiction, but can't find it?"
- "Yes, I do"
"What if we could end their suffering with a single film? I used genetic technology to mutate some of the greatest box busters."
- "Just what the hell did you do to those films?"
"We combined 'Jurassic Park', 'Jaws' and 'Die Hard' into one motion picture. As a side effect the level of intelligence dropped to zero, but the film got funnier."
I think that this conversation pretty much sums this film up. Renny Harlin, the director of 'Cliffhanger' and 'Die Hard 2' , has created one of the friskiest movies of the summer.
In the most advanced research facility in the world, a team of specialists is working against the clock on an experiment that will benefit mankind. But before they can save millions of lives, they will have to find a way to save their own...This is 'Jurassic Park' all over again, only with deadly, mean sharks instead of dinosaurs. Off course it's not the same. The wonder and excitement is gone and only the explosions and screams remain. Nearly all of the action takes place on the Aquatica, an advanced deep sea research laboratory that looks like a "floating Alcatraz." It's there that a small group of marine biologists and other scientists are experimenting on three genetically altered Mako sharks that are bigger, smarter, faster, and deadlier than is typical for members of their species. The humans, led by Doctors Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) and Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgård), believe that a protein found in the sharks' brains can cure Alzheimer's Disease. On the day that the project's founder, Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson), is on the Aquatica, all hell breaks loose. The sharks turn violent, a tropical storm hits, and a helicopter crashes into the station. A group of six - McAlester, Franklin, shark handler Carter Blake (Thomas Jane), engineer Tom Scoggins (Michael Rapaport), preacher/cook Dudley (LL Cool J), and scientist Janet Winters (Jacqueline McKenzie) - are trapped below the surface, struggling against rising water levels while avoiding three pairs of dangerous jaws. The characters, though not original or well written, are nice. The kind of people you almost care about. Susan is the John Hammond of this story is a scientist, resembling Frankenstein, believing in sacrifices for the greater good, saying: "they will thank me later". There is a sea hunter, who is a survivor of every situation. There are several scientists and an adventurous billionaire that offers money for a god cause, but is actually looking for adventure and excitement. And then there is a colored cook, energetically played by LL Cool J. He is the simple soul, with simple needs and simple goals in life. Walking around with a parrot on his shoulder, he provides most of the comic relief.
For a movie of its genre, it's rather interesting. And although you probably figure out that the sharks will eat everybody up, except the heroes who will destroy them, this film has so many surprising moments that it will keep you watching till the end. When the good guys start dying at the beginning, you know that this is going to be cool.
Gossip, its premise and successful test screenings suggest that Harlin has created 'Jaws' for the year 2000. What he has created is a fun action thriller that is worth the ticket, but hardly anything more. It will make you scream and laugh and jump, but it can't be compared to 'Jaws'. And although Spielberg's classic only featured one ordinary great white, and not three giant mutated ones, it still made a much greater impression. And the key is talent. In 'Jaws' the shark was never shown. Which means that it was all left to our imagination. It was us who created the most terrifying monster, not digital special effects. The pure psychological effect, raw horror and exceptionally written characters created the Devil, whose world was the deep blue sea. 'Deep Blue Sea' is not that deep. It's simply fun to watch. In films like this, screams are more satisfying than conversation. That is why Renny Harlin wisely tightens his grip as he moves along -- radio contact is lost, the levels are flooding one by one, the lights go off and the sharks are coming..Logical flaws and irrational actions are as frequent as small fish in the Mediterranean, but as any experienced science fiction buff knows, that sort of things are a rule, rather than an exception. And since it's not aiming very high, it finds itself in a very big company. It's a masterful action film with every necessary element carefully inserted in the right place at the right time.
The effects are flawless and the sharks look even more real than the real ones. There are a lot of satisfying explosions and impressive under water shots. This is Harlin's best work in a long time and although it won't make any high lines, it succeeds in being exactly what it is supposed to be -- a fun action film.
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