Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Researchers on the undersea lab Aquatica have genetically altered the brains of captive sharks to develop a cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there's an unexpected side effect: the sharks got smarter, faster, and more dangerous. After a big storm damages their remote research facility, they must fight for their lives.
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8 films that influenced Deep Blue Sea
What critics say influenced Deep Blue Sea
Likewise, any picture dealing with sharks will inevitably face the litmus test of living up to the original "Jaws."
The originality of "Deep Blue Sea", which manages to rip-off not only "Jaws" but "Jaws 2", seems to end with choosing Mako sharks to exploit rather than Great Whites.
It's no "Jaws," it's not really that scary, but it is fun.
July 31, 1999 -- "Jaws" was a classic, a movie that made a generation stay out of the water.
Renny Harlin's Deep Blue Sea, an underwater thriller which borrows heavily on the Jaws theme, is not the type of film to make any actor salivate over the script, but Jackson does as well as he can with a far-fetched plot penned by freshmen Duncan Kennedy and Wayne and Donna Powers.
What do you get when you mix equal parts Jurassic Park, Alien, Jaws and Predator together, throw in a dash of bad dialogue, and have a fairly decent action director (Renny Harlin) bring it all to life? Deep Blue Sea, of course.
Director Renny Harlin (of Cutthroat Island infamy) does nothing to make his film stylish or different.
The latest picture from Renny Harlin -- the epic action director responsible for "Cliffhanger," "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and the abysmal "Cutthroat Island" -- this release will surely draw immediate comparisons to the "Jaws" films, but clearly lifts as much source material from any of those sinking boat or aliens in tight quarters pictures.
Director Renny Harlin ( "Cutthroat Island," "The Long Kiss Goodnight" ) could have at least done us the courtesy of saving the shopworn cliches until after the opening credits.
The movie is a skillful thriller directed by Renny Harlin , who made "Die Hard 2'' and "Cutthroat Island,'' and here assembles a neat package of terror, sharks and special effects.
Directed by Renny Harlin, who directed a couple of entertaining films, "Cutthroat Island" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight," which weren't commercially successful following his popular "Cliffhanger," has once again made a thriller with some teeth in it.
In an attempt to compel and arouse the viewer, Harlin does not skimp in any way on energy, nor could he ever be accused of making a "boring" film (unless, of course, it's name happens to be "Cutthroat Island").
The latest picture from Renny Harlin -- the epic action director responsible for "Cliffhanger," "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and the abysmal "Cutthroat Island" -- this release will surely draw immediate comparisons to the "Jaws" films, but clearly lifts as much source material from any of those sinking boat or aliens in tight quarters pictures.
Director Renny Harlin, who since "Cliffhanger" has not shown much of a flair for anything, seems to have an affinity for ripping humans in half with gory detail.
Directed by Renny Harlin, who directed a couple of entertaining films, "Cutthroat Island" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight," which weren't commercially successful following his popular "Cliffhanger," has once again made a thriller with some teeth in it.
Most directors would simply present a "death" scene, juice it up with middling suspense, and then move on to the next scene, but with Harlin, he always seems to take the action, and intensity, one step further (as in 1993's "Cliffhanger" and 1996's "The Long Kiss Goodnight") so as to amaze and entertain with his particular creativity.
Once this vital moment occurs, you realize no character is safe, similar to the now-infamous Drew Barrymore opener in 1996's "Scream."
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Since there really isn't anything new to be done with this type of movie, and thus, they almost always end up being a bore (see 1998's "Deep Rising" and 1999's "Virus"), "Deep Blue Sea" demonstrates that any film's success depends solely on its treatment and expertise, which Harlin has always been known for.
In addition to "Jaws," there are obvious similarities to "The Abyss" and "Aliens."
The movie is a skillful thriller directed by Renny Harlin , who made "Die Hard 2'' and "Cutthroat Island,'' and here assembles a neat package of terror, sharks and special effects.
What do you get when you mix equal parts Jurassic Park, Alien, Jaws and Predator together, throw in a dash of bad dialogue, and have a fairly decent action director (Renny Harlin) bring it all to life? Deep Blue Sea, of course.