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Deep Blue Sea

Play trailer Poster for Deep Blue Sea R 1999 1h 45m Sci-Fi Action Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
60% Tomatometer 116 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease. When the facility's backers send an executive to investigate the experiments, a routine procedure goes awry and a shark starts attacking the researchers. Now, with sharks outnumbering their human captors, McAlester and her team must figure out a way to stop them from escaping to the ocean and breeding.
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Deep Blue Sea

Deep Blue Sea

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Critics Consensus

Deep Blue Sea is no Jaws, but action fans seeking some toothy action can certainly do -- and almost certainly have done -- far worse for B-movie thrills.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Clinton (CNN.com) CNN.com 01/11/2019
If you like big summer action flicks with plenty of bite, check this one out. Then go out for a big sushi dinner. It'll make you feel better. Go to Full Review
David Denby The New Yorker 01/11/2019
Scary, absurd, inessential. Go to Full Review
Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader 01/11/2019
The characters are sufficiently naive to get picked off one by one, but their ignorance doesn't extend to the genre conventions governing their behavior, making for some shockingly funny moments. Go to Full Review
Jeff Beck The Blu Spot 03/17/2025
2.5/5
It's a spin that had a fair amount of potential, but ultimately leaves you a little disappointed that they didn't fully tap into how suspenseful, wild, and over-the-top it could've been. Go to Full Review
Casey Chong Casey's Movie Mania 07/28/2024
4/5
Renny Harlin effectively combines Die Hard-style action with sharks. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 08/04/2023
B-
Now considered a favorite cult film. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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moviefan2023 07/29/2023 great action movie, classic for shark lovers. See more Chris S @Janomi 3d Deep Blue Sea has a good B-movie hook because it knows exactly what kind of ridiculous shark thriller it wants to be. Super-intelligent sharks hunting people inside a collapsing underwater research facility is nonsense, but it is entertaining nonsense, and the movie has enough energy to make the premise watchable. Aquatica is a strong setting, with flooding hallways, tight corridors, failing systems, and the feeling of being trapped below the surface. Samuel L. Jackson also gives the movie its most memorable moment, with a shocking death scene that flips the usual action-movie speech on its head. The science is completely absurd, with Alzheimer’s research and genetically enhanced shark brains used as the excuse for everything. Some shark shots still work, especially when they are quick or practical, but the CGI looks rough now and can make the sharks feel cartoonish. There are things to appreciate, but Deep Blue Sea is more silly than scary. See more Matthew D @OceanSage Jul 22 The sharks are ferocious and the humans are well rounded in this exciting sea thriller. Thomas Jane is super cool, calm, and collected as the shark swimming hero Carter Blake. Samuel L. Jackson is fantastic as the shrewd and commanding CEO Russell Franklin. His every line has weight. Saffron Burrows is excellent as the detestable and misguided Dr. Susan McAlester. Her swimsuit scene is so sexy as she’s soaked and has to electrocute a shark. Burrows should have been in more movies besides just like Deep Blue Sea and Troy. She’s remarkably natural. She has real chemistry with Thomas Jane too. LL Cool J is very funny and likable as the parrot toting cook Sherman Dudley, who they call Preacher. You just want him to live. Jacqueline McKenzie is wonderful as the clever researcher Jan Higgins. Stellan Skarsgård appears as smart Dr. Jim Whitlock until his big shark scene that sets everything off. Overall, Deep Blue Sea is a wonderful shark attack survival thriller for anyone. See more Aioros M @melchizedek777 Jul 18 A must see, one of the best shark movies out there. See more Schlub Z @SchlubZero Jul 13 A “b-movie” with a CAPITAL B, Deep Blue Sea embraces its creature-feature absurdity with pitch-perfect execution. The CGI has aged about as well as a half eaten whale corpse but the animatronic shots are still top notch. The cast is as fun and efficient as the plot, which elevates this Jurassic Park/Jaws hybrid above its station. See more Brayan G @letsbereal4once Jul 9 This movie was ahead of its time not too cheesy with a good story I would recommend this thriller. See more Read all reviews
Deep Blue Sea

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Movie Info

Synopsis On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease. When the facility's backers send an executive to investigate the experiments, a routine procedure goes awry and a shark starts attacking the researchers. Now, with sharks outnumbering their human captors, McAlester and her team must figure out a way to stop them from escaping to the ocean and breeding.
Director
Renny Harlin
Producer
Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
Screenwriter
Donna Powers, Wayne Powers, Duncan Kennedy
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Village Roadshow Prod.
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Shark Attacks)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 28, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 20, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$73.6M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)