Deep Blue Sea (1999)
57%RT Audience Score: 39%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 4 nominations
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
If you’re in the mood for a movie that’s equal parts thrilling and ridiculous, Deep Blue Sea is the perfect pick. Sure, the plot is absurd and the sharks are a little questionable, but who doesn’t love a good B-movie every once in a while? Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to order sushi for dinner and pretend you’re being chased by genetically enhanced sea creatures.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., 5000 Broadway Productions, Likely Story
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Fox Baja Studios, Rosarito, Baja California Norte, Mexico
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for graphic shark attacks, and for language
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 12.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 1999 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 8, 2009
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
Deep Blue Sea, R-rated, Sci-fi, 1h 45m, directed by Renny Harlin, starring Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L Jackson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, produced by Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche, written by Donna Powers, Wayne Powers, Duncan Kennedy, box office gross $73.6M, reviewed by Paul Clinton, David Denby, Lisa Alspector, Keith Phipps, David Ansen, Ian Nathan, Mike Massie, Kate Knibbs, Todd Anthony, Alan Jones, Leah Rozen, MPAA rating R, sharks, action, thriller, genetically altered sharks, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tissue, island research facility, shark attacks, sharks outnumbering humans, breeding, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $164,648,142
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $295,548,006
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 509
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 32,229,881
US/Canada gross: $73,648,142
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $132,200,468
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 575
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,107,643
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $34,298,752
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 381
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $60,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $107,701,673
Production budget ranking: 365
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $57,997,351
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $129,848,982
ROI to date (est.): 78%
ROI ranking: 1,015
Saffron Burrows – Dr. Susan McCallister
Samuel L. Jackson – Russell Franklin
Jacqueline McKenzie – Janice Higgins
Michael Rapaport – Tom Scoggins
Stellan Skarsgård – Jim Whitlock
Director(s)
Renny Harlin
Writer(s)
Donna Powers, Wayne Powers, Duncan Kennedy
Producer(s)
Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (113) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (67) | Rotten (46)
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.
January 11, 2019
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Scary, absurd, inessential.
January 11, 2019
David Denby
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
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.
January 11, 2019
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Deep Blue Sea, a sort of cross between Aliens (without the thrills) and The Poseidon Adventure (without the camp compensations), doesn’t deliver the killer-shark-versus-A-list-character-actor thrills you crave.
January 11, 2019
Keith Phipps
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
This highly unlikely story about genetically enhanced sharks that terrorize the scientists who created them is one summer movie that delivers exactly what it promises: nonstop popcorn thrills.
March 6, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Deep Blue Sea is about giant sharks eating people and that’s exactly what you get.
April 4, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Despite the questionable fish visuals, several of the shark attack scenes are quite thrilling – utilizing suspense, comedy, nail-biting timing, and slimy animatronics.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This is the finest unabashedly campy B-movie of the ’90s.
March 25, 2019
Kate Knibbs
The Ringer
It’s the first summer blockbuster of 1999 that delivers more than its promotional trailer promises.
January 11, 2019
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A gory, trashy blockbuster that succeeds despite its waterlogged script.
January 11, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Alan Jones
Radio Times
Although director Renny Harlin clearly knows his way around an action scene, he fails to make Deep seem, well, deep.
January 11, 2019
Leah Rozen
People Magazine
It’s just the thing for moviegoers wanting violent adventure, split-second editing, and enough water-drenched cinematography to make “Titanic” look parched.
January 11, 2019
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
A businessman sinks $200 million into a special project to help fight Alzheimer’s disease. As part of this project, medical biologist Susan McAlester rather naughtily figures out a way to genetically enlarge shark brains, so that disease-battling enzymes can be harvested. However, the shark subjects become super smart and decide they don’t much like being cooped up in pens and being stabbed with hypodermics, so they figure a way to break out and make for the open sea…
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Deep Blue Sea.
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