Deep Blue Sea

If you ask people what's the best shark movie since Jaws, a lot of them will say that it's Deep Blue Sea. I can't even say that they're wrong. It's a very strong contender for the throne.

If nothing else, it definitely has one of the most iconic death scenes.

I couldn't watch a whole summer of shark movies without adding this one to the list. It's too good.

You just don't get B-movies like this anymore. Not really. Deep Blue Sea had the big budget, the big name stars, and the R-rating to make the kills worth it. It's a dumb movie that doesn't feel insulting, and that lets the action carry the characters forward from one set-piece to another. The closest movie that I can think of is The Meg, but even that is PG-13.

The plot is pretty straightforward: scientists genetically alter mako sharks in the hopes that they'll be able to use the sharks' brain tissue to cure Alzheimer's. This has the side effect of making the sharks incredibly intelligent. Things go wrong from there.

It's just fun. That's the best word to describe it. Even when certain moments are absolutely horrific, like a scene involving someone strapped to a stretcher, there's enough propulsive action that it sweeps the audience away and doesn't let them linger. It doesn't let the horror creep in.

I almost wouldn't even classify it as a horror movie. Not really. It's more of an action movie than anything else, even if the R-rating means that we get lots of blood and dismembered limbs. Unlike a lot of movies, they even let us appreciate the carnage too.

The CGI shark effects do look dated in places, though. It's a 25-year-old movie at this point, so I can't judge them too harshly on that. More importantly, the practical effects and animatronics still look great. I especially love the flooding of the facility. Scenes like that could not have been easy to film.

Overall, the characters are well-drawn and don't just feel like meaningless cannon fodder. LL Cool J's Preacher is very much a highlight. Where else can I watch a chef allude to Bible verses while blowing up a genetically modified mako shark? Absolutely nowhere. Despite being largely divorced from everyone else for more than half the runtime, he still feels like the moral center. He adds a lot of levity, and is just a very charismatic presence that's incredibly watchable.

As is Samuel L. Jackson. I mean, of course he is. He's Samuel L. Jackson. But I love how the story treats his character, Franklin, especially on a rewatch. He's built up to be the hero. He's the calm, collected outsider with a mysterious, semi-tragic past that he doesn't like to talk about. He takes charge when things go wrong. He's played by Samuel L. Jackson.

But at the same time, the rest of the characters don't really treat him with any respect. They roll their eyes at him, or rebuff his attempts at bonding. At the same time, Franklin dismisses other's expertise. He doesn't take them seriously either. The movie doesn't draw attention to it when it happens, but there are enough moments that it rewards a rewatch.

I also want to take a moment to highlight Susan, who is the closest thing that we have to an antagonist outside of the sharks themselves. She's also our leading lady, and you could make a very strong argument that she's actually the protagonist as well. It's a complicated position that allows her to be both likable and someone to cheer against. I really appreciated having a character like that, and I'm glad that they gave her a fitting ending.

Random Thoughts

Although, apparently there were two parrots: one trained to fly and one trained to sit on LL Cool J's shoulder. Production couldn't afford a fully trained bird.

The animatronic shark is 26 feet long, deliberately one foot longer than Jaws.

The key to a good omelette is to use two eggs, not three. Apparently.

There are two direct-to-video sequels. Deep Blue Sea 2 currently has a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah... I'm not going to watch that.

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An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.

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