Deep Blue Sea (Wide Screen) > Reviews > Its not Jaws is it

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Outstanding
Soundtrack	Good

Advantages:	action
Disadvantages:	daft characters

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

ITS NOT JAWS IS IT!

Like any film similar to a masterpiece it is going to suffer in comparison. No the film doesn't have the suspense, characters or acting of Jaws but at least it has realistic looking sharks. From Renny Harlin you know what to expect, lots of action, little story and if all else fails blow something up. To be fair to Harlin the first thing he admits on the director commentary is that people think of Jaws as soon as you do a film about sharks, hence the opening scene from the film which could have been stolen from any of the Jaws films. However after the opening scene the film is far closer to films such as the Abyss and Alien than it is to any of the Jaws films.

THE STORY

Scientists in an underwater lab have been genetically modifying mako sharks (what do you mean they look just like great whites from Jaws) so that they can remove some brain protein to cure Alzheimer's. Of course as always happens in films something goes wrong, in this case a big tropical storm causes damage to the base leaving the characters stuck in a sinking facility with the sharks chasing them. As you can see not the most original story line (the same idea was done much better by Spielberg again in Jurassic park) But the effects are superb, the acting is OK and the film moves along at such as pace that you don't even notice all the scenes stolen from other films. The sharks look realistic if a bit too fast to be believable. Full size mechanical sharks were used for the majority of the scenes and as you listen to the directors commentary you will be surprised at how few of the shark shots are CG. The tension is well built up after a fairly slow start and has a couple of excellent shock moments. The idea of killing off the one character/actor that the audience is expecting to live (i.e. Sam Jackson) does leave an audience wondering who will live. According to the commentary this was borrowed from Alien where Tom Skeritt is killed off half way through the film. Even though the film is set underwater for the most part the director manages to get a couple of his signature massive explosions in.

THE DVD

As you would expect from a recent film release the picture quality is top-notch if not at the same level as Mask Of Zorro. The special effects of the sharks still look stunning, if anything the water looks too clear to be the pacific, but that is the fault of the film not the transfer. As the film is supposed to have a claustrophobic feel there is not the scope for the surround sound to be fully used, it does fell as if you are in the tunnels or rooms of the facility. The music helps to push the tension levels up even if it doesn't have the same sort of effect as Jaws's unforgettable tune. Overall not the best transfer ever but not far off the stand out category.

THE EXTRAS

Superb, two 15 minute "making-off" documentaries, deleted scenes with or without directors commentary which add a bit of background to the characters, 200 stills, DVD-ROM features and a directors/star commentary as well as the usual filmographies/trailer. The only thing missing is the multiple language subtitles which is no great loss!!

The commentary track is bizarre as it is two separate commentaries spliced together, Renny Harlin's which is serious explaining the background for the scenes and special effects and in between bits from Samuel L Jackson pointing out the scenes where they nearly got drowned and pointing out props stolen from other films (the license plate removed from the shark at the beginning being the same as the one in Jaws, and the submarine being the same one used in Sphere) his commentary finishes at the point in the film where his character dies and his last comment is to keep an eye on the moving cut on the side of the chefs head. Maybe the Samuel L Jackson bits were added later to break up the rather technical track by the director, with the only funny part being the explanation of why it was required for Saffron Burrows to take her clothes of to kill the shark.

OVERALL

Overall the film is everything you would expect from Renny Harlin with this type of subject matter, lots of action and not much deep thought required. It manages to avoid descending into the cheese of say Armageddon. It also avoids stealing too many scenes from Jaws apart from the sharks deaths and the big middle speech. A recommended disc is turned into a highly recommended disc by the good extra's. It also makes you wonder how good Jaws could have been if made with today's special effects!!!