Down in the Deep Blue Sea
Between 1990 and 2000, there were 7 different shark movies filmed, ranging from shark attacks, science fiction within sharks, and other different story lines. Movies including sharks in them seemed very popular during those years. But in 1999 there were was one movie that outdid the rest of them: Deep Blue Sea.
Deep Blue Sea, directed by Renny Harlin, is about an island research facility where Dr. Susan McAlestar (Saffron Burrows), is harvesting sharks brain tissue in order to find a cure for Alzheimer's. However, when the investors send executive Russel Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson), things start to go awry with attacks happening on crew members. With the sharks outnumbering their human researchers, Dr. McAlestar and her team must decide how to survive. This is not the first thriller that Harlin has directed. He has made many works, including Nightmare on Elm Street 4:The Dream Master, Die Hard 2, and Driven. Renny Harlin got his start by directing commercials until he was offered a job to direct Nightmare on Elm Street 4, which then took off his career of making thrillers, including different aspects involving action, horror, sport, or science fiction. However, Deep Blue Sea, may be one of Harlin’s best works yet. He and the other producers do a great job setting the scene and making the audience feel like they aren’t watching the film, but living it.
Renny Harlin, isn’t the only person who makes this film great, there were plenty of actors that simulate real emotion and fear throughout the film. Some of these actors include; Saffron Burrows, who depicts Dr. Susan McAlestar, and Thomas Jane, as Carter Blake (one of Dr. McAlestar’s team). Saffron Burrows, hasn’t played in many Science fiction thrillers, however in Deep Blue Sea, she looks like that is the only movie genre she acts in. Burrows takes over her whole character by engulfing Susan’s thought process and passion for her research and illustrates this through her acting. For example, in the scene where she is taking out brain tissue from a live shark, the viewers can see the determination in her eyes, the concentration across her face, stillness of her body with careful precise movements, as if this is real life and not just a scene shot in a movie. Not only can she portray seriousness and determination but she also can portray fear and guilt. At one point of the film, Susan comes out and states that she altered the gene code in order to make the sharks brain large enough to harvest tissue from. However as a side effect the sharks have gotten more intelligent, swimming backwards, hunting in packs, etc. Her whole team blames her for the sharks attacking, however she believes that what she did, was the right thing to do: it was the only way to find the cure.
“Nature can be lethal, but it can’t hold a candle to man.”
After one of her team members, states that “Nature can be lethal, but it can’t hold a candle to man.”, and he dies shortly after saying that Susan finally starts to get the realization that what is happening was caused by her. Witnessing one of her team members dying, after stating something so deep, Burrows paralyses her body with fear and the guilt sags down her shoulders, like she is carrying the weight of the world. After this point of the movie to the end, Burrows keeps her eyes glassy, with a look of delusion, like she can’t fully understand how her choices got to be this bad. Another good actor that really sets the scene, is Thomas Jane, who is Carter Blake, a member of Susan’s team. Throughout the whole movie he plays emotions off his face, and through his eyes and body motions, really selling the character Carter as the logical, survival instinct thinker, he is suppose to be playing. The best scene, that Jane portrays all emotions through acting is the scene where he almost is about to save another team member until he can’t. After he watches her die, his body crumbles into a pile of hopelessness and despair, with the look of despair and disbelief across his face. In this scene, Jane interprets Carter as the poster child for giving up. All actors did an outstanding job showing emotion throughout the film but Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane are the real stars of the film.
Not only was acting a big selling point for this film, but the way the film was shot and the music to go along with the scenes made for the perfect combination to make a realistic shark movie. The cinematographers did an amazing job of picking out what angles they wanted the shot to be in, ranging from close ups to far away shots, to really give the audience the full force of emotion coming off of the actors. Not only were the angles key in the film but they had a way of only showing you the things that they wanted the audience to see. The Cinematographers did this to keep the viewers on the edges of their seats and engaged, and it has worked. The audience is engaged within the scenes of the film but become hooked when the music starts playing as well. The soundtrack can make hearts beat faster, holding of breaths, and so much more. It intensifies the suspense of the movie that makes a person want to keep watching. It was an excellent addition to the film.
Even though the movie may be almost 20 years old, the picture quality and realism of the film sell it, and keeps the audience interested and intrigued. It has always been one of my favorite films, and every time I re-watch the film I find something new that the creators have purposely put in there. Its like solving a puzzle, while the movie goes on. It always makes you think, what would you do to get out of a situation like that. Overall, I believe that Deep Blue Sea, is a worthwhile film that most people show go check out.
