Deep Blue Sea

"Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner."

1999 1h 45m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

60%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.9

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 2,757🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes●54Metacritic★5.9IMDB · 147,946

ActionHorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.”

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Cast

Saffron Burrows
Dr. Susan McAlester
Thomas Jane
Carter Blake
LL Cool J
Preacher
Samuel L. Jackson
Russell Franklin
Jacqueline McKenzie
Janice Higgins
Michael Rapaport
Tom Scoggins
Stellan Skarsgård
Jim Whitlock
Aida Turturro
Brenda Kerns

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Renny Harlin
Writers: Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, Gary Damian Thomas
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Deep Blue Sea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

307+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Stephen F. Windon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Derek Brechin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Renny Harlin directs. Stephen F. Windon behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. Derek Brechin cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Australia, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.
4Part of the "Deep Blue Sea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5307+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Stephen F. Windon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Derek Brechin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane and LL Cool J carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.".
11IMDB entry: tt0149261 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 11 themes, including "shark attack", "creature", "scientist", "shark".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen F. Windon
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: Derek Brechin
Production design: Joseph Bennett
Costume design: Mark Bridges
Makeup / hair: Reka Wessely Tihanyi
VFX supervisor: Jerry Pooler
Sound: John T. Reitz
Stunt coordinator: R.A. Rondell
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $164,648,231
Return: 274% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 54/100
IMDB rating: 5.9/10 · 147,946 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations total

Part of

Deep Blue Sea Collection

Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 American science-fiction horror film directed by Renny Harlin. It stars Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, and LL Cool J. Two direct-to-video sequels followed in 2018 and 2020.

Also by

Renny Harlin

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-09-06
★ 5/10
There's quite a cast assembled for Deep Blue Sea, not what we've come to expect from the Asuylum-soiled genre of shark movies in this day and age. It's not a fantastic movie, but it proves more watchable that 90% of its company. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
Kamurai2020-10-10
★ 8/10
Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend. This is probably my favorite shark movie. I know "Jaws" did a thing back when, but I like this better. It doesn't mean it's a better movie, the same way that more people like pizza than salad even though salad is a better food. The biggest part of why I like it so much better is that it's a survivalist situation, in an isolationist setting, and the sharks are "intelligent" so they're actively hunting the humans so it becomes a killer creature feature too. The cast is really good, and you should probably recognize about half the faces, whether or not they've been in Marvel movies. The split story lines bother me a bit, and more when they're voluntary, but it works. And when someone gets eaten by a shark, everyone else greedily makes an opportunity of it in a good survivor's fashion. This is a movie fueled by adversity instead of stupidity, as is a soft requirement for some movies. I guess the "stupidity" is creating the situation in the first place If you like sharks eating people, or underwater bases ("Rapture"), or liked "The Meg" then give this a watch.
Tejas Nair2020-10-23
★ 6/10
An engaging thriller with a mindless plot, Deep Blue Sea managed to keep me hooked throughout its loud 100-minute running time. A doctor and her team of researchers looking to find a cure for Alzheimer's in sharks in an isolated facility in the middle of an ocean - what more do you need for some sweet chaos while also supported by some unethical practices? Deep Blue Sea is not the most realistic shark film out there but it has a lot of cool action, suspense, the added pleasure of flooding sequences, and a protagonist that you love to hate. Go for it. (Grade B-). TN.