From the frying pan onto your 4K Ultra HD screen – “Deep Blue Sea”
- Bill Kelley III
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
4K ULTRA HD REVIEW / HDR SCREENSHOTS
(1) The staff at the Aquatica shark research facility are under attack from a trio of intelligent sharks. Left, lead research scientist Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows), marine biologist Janice Higgins (Jacqueline McKenzie), and pharmaceutical executive Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) try to survive. (2) The right arm of research scientist Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgård) is severed by one of the sharks.
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“DEEP BLUE SEA”
4K Ultra HD; 1999; R for graphic shark attacks and profanity
Best extra: A new interview, “From the Frying Pan… into the Studio Tank,” with production designer William Sandell
FIFTY YEARS AGO, Steven Spielberg terrorized moviegoers with a mechanical shark that barely worked.
In the summer of 1999, Renny Harlin (“Cliffhanger,” “Die Hard 2”) directed a fleet of high-tech computers and animatronic sharks in a homage to Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975). The $60 million Warner Bros. production was a tongue-in-cheek horror thriller, mindless entertainment in which many of the stars become shark dinner.
The original script was written by Australian Duncan Kennedy, who had witnessed a shark attack near his home. The writing team of Donna and Wayne Powers turn the story into a pharmaceutical disaster tale, with hopes to cure Alzheimer’s. A former World War II submarine refueling base off Baja, Mexico, is converted into Aquatica, an isolated shark research facility, where a trio of intelligent sharks turn on their hosts.
(1) “Deep Blue Sea” premiered July 26, 1999. (2) During the opening sequence, a shark attacks a catamaran with two couples on board. (3) Dr. Susan McAlester requests more funding from executive Russell Franklin, who has already invested $200 million in the shark research project. (4) Dr. McAlester pilots the seaplane with Franklin onboard to the Aquatica shark research facility. Janice Higgins greets the two. (5-7) Shark wrangler Carter Blake (Thomas Jane) tries to pull a Louisiana license plate out of a shark’s mouth. He finally dislodged the plate after removing the shark from the tank as Franklin watched the action.
The nearly six-foot former British model Saffron Burrows plays the chilly Dr. Susan McAlester, who lost her father to the mind-crippling disease, so it’s personal. “Her grief has fed into an obsession with finding a cure,” says writer Jennie Kermode in the enclosed 60-page booklet. McAlester has devised a way to harvest shark brain tissue – which doesn’t show signs of deterioration with age – to fight the disease.
The doctor seeks additional financial backing from corporate head Russell Franklin, played by the always energetic Samuel L. Jackson. Franklin decides to spend the night at the laboratory (oops, a mistake) as a tropical storm kicks in. Sounds familiar to the disastrous night his character Ray Arnold faced in Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” (1993).
McAlester is essentially the villain, says Murray Leeder in the second essay. “Everything that goes wrong is directly or indirectly her fault because she repeatedly places a higher value on her research than the lives of those around her.”
The supporting cast includes Thomas Jane as shark wrangler Carter Blake, who pulls the same Louisiana license plate out of a shark’s mouth as the one found in “Jaws.” Plus, LL Cool J as the Bible-quoting cook, Preacher – who does his own stunts – and whose character finds refuge inside an oven; Stellan Skarsgård as research scientist Jim Whitlock, whose arm is severed early on; and Jacqueline McKenzie as marine biologist Janice Higgins.
Underwater expert Pete Romano captured the live-action shark photography in the Bahamas, while most of the production was filmed at a huge water tank in Mexico, overlooking the Pacific near the U.S. border. It was originally built for James Cameron’s “Titanic” (1997).
Harlin hoped for a smooth-visual-transition survival story, “where you will never be able to tell whether you are dealing with real sharks or something movie magic has created,” he said during one of the original carryover featurettes included on the 4K disc. But compared to today’s 4K rendering and high-powered VFX, the effects look pretty primitive and in a lower resolution, while the top-of-the-line animatronic is still life-like.
(1&2) LL Cool J as the Bible-quoting cook, Sherman ‘Preacher’ Dudley, and his pet parrot. (3) Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård as research scientist Jim Whitlock. (4-6) Dr. McAlester extracks brain tissue from one of the three sharks and panics when Whitlock loses his right arm as Higgins tries to stop the bleeding.
EXTRAS
The 4K disc houses all of the extras, including three commentaries. The first is an archival track with Harlin and co-star Jackson, who intended to play a lot more golf between scenes, but found himself getting a lot wetter than expected.
The most interesting commentary is with screenwriter Kennedy, who sold his original script for $1 million. “It was a pretty surreal moment getting the call… for someone in their 20s,” he said. He also tells a story about when he and a couple of his USC film school buddies were at an L.A. theater, and seated in front of them was Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”). One of the guys starts a conversation, telling the legendary director, “That I had written a shark movie, and it was going to be better than ‘Jaws.’” Spielberg smiles, saying, “Good luck with that.”
The third commentary is with filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry, who has feared sharks since watching “Jaws.”
The best bonus feature, “From the Frying Pan… into the Studio Tank,” is a new conversation with production designer William Sandell, who was recruited at the last minute to rescue the pre-production, which had fallen behind schedule and was over budget. He also goes in-depth about his filmography, getting started on low-budget Roger Corman films in the 1970s and receiving an Oscar nomination for “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” which was also filmed in the same water tank.
Lastly, there’s a 19-minute video essay, “Beneath the Surface,” with film critic Trace Thurman, who considers Dr. McCallister the real monster of the film.
The disc also includes six deleted scenes with optional commentary by Harlin, a theatrical trailer, and an image gallery. The Arrow Video box set features a double-sided fold-out poster, postcards from Aquatica, a reversible sleeve with original and new artwork. The booklet includes unseen production art and design.
Water & Fire
(1) Water and fire start to consume the Aquatica shark research facility. (2&3) Dr. McAlester and the remaining staff try to escape the rising waters. (4) Preacher is hunted by one of the sharks. (5&6) Carter Blake leads the escape up an elevator shaft.
VIDEO
Arrow Video continues to release some of the very best 4K restoration work, as Warner scanned the original 35mm camera negative (2.39:1 aspect) captured in Super 35 from cinematographer Stephen F. Windon (“Star Trek Beyond,” “Fast Five”). The complete digital restoration was produced at Duplitech, based in L.A., which also handled the HDR10 and Dolby Vision grading with the expansive, darker toning and saturated colors. The heavy dose film of grain creates a cinematic appearance. The clarity is excellent, from Harlin’s trademark closeups to his wide establishing shots, presenting a far superior experience compared to the old Warner Blu-ray. The director approved the final 4K presentation.
Everything was encoded onto a 100 GB disc. The video bitrate varies from 80 Megabits per second to over 100 Mbps, while the HDR10 peak brightness hits 757 nits and averages 522 nits.
AUDIO
Arrow decided to produce a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, which was handled in London. The results are heart-pounding, with a deep bass response and extremely enveloping audio experience from height speakers, filling the entire room. Dialogue is front and center, and the score from Trevor Rabin (“Armageddon” and “National Treasure”) is well-balanced.
“Deep Blue Sea” continues the partnership between Warner and Arrow, releasing catalog titles on 4K Ultra HD. Upcoming is Alex Proyas’ sci-fi/noir thriller “Dark City” with two cuts, restored from the original 35mm negative, with a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
Keep them coming!
— Bill Kelley III, High-Def Watch producer
Preacher resists Psalm 23 with Dr. McAlester and Carter Blake.
The Arrow Video 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray box sets include a 60-page booklet, a poster, and postcards.