We all have those movies that we know are bad, but some weird personal taste or maybe even a small hint of nostalgia is able to push them into the realm of enjoyment to the point that you would be willing to watch them right now over something you know is good. For example, I know someone who loves 13 Ghosts, knowing full well how bad of a movie it is. This is traditionally defined as a guilty pleasure, but I’m legally obligated to make some dog-related pun on this site when trying to create another review format. As the title of the article suggests, one of my guilty favorites is Deep Blue Sea.

What is it?

Deep Blue Sea is but a drop of water in the massive ocean of shark-themed horror movies. Ever since Jaws graced the silver screen in the 1970s, invented the summer blockbuster, and created a mass hysteria of shark phobia that can be recognized as partially responsible for the rapid decline of the populations of various shark species, there has been a never-ending supply of shark movies trying to replicate the same level of success that Spielberg’s masterpiece experienced. At the end of the millennium, there was a surge of science-fiction in the genre of horror, and Deep Blue Sea, while not predominantly a sci-fi flick, uses some pseudo-science in the form of genetic modification to propel its premise out of shallow waters.

Overly ambitious, attractive, and wooden mad scientist Dr. Susan McAlister (Saffron Burrows) is trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by researching the proteins and other genetic capabilities of a shark’s brain. This is somewhat surprising when you consider that sharks tend to have rather small brains. Those who have never watched Shark Week might be unaware of the fact that sharks have been around since before the dinosaurs, which also had notoriously small brains for their size. As the apex predator of the ocean, you don’t need to think much when you’re designed to be capable of eating everything else around you, I guess.

With the funding of a philanthropic millionaire, who is later revealed to be Samuel L. Jackson’s character Russel Franklin, McAlister has been able to achieve great strides in her research. However, with little to show for it, and a potential scandal on their hands from the opening scene in which one of the mako sharks managed to nearly escape, Franklin decides to see where his money has been going all these years and makes a visit to her facility. Upon arriving at the facility, Franklin is introduced to a variety of characters who, while mostly archetypal in their portrayals, manage to stand out from each other rather well. A fair amount of attention is given to LL Cool J as the wise-cracking chef Preacher. But, as I’ll get to later, it’s certain other actors who manage to steal the show, whether they make it to the end of the movie or not.

Since this is a horror movie, and since you have a bigger brain than a shark’s, you should be able to guess how the story will progress when you have a bunch of sharks that have been experimented on in an isolated research facility in the middle of the ocean. Disaster strikes. The people get stuck in the facility and have to find a way to escape without becoming lunch for the killer makos.

What Makes it a ‘Bad’ Movie?

While I won’t go so far as to say certain things are objectively bad, I’m certainly willing to extend an olive branch to the argument and list out the various qualities of Deep Blue Sea that you could rightfully use to prop up an argument as to why it’s a bad film.

• Cliché, dumb, and predictable

• Script is nothing special

• Stiff performances from most of the cast

• Date CGI effects look really bad

• Defies logic and science in its science fiction

• LL Cool J

Why the ‘Bad’ Doesn’t Matter

Obviously, the premise itself is already a bit far-fetched and pretty cliché. How many science fiction movies from the previous century have you seen that involve a mad scientist playing God and then witness their transgressions bear fruit in the form of giant, hungry monsters? It’s a tired, old trope that has been used over and over for one horror movie after another to the point that you would typically only see something like it in a small, independent project. Deep Blue Sea, however, had a much bigger budget, so this was a particular anomaly. Dumb and common as the premise is, that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. To me, it just makes Deep Blue Sea a bit campy, and perhaps even something of an homage to the science fiction films of old. Maybe you disagree.

Regardless of whether you think the same as I do about its campiness, we can still agree that the premise is dumb, to say the least. Yet, the fact that it leans into the ridiculous nature of the plot is what I find charming. There are plenty of shark movies that are self-aware of how stupid they are, like Sharknado or The Meg for instance. However, for every dumb moment that is over the top in Deep Blue Sea, there’s another sequence in which it tries to keep the tone serious. It is somewhere in between understanding how dumb it is and keeping it real. In some instances, it’s a film with an identity crisis, but that works to the film’s benefit, in my opinion. No scene is this tonal balance demonstrated better than in the scene in which Samuel L. Jackson gives his big motivating speech only to be interrupted by a hideously dated-looking CGI shark. The speech itself and Jackson’s delivery with the swelling score behind him effectively pulls you into the moment. It seems like a legitimately dramatic scene meant to inspire the audience as much as the characters. Then a goofy-looking shark shows up out of nowhere as a jump scare to shock and surprise you, but also add a little ironic comedy to the moment.

If you are a horror fan but you think this movie sucks, I have to ask you if you’ve ever enjoyed any films in the slasher genre. The sharks in this movie are very similar to the iconic killers of the various slasher franchises and the victims are somewhat similar as well. Sure, no one is trying to bone like the horny camp counselors of Crystal Lake, but a lot of the characters are arrogant buffoons or nihilistic assholes. Aside from Carter Blake (Thomas Jane), I had no qualms about the sharks eating every last person in the facility. It’s the same sort of scenario in which the audience can root for the killer because certain characters just really deserve it. Since it’s feeding a natural food chain and not just some psycho with a chainsaw, it feels especially satisfying.

Why would I care if the character Carter Blake died, especially when it’s a character with such a typical white-guy hero name? Because it’s Thomas Jane and I’m a Thomas Jane enthusiast. He, Samuel L. Jackson, and Stellan Skarsgard manage to be the standout actors in the movie. Jane stands out because he plays the role of Blake with a level of seriousness that manages to make him a likable character, despite his flaws. A former convict with numerous regrets who nobody seems to trust, despite trying to clean up his life in this job, quickly makes him the most interesting character. He’s not competing with a bunch of winners because everyone else is pretty one-dimensional, but Jane still gives more effort than the movie deserves and manages to convey subtlety and personality to make Blake a more endearing character. I already mentioned that it’s Jackson’s delivery in his speech as a simple example of what makes him a positive for the movie, so I won’t belabor the point. As for Skarsgard, his character is much less prevalent in the whole movie, but he still manages to make an impact in the small amount of screen time he gets. In particular, he delivers a chilling line during the dinner on the night before everything goes to hell: “Sharks are the oldest creatures on the planet from a time when the world was just flesh and teeth.” The three of them almost make up for the imposed presence of LL Cool J and his stupid song that plays during the ending credits.

Remption Buried in a Biscuit?

So I’ve laid out why the movie could be considered bad, as well as the sort of things I still think make up for the flaws or at least can be entertaining flaws. Is there anything that Deep Blue Sea does that is simply commendable as good? There are not too many things I can list, but of the three, it mostly has to do with the fact that the movie had a bigger budget than your average shark attack horror film.

For starters, the score of the film is quite good. I wouldn’t say “music” because that would possibly include LL Cool J’s laughably dumb rap song. The score, however, manages to have a fair amount of tension and depth to its sound that really amplifies some good moments. Within a few seconds of the movie starting, you are already treated to its creepy tones. It’s obviously good in the scene with Samuel L. Jackson, but it’s also even good during the scene that immediately follows it and the team is trying to swim up through a giant tunnel. It can be bombastic or quiet, but the overall intensity is never lost. The score provides a quality theme that is definitely a positive in the film’s favor.

Another thing Deep Blue Sea has that stands out is some impressive sets. The facility itself, despite being out in the middle of nowhere, feels extremely believable thanks to the different sets that you see from scene to scene. The primary lab where the scientists extract material from the sharks is a massive room that has a lot of moving parts and details to make the whole place more believable. It even looks good later on in the movie when it’s underwater, despite all the green screen effects.

Lastly, it’s a horror movie that doesn’t pull punches. While the gore is most often CGI, there are some good practical effects and animatronics that look impressive. Not to mention, certain characters you expect to make it to the end of the movie don’t survive. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it unpredictable, but it definitely breaks the mold a bit, allowing for a little more tension in the experience. When you consider how many terrible shark attack horror movies are out there and how characters meet their ends, Deep Blue Sea manages to have some memorable deaths that stand out from the rest of the crowd.

TL;DR

Yes, Deep Blue Sea is a dumb shark attack horror film. It has a ridiculous premise filled with clichés and stereotypical characters. It has some CGI effects that have not aged well. It is nowhere as good as Jaws. Nonetheless, some of its stupidity is thoroughly entertaining and there are some qualities that actually shine in its favor as good or even great. If you haven’t seen Deep Blue Sea, go in with low expectations and an open mind willing to consume some shark movie stupidity. You’ll have a good time.