Sharks are scary. They're big, toothy, and can snap an unlucky swimmer in half before you can say "Where's the shark bait?" Smart sharks that can devise new, fiendish ways to terrorize you in the water should be even scarier. Or at least that is the premise that set this action thriller to sail After the Deep Blue Sea, will the waters still feel safe?
Despite obvious comparisons to a dozen other films, the premise is seaworthy for a thriller. To avoid the same techno-babble that swamps the movie, here's the skinny in simple terms: a beautiful and brilliant scientist, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows), is experimenting with sharks in order to suck their enhanced brain fluid and use it to cure various debilitating brain disorders. She's highly motivated because her father suffered from Alzheimer's disease, or so she dramatically tells her financial backers, including big wig Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson). Franklin accompanies her back to the abandoned fueling station off the coast of Baja that serves as her giant shark laboratory. There we meet the stock characters who will play bit (or is that bite?) roles in the feeding frenzy that is sure to come. Jim Whitlock is the mad genius (Stellan Skarsgard), and his peppy girlfriend is Janice Higgins (Jacqueline McKenzie); which of them will grieve first is given away by the trailer. The shark-wrangling action hero with a shady past is Carter Blake (Thomas Jane), who has eyes for the sexy doctor, of course. Michael Rapaport (Tom Scoggins) is the witty, resident techie, and LL Cool J plays Preacher, the compound's cook and jokester. Together they will band together to survive when the smart sharks take advantage of both a storm and an accident at sea to stalk the facility's crew. The real fun comes in not knowing which of the recognizable stars will be served up as shark chow next, and the movie offers at least one genuine surprise on the menu as well as a few more commonplace appetizers.
Although the movie is an interesting convergence of Alien, The Poseidon Adventure, and Jaws 3, the plot is completely predictable. The ocean facility will begin to sink with appropriate pizzazz, allowing those big dorsal fins to surf the hallways and snack. Panic will abound in the form of a mad scramble to safety before the rushing water, requisite explosions, and slick sea beasts can overwhelm the heroes. Casualties will grow, but there will be survivors. There is also the obligatory scene of the sexiest heroine battling the beast in her underwear, just like the ending of Alien. Perhaps there is nothing new under the sea, either.
Like most, typical action films, expectations for a well-written script and impressive acting are never expected to hit the high tide mark. As anticipated, the dialogue ranges from nonsensical pseudo-scientific blather to aw-shucks-we're-all-going-to-die blubber. Hypothetically, even smart sharks with a laptop could have penned better dialogue. Only LL Cool J gets a few good lines, and his performance as the whimsical cook is one of the better drawn roles in the film. Samuel Jackson's ample talent is wasted, but he survives the film without embarrassment. Thomas Janes as the action man is serviceable, and Saffron Burrowa as Susan McAlester is occasionally edgy and angst-ridden. The real heroes are the special effect sharks themselves. The mechanical mako sharks, like Bruce from Jaws, are especially life-like, but the computer-generated versions fare less well. Regardless, we see plenty of them.
The director of movies like Cutthroat Island, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Cliffhanger, Renny Harlin has had more disasters at sea than colossal blockbusters. He comes close to success here: there is plentiful action and functional camera footage, but too few moments of aboveboard suspense or seriously scary shock value
Interestingly, Deep Blue Sea does bear some small evidence that Hollywood may be slowly changing its portrayal of Christian characters. Without giving too much away, in this saga the character with the most faith in God is not disappointingly devoured while ineffectively quoting scripture. Even better, prayers are not only offered, they are answered. A few too many gratuitous, nearly nude shots, bloody and graphic shark chomping, and an unnecessarily foul-mouthed parrot, however, warrant caution before bringing the kids in tow.
Ultimately, viewers of this film want to be scared out of their wet suit but will have to suffice with only a passing pause of a second thought before plunging in at a beach near you.
Steven S. Baldwin 8/3/99
