THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR JUST GOT SMARTER. From Renny Harlin, maximalist director of Die Hard II, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight, comes Deep Blue Sea, a shark-infested action-thriller where everyone is on the menu. At an isolated research facility in the middle of the ocean, a team of scientists, led by Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows), are working on a cure for Alzheimer’s by genetically altering the brains of sharks. When a shark escapes and attacks a pleasure boat, the company sponsoring the research threatens to pull its funding and sends corporate executive Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate. McAlester has just 48 hours to prove the value of her work, but her experiments have made the sharks smarter. No longer happy to be injected, prodded, and caged, they begin to turn the tables. As a freak storm causes chaos on the surface, making it impossible to leave, the facility is flooded and the scientists must fight to survive against the rising water and the hungry sharks that now swim freely through the corridors. Embracing action, horror and suspense with a knowing sense of humor and pushing them all as far as they can go, Deep Blue Sea is an adrenaline rush of pure entertainment presented in a brand new 4K restoration approved by director Renny Harlin. Come on in, the water’s great!
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Video Quality
Arrow Films presents Deep Blue Sea with a glorious 2160p transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 16-bit 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision approved by director Renny Harlin. Fans who have been waiting for this to be handled with care are ascending with this exquisite presentation. The picture maintains a proper amount of natural film grain that unlocks the textural details of the settings. The grain is consistent without clumping or crawling. The textures on display in the costumes and production design are splendid. This disc handles everything above and below water with the same level of care. Some of the special effects are quite dated, but that is not an issue with the transfer itself. Visually, this looks as promising as one could dream up. The enhanced detail and clarity will allow you to pick up elements of the production design you may not have noticed before.
One of the most promising upgrades for this film is the utilization of Dolby Vision for refined color output that takes this largely underwater nightmare and allows it to reach its full potential. The black levels are deep and nuanced with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights show no signs of blooming. The new restoration conjures the bold colors that are presented with the proper complexity. Outfits and lighting choices saturate the screen with a favorable depth. This new transfer features nothing in the way of print damage. This top-tier presentation always appears natural. No digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such nuisances make an appearance. Arrow Video has taken great care to upgrade this title by almost every metric.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround sound track along with a new Dolby Atmos track which captures this film nearly perfectly. There is a great sense of directionality as it pertains to deploying sounds from the appropriate channels. You get a keen semblance of the power at play in the thrilling sequences that kick the low end into overdrive. The height channels in the Atmos track add a lot when you have water flowing from burst pipes and other such obvious effects.
Dialogue comes through clearly without being trampled by any sound effects or music. The score from Trevor Rabin and the soundtrack fills the speakers well and adds an exceptional presence that makes the movie come alive. There is an unfortunate issue during the end credits of the Atmos track where the music stops early and finishes in silence. This does not impact the original 5.1 track, and there are no plans to fix this glitch at this time. Otherwise, there are no issues with fidelity or damage to the tracks. This audio presentation delivers on all fronts. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Special Features
The first pressing of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Deep Blue Sea includes a 60-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critics Josh Hurtado, Jennie Kermode, and Murray Leeder, plus previously unseen production art and designs. These works provide a great analysis of the film and the talent at large in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster and three postcards. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Commentaries: Three commentary tracks are provided.
- Audio Commentary #1 (Critic): Filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry (2024)
- Audio Commentary #2 (Screenwriter): Screenwriter Duncan Kennedy (2024)
- Audio Commentary #3 (Director): Director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson (1999)
- From The Frying Pan Into The Studio Tanks: A new 25-minute interview with production designer William Sandell in which he discusses his background, his career at the time, having to replace the original production designer, working to bring things to life, and more.
- Beneath The Surface: A new nearly 20-minute visual essay in which film critic Trace Thurman draws some bizarre conclusions about the film
- When Sharks Attack: A 15-minute archival piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the production of the film.
- The Sharks of Deep Blue Sea: Another eight-minute archival piece that takes a look at the animatronic sharks in the film.
- Deleted Scenes: There are unused scenes totaling eight minutes provided with optional audio commentary from Renny Harlin.
- Theatrical Trailer (2:22)
- Image Galleries: Collections of Posters & Stills and Production & Art Design are included.
Final Thoughts
Deep Blue Sea is one of the more entertaining shark movies to come out of the ‘90s. It is big, dumb fun, and sometimes that is what you need–who doesn’t want to see charismatic performers hunted down by smart sharks? The mechanics of the plot are not really consequential, but there is enough of a brain here to keep things from turning to total trash. Renny Harlin knows how to direct mass entertainment pretty well, and this delivers what you want. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a dazzling A/V presentation and a nice assortment of new and archival special features. If you are a fan of the film, don’t miss this excellent release. Recommended
Deep Blue Sea is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
