WELCOME TO SEA MONSTER WEEKEND!!!
Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead!!! If you want nothing spoiled, I recommend turning back now before it's too late!!!
Today we are talking about another sea monster film that is rightfully split as far as reviews go. It is a little known tale about genetically modifying a certain species to obtain the greater good in life. What? Too vague you might say? I guess there are are a substantial amount of films that deal with this concept with Jurassic Park being the best one. The Syfy channel sure has no shortage of nature's vengeance films. So, without further ado, the film we will speak of is Deep Blue Sea.
Deep Blue Sea was released in 1999 and was about a scientist who had increased the brain mass of mako sharks to potentially cure Alzheimer's disease. As a side effect, the sharks got smarter, bigger and faster than before. Also, they became considerably more cgi. Who knew? *Spoiler Alert* Well, the sharks seize the opportunity to sink the floating sea laboratory, pursue their captors and make their escape into the deep blue sea.
That pretty much sums up the story. Pretty original, right? Alright, alright, in all seriousness, I have to admit to being hyped and excited for this film when I first heard about back in 1999. I had read the article in an Entertainment Weekly and the little tagline they had for it was:
Jaws meets Jurassic Park. Why hasn't anybody thought of this before?
I thought that was a good question. I personally felt it was a great concept. The only image I had to go off of was one they included which featured Thomas Jane in scuba gear and a spear gun. I was stoked at the idea and eagerly anticipated what was to come.
Well, when I first got my glimpse of the film through some television commercial, I have to admit to being slightly disappointed at the time. Allow me to explain. I had watched and enjoyed another Peter Benchley adaptation titled Creature roughly a year before this film was announced. That film featured a genetically modified great white that was part human. It had arms and legs and everything. I thought maybe Deep Blue Sea was going a similar route and got a little too excited for amphibious shark monsters. Alas, as the preview showcased, the sharks were lacking in any kinds of limbs and would retain their usual traits with only a few additions. I got over my disappointment pretty quick once I actually saw the film.
I loved it. I thought it was a blast. Deep Blue Sea was the entertaining monster film I had need to satiate my killer shark appetite. It also instilled enough terror in me, much as the Beast did, that I had trouble enjoying myself at Roaring Springs the next day. It was a challenge to not envision a cgi sharp tooth-filled mouth coming at me as I was sliding down tubes on the water slides. It certainly was amazing the kind of impact these films left on me when I was young. Regardless, it was one of the most entertaining creature features ever.
But what about looking back at it now? Well, as with the Beast, the adult in me has become much more critical of this film. For one thing, the sharks look too cgi at moments in the film. It is a little distracting, especially when there are scenes when the sharks look authentic and badass. The other issue I have with it is the fact the sharks' scale fluctuates between cgi and practical shots. For the love of pete, how about some consistency, huh?
Another issue is the premise. Okay, I've come to realize that this genetic tampering plot has become more for the B to Z-grade horror flick. It worked pretty well in Jurassic Park which stands as an A-list blockbuster, but Deep Blue Sea does float (of course, pun intended) towards the B-movie area.
The acting in this film is what you would expect from a B movie, especially of this caliber. However, I will defend some of the actors as I felt Thomas Jane, LL Cool J and Samuel Jackson actually turned in decent roles. I would like to especially point out Jackson's character. He could have been another typical corporate *&#@!, but in this film, he is given is own back story and is genuinely concerned with the safety of the operation and the people involved. That scene where *spoiler alert* he gets eaten by the shark at the tail end (still intended) of an inspiring speech was pretty awesome and unexpected. Too bad it is slightly ruined by the cgi shark shot. It's pretty cgi here.
Another thing that didn't make sense to me was the crew's reaction to the "revelation" that their leader had tampered with the brains of the sharks. I'm sorry, but didn't you all know this the whole time? Wasn't that the point of the experiment? You're all just now turning against her and thinking this is a bad idea? At least, Thomas Jane's character acted as voice of reason from the start. He's like the audience guide who is also the tough action hero. It's a great combination and works out pretty well. LL Cool J provides great comic relief and holds his own against the sharks pretty well. He was also entertaining to watch. Saffron Burrows portrayed the obsessed scientist who caused all of these events to happen. For most of the film, her character is perceived as the idiot who couldn't see what was really happening and all of us cheered when she *you guessed it, spoiler alert* got eaten by her own creation. But, on a more positive note, I found it a well-rounded story arc for her that she sacrificed herself to stop her own creations once she realized how far her obsession went.
The action scenes are brilliantly filmed and choreographed. Regardless of the problems this movie had, it is fast-paced and entertaining when the sharks cause damage. The suspense is well-handled in many areas as well. In one scene, you'll see a couple of the guys swimming through a partially flooded corridor and then cut to a shark fin also swimming through a corridor. It made you wonder where exactly they were in relation to the other and anticipated the inevitable clash. The film had most of its focus on the action, but there moments like this sprinkled throughout that kept the suspense up and the pace flowing.
Alright, admittedly, this film is flawed. As a story, it has its fair share of problems which include cliche characters, a B movie premise, inconsistent effects and mediocre acting. As an action monster film, it is quite entertaining and well paced and the effects work more often than when they don't. While it is not quite as good as I remember first watching, I still enjoy it for what it is and recommend it if you want a fun sea monster film that will keep you invested. And that concludes Sea Monster weekend. I sure hope you enjoyed my reviews. Please feel free to leave any of your thoughts in the comment section, even if they are criticisms you might have. Thank you.
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