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"'Deep'
Thrills"
by Scott Mantz
"Deep Blue Sea"
Saffron
Burrows, Michael Rapaport, LL Cool J, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin
needs a hit bad. You remember his recent box office classics "The
Long Kiss Goodnight" and "Cutthroat Island". Better yet, maybe you
don't. Well, Harlin returns to the form of "Cliffhanger" with his
latest directorial effort "Deep Blue Sea", an action thriller about
some pretty darn smart killer sharks. Think of it as "Jaws" meets
"Aliens", but in this case the whole is definitely not greater than
the sum of its parts.
Fortunately,
Harlin knows this and directs the film with tongue planted firmly
in cheek. Its a B-movie that knows its a B-movie, and its not ashamed
to admit it. The film doesn't take itself seriously, and Harlin
has some fun by playing up some of the clichÈs found in most action-suspense
movies. The result is a fun, suspenseful, and often humorous summer
film.
Dr. Susan McAlester
(Saffron Burrows) is a marine scientist performing tests on sharks
at Aquatica, an underwater research laboratory. Sharks are not effected
by the same ailments that effect humans. By enlarging and absorbing
the protein from their brains, McAlester hopes to find a cure for
Alzheimer's Disease. The problem is, the sharks become super-intelligent
and turn on their human captors. When a series of disasters cripples
the compound, the scientists become trapped. They must escape before
the compound is flooded, bringing the angry, and hungry, sharks
to them.
There's not
too much going on in the character development department, and what
little is provided is done only to establish the stereotypical clichÈs
you've seen before with this type of film. McAlester is the sexpot,
intelligent, insensitive mad scientist prepared to sacrifice the
people around her to get results. Carter Blake (Thomas Jane) is
the reluctant cowboy who you know is going to save the day. Tom
Scoggins (Michael Rapaport) is the annoying tech-geek sidekick who
you can't wait to see get knocked off. Too bad Jar Jar Binks wasn't
in this movie!
Preacher (LL
Cool J) is the only one you're hoping will make it out alive. As
the parrot-loving, bible-quoting cook, he is the heart of the film.
The other characters are so one-dimensional, you actually wind up
rooting for the sharks. The fun is in waiting for these people to
get knocked off, not in rooting for their survival. When things
turn awry, project funder Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson, who
must have a goal to be in every film this year) makes an inspirational,
uplifting speech about survival. Before he can finish his emotional
speech he...well, lets just say the Force isn't with this Jedi.
The tone of
the film is evident, even in it's marketing. One look at the one-sheet
(that's Hollywood lingo for "movie poster" folks!), and you'd think
you were going to see "Jaws" meets "Baywatch". Unlike the similarly
themed "Event Horizon" or "Anaconda", "Deep" plays with your expectations.
The opening scene is an obvious homage to "Jaws", but in this case
the shark doesn't get the girl. Some characters you think will survive
do not, and others you hope are goners see the light of day. "Deep
Blue Sea" may be shooting for the lowest common denominator, but
as a summer popcorn film, it should whet your appetite.
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