Deep Blue Sea

Deep Blue Sea is bullshit. It’s better to not even think about it. Other than some excellent action scenes, it offers only one positive. The characters who “will definitely survive” are the ones who get eaten instead of the character that you really hope will die (e.g. the cook played by LL Cool J). This unpredictability of the screenplay gives the film both a bit of suspense and, after the absurd “untimely” death of one of the main characters, a likably ironic humor that justifies all of the illogic while screaming: “Yes, I am bullshit. Don’t worry about it and just let yourself be swept away by a raging hurricane of first-rate action entertainment!” (05/18/2002)

The most watchable and best shark movie since Jaws. (01/01/2008)

This is a very decently filmed "survival" film with a big ugly toothy animal in the lead role. I like the perspective with which the creators make fools of the genre clichés, I like the effects, and I like the dense atmosphere... Although I have no excessive sympathy for this kind of film, Harlin has made something that can reliably entertain and frighten me, although the first viewing is hard to beat... (05/21/2004)

One surprised blink, several attempts at parody, but the rest of the footage is just pure despair. From an action break, it ultimately turns into desperate boredom. (05/04/2006)

Pity about the clumsy and glaring computer effects that drag the whole project into the realm of B movies, because this film has a large number of good things, from the unpredictability of the plot to the solidly designed underwater laboratory. The expert talk about an Alzheimer's vaccine is not believable but, of course, there has to be some kind of mission. Surprisingly, the sharks are nothing special and except for a few shots, they are not worth much. Much better is the human shark, Thomas Jane, and the priest played by LL Cool J, whose coolness could fill buckets. I enjoyed the bloody scenes and the severed limbs, but the excessive straightforwardness and numerous plot mistakes are disappointing. (04/17/2007)

Oh well, and they say they don't make good shark horror movies anymore. Deep Blue Sea offers pools of blood, deaths that come in surprising and rather original ways, and a script that puts one unpleasant and deadly obstacle after another in front of the hapless protagonists. The filmmakers hit the mark mainly by choosing a cramped environment from which there is seemingly no escape, where the clash with bloodthirsty beasts is inevitable and the atmosphere is really sharp and terrifying in some places. Moreover, the film has a good cast, though it thins out a lot in an hour and three quarters. I enjoyed it, I was scared and held my breath a lot, so I'm happy to forgive the digital sharks and the slower pace, but don’t be fooled. (05/13/2011)