Deep Blue Sea (1999)

I really expected this one to be a loser. I've followed its production for months. I hated the original trailer. I thought this was a movie that should have been named Chum. Now I've seen it and I can say that it does not suck. It's not great but it is very entertaining.

This is a good summer movie. Check your brain at the door, because you won't be needing it. There is a whole sequence that sets up the disaster nature of the movie that is almost completely unbelievable. At least it looks cool though. After that, the movie settles down and makes sure you enjoy yourself.

The plot is simple. If you've seen the trailers you already know the whole plot. A couple of scientists figure they can use a chemical in a shark's brain to cure alzheimers. Unfortunately sharks have tiny brains, so they genetically mutate them so that they have big brains. Now they have smart sharks. Their big investor is nervous and comes to visit the underwater facility to see if he should stop the funding. The previously mentioned big setup happens and the rest of the movie becomes the great game of "Who Gets Eaten Next."

It's pretty formulaic and there are moments that will make you say "Oh come on!" But that's why I told you to check your brain at the door. It will help you get past those moments with minimal discomfort. Director Renny Harlin gets a lot of criticism for making spectacular yet brain dead movies. This is little different but I got the feeling that this was a bad script being bullied by the director into something almost good.

There is a moment in the movie that will make you jump. I don't care if you're a hardened veteran of gory movies, you will jump. You just won't see it coming. I knew this moment existed ahead of time and I still jumped. I imagine my wife (had she gone with me) would have jumped clean out of her seat. It is just completely unexpected the way it happens and when it happens.

The acting is generally average. The two standouts are Thomas Jane and LL Cool J. Thomas Jane makes his character believable even when doing unbelievable things. He is the shark wrangler. He takes on the action hero role effectively but without seeming cliched. LL manages to flesh out a role that was no doubt written strictly for humor. He's definitely funny but his character has some depth to him. You actually end up caring about these two characters. That's pretty rare in action films these days.

For those who went to see Lake Placid and thought it made a terrible horror movie, this is the one you should see. If you complained that The Blair Witch Project never made you jump, this was the movie you should have gone to see. It has good action, mostly great effects and plenty of gore. When people get eaten in this movie, it's messy. Very messy. If you want thought provoking entertainment don't even think about catching this one, unless you can check your brain at the door.

- John Shea