Deep Blue Sea

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Deep Blue Sea

R

1999

1h 45m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

116 Reviews

40%

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250,000+ Ratings

On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease. When the facility's backers send an executive to investigate the experiments, a routine procedure goes awry and a shark starts attacking the researchers. Now, with sharks outnumbering their human captors, McAlester and her team must figure out a way to stop them from escaping to the ocean and breeding.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Paul Clinton (CNN.com)

CNN.com

01/11/2019

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.

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David Denby

The New Yorker

01/11/2019

Scary, absurd, inessential.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

01/11/2019

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.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

03/17/2025

2.5/5

It's a spin that had a fair amount of potential, but ultimately leaves you a little disappointed that they didn't fully tap into how suspenseful, wild, and over-the-top it could've been.

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Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

07/28/2024

4/5

Renny Harlin effectively combines Die Hard-style action with sharks.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

08/04/2023

B-

Now considered a favorite cult film.

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moviefan2023

07/29/2023

great action movie, classic for shark lovers.

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Emmanuel R.

@supeM Jan 30

“FIRST WE GON SEAL OFF THIS POOL!…” Just watch it its a fun movie especially for a family movie night

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R C

@Ap90033 Dec 27

Decent movie. Laughable about the climate change crap. 1999 and Florida still not under the ocean. Of course they've been saying that since 1970 that's 55 years ago. LOL you'd have to be an idiot to fall for that scam.

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Nathan F

@LittleTommyThrockmorton Dec 12

As a kid, I loved this movie. Revisiting it years later, I realised how ridiculous the premise is. These test sharks have become so smart that they not only understand what doors are and how to use them, they actually conjure up a plan to sink and entire research facility and escape. The narrative is assisted by ridiculous things like the force of Stellan Skarsgård on a stretcher being enough to break glass that's several inches thick. One lady seems oblivious to what experiments are taking place despite the fact that her partner, the most brilliant man in the world who pisses into the wind, is one of the people who leads the study. The smart people die doing some really dumb shit, including the famous Samuel L Jackson scene, and in the end it's up to "dumb old Carter" to save the day. I'll be honest, I laughed a lot. It's still an enjoyable movie, but just leave your brain at the door.

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Gregory S

@Gregory566 Nov 18

This movie is the quintessential guilty pleasure. Turn the brain of and just have fun with it. Thomas Jane is great, and Samuel L Jackson ahs one of the greatest scenes in shark movie history.

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Jonathan S.

@jonsanchez94 Oct 19

Years later and Deep Blue Sea still manages to have thrills and suspense. Awesome shark sequences too!

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Thomas Jane

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Synopsis

On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease. When the facility's backers send an executive to investigate the experiments, a routine procedure goes awry and a shark starts attacking the researchers. Now, with sharks outnumbering their human captors, McAlester and her team must figure out a way to stop them from escaping to the ocean and breeding.

Director: Renny Harlin
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
Screenwriter: Donna Powers, Wayne Powers, Duncan Kennedy
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Village Roadshow Prod.
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Shark Attacks)
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.6M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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