4K UHD Review: Arrow Video’s Deep Blue Sea (Limited Edition) 

Deepest, Bluest, My Head is like a Shark’s Fin… the science gone awry cult classic Deep Blue Sea makes its way to 4K UHD thanks to Arrow Video filled to the gills with special features! 

The Films 

It takes a certain set of skills to make a film like Deep Blue Sea.  It’s a tonal balance that never winks and plays completely straight in the way that the work of low-budget Italian maestros Enzo G. Castellari or Joe D’Amato understood (also both who directed sharksploitation films).  Director Renny Harlin, for this reviewer, can be put in the same league as those Italian genre masters.  However, Harlin was one up on them as he understood it was shlock he was making but regardless he made it straight-faced and sobering – allowing it to be all the more enjoyable.  

Deep Blue Sea is Harlin’s play on the Michael Crichton sci-fi extravaganza of the 1990s.  When mother nature turns to mother fucker because you experimented with things you shouldn’t have has Harlin at his cheeky best. This is a film that has one of its main characters eaten mid-heroic monologue by a shark.  It’s that kind of film.  Though again Harlin has the restraint of Ingmar Bergman by never winking or playing it for laugh – which makes it all the more fun.  Yes, he and everyone are in on the joke, but they never call attention to the joke.  That recipe creates a truly wonderfully deranged and fun experience.  

The film’s second half is essentially one giant escape set piece as the humans try to figure out how to not just outwit these super sharks (unfortunately they had no lasers) but a research facility that is collapsing on itself.  When the destruction starts – Harlin truly begins to shine.  The director’s panache for set pieces is astute and clever and some of the best of his career.  Continually inventive Deep Blue Sea never feels like it’s repeating itself.  From a cook hiding in a commercial oven trying to best a shark to a ladder ascent as sharks circle waiting to feed – every set piece is sharply edited (co-edited by ace action editor Frank J. Urioste) and stunt performed with style and wit*.  

As sharply made the action is the casting is doubly so.  Rather than casting one giant movie star Deep Blue Sea casts a who’s who of indie stars as its shark chum.  Toplined by Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgård, Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Michael Rapaport, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Aida Turturro there is no one in the cast that isn’t great.  Burrows is the defacto lead and it’s wonderful just how “terrible” they keep her as things get progressively worse in a terrible situation.  Jackson and Skarsgård compete for arched wickedly fun performers and both come out better for it.  However it’s Rap Superstar and TV Legend LL Cool J that steals the show as the parrot-owning, bible-quoting, ex-alcoholic chief.  Jane proves to be the risky lead that would later prove to be one of the more interesting action stars of the mid-2000s. 

Though make no mistake Harlin is the star of Deep Blue Sea, building his event film to a truly delirious pitch in its finale.  One that earns the LL Cool J banger Deepest Bluest as its end credits song.  

*^{It should be noted, twenty-five years later it’s still the lamest excuse to have Saffron Burrows strip down to her underwear.}   

The Transfers

The all-new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films approved by director Renny Harlin presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is a masterful upgrade.  The work done by Arrow Video is stunning.  The film literally looks like it was filmed yesterday.  The transfer is sharp, and clean without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative.  The color reproduction and contrast levels because of the Dolby Vision encoding are both deeper in their details giving us a darker luminous and far more textured and beautiful image.  There isn’t a scratch, blemish, or issue with the picture.  It is free of any sort of digital artifacting or DNR to remove the grain.  Deep Blue Sea in its 4K UHD iteration is the best version ever produced for the film – even the 35mm release prints.

The Extras

They include the following;

• Brand new audio commentary by screenwriter Duncan Kennedy
• Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry
• Archive audio commentary by director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson
• From the Frying Pan… into the Studio Tank
• Beneath the Surface
• When Sharks Attack: The Making of Deep Blue Sea
• The Sharks of the Deep Blue Sea 
• Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by director Renny Harlin
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

The first of the audio commentaries is an all-new track by filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry opens with her excitement in recording this track – and her unabashed love of shark films.  Some of the details include the rise of shark films in the wake of the mega success of Jaws; the second wave of shark films in the late 90s and into the 00s – and why the resurgence of the shark film and monster films in general; the cold open of this film and how much this particular opening is general of shark films; her first experience watching the film; how the science here is somewhat based in fact; a discussion of just how hard the production and working conditions were according to Harlin; a discussion of the type of shark they used in the film – mako sharks instead of great white sharks; a discussion of the “science gone wrong” subgenre that this is a part of; a discussion of the production design and props in the film; a great discussion that she had with her kids after they watched the film – and a larger discussion of the generation that was raised with YouTube access to information about sharks and how that informs on their viewing and suspension of disbelief; how this film is a great example of action screenwriting and the escalation of action and problems; a larger discussion of the troupes/cliches of the shark film genre that are in this film – which there are plenty; a larger discussion of the various homages to the Jawsseries, and other genre films in the film; a larger discussion of the various actors and crew that produced the film; and much more.  McKendry track is informative, entertaining, and lively throughout giving us not just info about the production but details that normally are taken for granted (e.g., her discussion of the actors once in the water how they have to continually keep the actors wet). 

The second of the audio commentaries is an all-new track by screenwriter Duncan Kennedy opens with how many drafts he did before his sold his spec and how many rewrites he did before others took over.  Some of the details include an overview of how he was able to see this film through production, post and eventually release – and how rare that was; how surreal it was to him that Myth Busters did an entire episode devoted to Deep Blue Sea; the cutting/editing out of the Ronny Cox character that appears but doesn’t have a line of dialog; discussion of the set in Rosarito Beach Mexico that made it look that like they are in the middle of the ocean; a discussion of an interaction with Steven Spielberg; a great detail about Samuel L Jackson’s character and his ears; how many scenes that were set outside were changed to interiors; the changes made to Saffron Burrows characters in the edited and test screening process; an additional Bear Gryllis type character and how he was sort of merged with the Samuel L. Jackson’s character; how The Meg (which was eventually made 20 years later) was a competing shark film when his spec script was sold; a larger discussion of the various iterations of the scripts done by different writers throughout; the real science behind the faux-science in the film based off the research he did; a larger discussion of the original script and the final finished script – including different characters, action scenes, tone, etc.; and much more.  Kennedy provides a rare treat, the POV on a film from the original writer’s perspective.  

The final of audio commentary track is an archival one by director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson opens with Harlin’s wanting to make a big-budget horror film and his initial hesitance because of Jaws and Jackson’s initial call about the role he wanted to give him – after not being interested initially the change and rewriting of the Billionaire role.  Some of the other details include the opening moment created to counter the audience’s expectations; and some of the other reasons why Jackson wanted to do the production; Jackson’s commentary throughout brings insight and brevity/humor to discussing the film, the production, and work done behind the scenes, working with the cast and crew – giving us oftentimes hilarious anecdotes about them; Harlin throughout discusses the small tricks of the trade to accomplish the film – sometimes invisible things (like sound design, editing, sound design, etc.), sometimes not so invisible (animatronics, CGI, location sets, actors, screenwriting, etc.); and much more.  The track even twenty years on is both entertaining and informative in equal measure.  Jackson and Harlin are recorded separately but there is little to no crossover on what they discuss.  

From the Frying Pan… into the Studio Tank (25:08) – is an all-new interview with production designer William Sandell begins with how he got his start for Roger Corman during his New World Pictures era.  Some of the other details include how he rose through the ranks during the Corman days – working with Ron Howard, John Davidson, Joe Dante, Jonathon Demme; how these connections led to studio work as an art director and eventually production designer; how he met and worked with Martin Scorsese on Mean Streets; a discussion that how art director was a production designer – and how that changed in the modern era; his experience on Robocop – how he was hired before Verhoeven, which lead to Total Recall; how and why there was another production designer – and how he got the job for Deep Blue Sea; the work he had to do to that was the issue on the production; and much more.  

Beneath the Surface (19:30) – is an all-new visual essay by film critic Trace Thurman that discusses the film’s rise as the second-best shark movie ever made.  Thurman discusses all aspects of the film that make it not just a great cult classic but a standout in the big-budget sci-fi horror where the sharks are not the true villains of the piece.  Discussion of the development of the script that changed the villain scientist from male to female.  Some of the test screenings that changed the ending even though it was not the true intent.  A larger discussion of the psychological underpinnings that are used throughout the film adds weight to the reasons and the themes.  A truly fascinating look at Deep Blue Sea.  This well-made visual essay is produced by Neil Snowdon & Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, edited by Jonathan Zaurin, and written by Thurman. 

When Sharks Attack: The Making of Deep Blue Sea (15:07) – is an archival making-of featurette from the DVD days is a great look into the making of this big-budget studio film.  In the all-to-brief 15 minutes, the featurette manages to cover a lot from the physical production of the film. There is a lot of great B-roll footage from the making of the film and interviews with the cast and crew. One wishes more productions would go back to these kinds of well-made featurettes on their big-budget entries as it gives one an understanding of the breadth and scale of these types of productions in the modern era.  

The Sharks of the Deep Blue Sea (8:19) – is another archival featurette that looks at the making of the great animatronic sharks that feature in the film – oftentimes that you will not realize are on-screen.  Again, this featurette has great b-roll footage from the making of the sharks and the work onset done with those animatronic creatures.  Featuring interviews with director Renny Harlin, animatronic creator Walt Conti, visual FX supervisor Jeffery Okun, and others.  

Deleted scenes (8:02) – four deleted scenes that appear to be pulled from a VHS dub of the scenes.  Included is an optional audio commentary by director Renny Harlin on the reasons why he removed the scenes.  

Theatrical trailer (2:22)

Image galleries – which are divided into two submenus

• Poster & Stills – which consists of 28 various pieces of poster art (only four), and production stills 

• Production art and design – which consists of 21 pieces of storyboards, production art, production design, and some great never never-produced toys. 

The Final Thought 

Deep Blue Sea gets a truly worthy upgrade from Arrow Video.  Highest possible recommendations!! 

Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of Deep Blue Sea is out March 18^th