DEEP BLUE SEA
REVIEW DATE:4:27:0:0
It has been my great displeasure to play host to a slew of Jaws plagiarists.
Translation: I've watched a lot of Jaws rip-offs. And they've all sucked.
You can tell what kind of
mood I was in going into Deep Blue Sea. You try to watch Up From the Depths and stay optimistic about this
sub genre. But I'm a smart cookie, I surround myself with people who make it a point not
to watch movies like Up From the Depths. One of whom suggested I watch this movie
on the strength of a scene where a mako shark traps LL Cool J in an oven and then turns
the oven on.
Now, two things flew across my mind:
1. How could a shark (even a smart one) know what an oven is? Not to mention how to operate said device.
2. This movie might be just bad enough to keep my attention up for two hours. So, off to the store I trod.
In the movie, Dr. Susie (Saffron Burrows) has a few problems. She's on the verge of a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's. By using chemicals from the brains of sharks Dr. Susie, has hit upon a way to make dead brain cells come back to life. The problem (as always) is the notion of money. The Evil Capitalists want to know how their money is being spent.
Pulling rank, Mr. Money Bags, Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) gets the chance to go back with Dr. Susie to Aquadica, Susie's floating research institute. And what a perfectly secluded research institute it is, too.
At Aquadica (sounds like Aquaman's halfway house, doesn't it?) Franklin meets and greets the shark bait. I call them that because, really, that's all they are. Only Carter (Thomas Jane), our reformed smuggler/shark wrangler; Preacher (LL Cool J), who's also a cook and Token Black Dude; and Jim (Stellan Skarsgård from Good Will Hunting) disserve any real mention, given that they do the actual acting.
During a supposedly routine shark brain drillin', one big female shark gets mighty uppity and bites Jim's arm off. Rather then let Carter ventilate her prize shark (who's, you know, murderous an all) Dr. Susie let's the damn thing go.
Outside, a storm has come, rendering all escape impossible for the humans. Also, the sharks have grown uppity with being cadged, and decide to avenge themselves. The sharks, you see, have had their brains enlarged by Dr. Susie. As an added bonus, this makes the sharks super (thanks for asking) smart.
Okay, it isn't that bad. There are good things to be found here. The CGI sharks are (in some shots) a vast improvement over Steve Spielburg's shark, Bruce. They're much more versatile. Plus, these sharks are actually given character motivation. They're not just out to eat people because we taste good. That's only a bonus.
As our humans go, only Sam Jackson and Tom Jane get to play intelligent characters. If Dr. Susie were any kind of scientist, she should've realized how stupid it was to give an 4-ton shark the ability to think. But, it's in the script. I guess screenwriters Duncan Kennedy, Donna and Wayne Powers disserve some points for originality.
Their
characters, though, are hardly original. Most are barely above 2 dimensional. But, once
again, Sam Jackson gets a chance to prove he can play almost any role and entertain you
while he's doing it. He and LL Cool J really make this movie.
The great thing about this script, though, is the way it doesn't play into horror movie conventions. There is no Hero's Battle Death Exemption. No Good Guy Shield, as I call it. The good die along with the bad. And that gets you extra points, because in this formula driven Hollywood, it manages to surprise me. Not an easy task.
So, in the end, it isn't that bad. What more can I say? See for yourself, you might dig it.
