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Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport ... see more see more... , Stellan Skarsgård , LL Cool J , Aida Turturro , Deborah Kara Unger

Although mako sharks are among the fastest and deadliest predators in the ocean, they're not as smart as humans -- at least, they weren't. However, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) has been using... read more read more... mako sharks as her test subjects for research on the regeneration of human brain tissues. McAlester has altered the DNA of several sharks, raising them close to the level of human intelligence; the sharks have also become faster and stronger in the process. While these DNA experiments have yielded fascinating results, they're also of questionable ethics and legality, earning her the distrust of several members of her crew, including shark authority Carter Blake (Thomas Jane and cook "Preacher" Dudley (LL Cool J). The financial backers of these experiments have also expressed skepticism, so when McAlester is ready to perform some major tests, financier Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives for the occasion. McAlester and her team are delicately extracting brain tissue from one of the altered makos when the animal regains consciousness - and becomes very angry. The shark not only attacks the researchers but also damages the floating lab, leaving the crew aboard a literally sinking ship, with the makos eager to go a few rounds - in an arena that favors sharks. Deep Blue Sea was directed by Renny Harlin, and filmed in Mexico at Fox Studios Baja in the underwater filming facilities created for James Cameron's Titanic. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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44% liked it

355,427 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

90 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Release Date: July 28, 1999

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999

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Stats: 15,387 reviews

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Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley and Tom "Scoggs" Scoggins Deep Blue Sea Deep Blue Sea Deep Blue Sea Deep Blue Sea Jim Whitlock Saffron Burrows Deep Blue Sea Saffron Burrows Deep Blue Sea Deep Blue Sea scene. Deep Blue Sea Thomas Jane Vs. Shark deep blue sea 2 deep blue sea poster 1 Thomas Jane deep blue sea Deep Blue Sea
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Flixster Reviews (15,387)

  • 76Majikat
    December 29, 2011
    76Majikat
    I have to admit this film provided some intense moments and whilst this is sort of Jaws on Steroids, it did of course share the same predictability. Of course the graphics of the Sharks etc were more impressive and so were the actual kills. It did provide a few laughs although... read more I doubt that was the intention.

    I am usually a fan of Saffron Burrows, but this roles really didn't suit her and let's face it, LL Cool J has to be one of the worst Rapper turned Actors out there.

    The set becomes repetitive and I found myself wanting them to escape just to see different scenery.
  • deano
    November 3, 2011
    deano
    Check out the big brain on Jaws. An unlikely posse of performers (Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane and Saffron Burrows) get down and dirty with some genetically enhanced, super-smart massive sharks in Renny Harlin's hugely enjoyable, visually satisfying, severed-limb-tastic ... read moreromp of a sci-fi thriller. Plus, there are enough movie references to sink the undersea lab which Deep Blue Sea is set on.
    The upshot is a romp that never takes itself too seriously, making for a guilty pleasure you can really sink your teeth into.
  • TheGame90
    September 18, 2011
    TheGame90
    Fucking badass sharks...really good movie
  • blkbomb
    September 5, 2011
    blkbomb
    Carter Blake: That's the answer to the riddle. Because that's what an 8000 pound mako thinks about. About freedom. About the deep blue sea. 

    "Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner."

    As far as shark thrillers go, Deep Blue Sea isn't the worst you'll ever see. It belongs to a genre tha... read moret pretty much blows, although there are a few exceptions like Jaws and Open Water. Deep Blue Sea is a decent Film, but I still didn't really like it. It's fun in a stupid kind of way and it does have a few awesome action sequences, but other then that its nothing but a big, dumb action film. I guess I knew that going in though.

    It does have a pretty cool cast, but obviously the acting is bad because that's what the material calls for. It has dumb one liners and ridiculously smart sharks, so I don't think the director is trying to pull Oscar level stuff out of his cast. Even Oscar level actor Samuel L. Jackson's acting is bad, but that's how its supposed to be, so I'm not complaining about that. What I am complaining about though, is that this movie wasn't as fun as it should have been. I can like movies like this. I liked Piranha 3D because it was fun from start to finish. It also had a short run time which is almost a necessity with these stupid creature features.

    All in all, you're going to get what you expect. You're going to get a semi-entertaining, ridiculous movie that you don't need to think about. It's not a bad movie to watch late at night when there's nothing else to do.
  • DreamExtractor
    August 15, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Its really fun to watch, but really painful to think about as a good movie, its just another killthem all movie, like Pirahna 3D or some other crap.
  • ythelastman89
    May 1, 2011
    ythelastman89
    A childhood favorite and quite possibly one of the kookiest action movies ever conceived. The idea of having sharks as villains has been done before, but when you make them super-intelligent killing machines it becomes an entirely new ball game. Thomas Jane solidified his action ... read morestar status as the "too cool for school" Carter who knows everything from salt water to biochemical physics. You also have LL Cool J's extremely memorable performance as Cook, the chef who refuses to succumb to sharks taking over his kitchen. There's also a nice little extreme performance from Samuel L. Jackson that is reminiscent of his Jurassic Park role. Now i'm not saying Deep Blue Sea is a masterpiece by average film standards, but it manages to give its viewer everything they could possibly ask for in a shark movie and then some. It's a miracle this movie actually is as good as it is. With the glorious amounts of one-liners, fast pacing and cheeseball CGI, you're never left with a dull moment. This might not be for everyone, but to me it's a classic.
  • kenstachnik
    January 5, 2011
    kenstachnik
    A whole lot of fun.
    Also LL Cool J's credits song is hysterical.
  • garyX
    January 5, 2011
    garyX
    When scientists breed a trio of genetically engineered, super-intelligent sharks for research purposes, wackiness ensues. Jaws meets The Poseidon Adventure in this deeply silly but reasonably well engineered creature feature. It sticks to the usual formula for this kind of thing ... read morepretty much to the letter, beginning with a collection of daytime soap opera characters including Saffron Burrows as the well meaning but misguided (as well as hot, of course) mad scientist, Thomas Jane as the laconic alpha male tough guy, SLJ as the straight talking money man and LL Cool J as the token black stereotype and "comic" relief. Things get a lot more interesting when the Frankenfish start chowing down on them which includes some nicely choreographed action sequences and genuine shocks, and the shark effects are actually pretty damn good. It's all very generic and dumb but if you like this kind of thing you could do a lot worse; it's a hell of a lot better than Jaws 3 and 4.
  • matertenebraum
    August 24, 2010
    matertenebraum
    Deep Blue Sea is one of those films that you simply cannot take seriously or you will go out of your mind with annoyance. It seems like the film makers thought about having a plot, but then they found they could have way more fun playing with the CGI Sharks (which are pretty good... read more actually) The conversation between the film makers probably went something like this.

    'Hey i have a great idea for a story, we can breed super sharks with oversize brain capacity in the quest to find a cure for Altziemers disease'

    'That sounds good, then we can have the sharks get out of control and add some action sequences'

    'Yeah good idea, but lets show the scientific side first while we build the characters'

    'Yeah of course we have to build the characters and set the scene, wow what's that over there; come and take a look what the special effects team have done it's brilliant'

    'Wow that's really cool, lets have lots of that.'

    'But what about the story and character depth'

    'We could always show the sexy female lead in her underwear, i reckon that and loads of sharks and death will distract the audience enough and they'll never notice'

    And so Deep Blue Sea was born, and guess what? It's actually a good laugh and has wall to wall action, sharks and blood; and oh yeah! The female lead gets down to her underwear too, SHOCKER!

    Please accept my apologies for the rather corny review, but i felt it was very fitting for this movie.

    5/10 By the way Yes i did enjoy it, just in case you were wondering.
  • cosmo313
    August 14, 2010
    cosmo313
    Silly, but harmless fun. This is a funny and thrilling popcorn flick, with lots of entertaining spectacle, and some decent (given the material) performances to boot.

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Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle
June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Call it silly. Call it obvious -- there's nothing more obvious than a shark attack. But this is one of the few big-fish horror films that still has the power to surprise. Full Review

Doug Saunders
March 19, 2002
Doug Saunders, Globe and Mail

You might guess that this movie will feature yelling, at least once, 'Let's get the hell outta here!' Full Review

Cody Clark
January 1, 2000
Cody Clark, Mr. Showbiz

A fat, irresistible Twinkie of a summer thriller!

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

For action-starved audiences suffering through a summer drought of flying glass and fiery explosions, this cheese barge may hit the spot.

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

A lame Jaws wannabe!

Ernest Hardy
January 1, 2000
Ernest Hardy, Film.com

A nail-biting rollercoaster ride of thrills and adrenaline.

Hannah Brown
January 1, 2000
Hannah Brown, New York Post

Mindless fun requires a lighter touch and more suspense than director Renny Harlin can deliver.

Stephen Holden
January 1, 2000
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Yes, in its dumb, bludgeoning way, it's fun! Full Review

Jay Boyar
January 1, 2000
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

This is one of those ridiculous movies in which people stand around mouthing cliches and weak jokes as they await the next attack.

Robert Koehler
January 1, 2000
Robert Koehler, Variety

The thrills are such a rush, however, and the balance of digitized and analog effects is generally so satisfying that pic's sheer dumbness finally becomes part of the fun. Full Review

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    • Dudley: [talking to shark] You ate my bird!
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Deep Blue Sea Trivia

  • in which movie did samuel jackson try to escape from sharks?  Answer »
  • in what movie did they make sharks smarter  Answer »
  • What rap star has fought sharks in the Deep blue sea and been in a S.W.A.T team?  Answer »
  • What was the reason of the research done on sharks in the movie "Deep Blue Sea"?  Answer »
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