Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Deep Blue Sea 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Polluted

Reviewed by Michael Reuben April 25, 2018

Deep Blue Sea 2 isn't so much a sequel as a remake. It takes the basic premise of Renny Harlin's 1999 original and replays the scenario with a lesser cast, a lower budget and (giving the devil his due) better CGI. The film was initially developed by Warner Premiere, the now-defunct label created by Warner Brothers for direct-to-video projects like the two Lost Boys sequels, The Tribe and The Thirst, and Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control. Warner Premiere was shuttered in 2012, but DBS2 kept moving forward. Warner released a trailer in January of this year, and now the finished product is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

In what is no doubt a tacit acknowledgment that the film can't withstand critical scrutiny, Warner refused to provide pre-release review screeners, which is the direct-to-video equivalent of canceling critics' screenings. You can't get a bad score at Rotten Tomatoes if Tomatometer reviewers don't see the movie. (Since I’m not part of that group, this review won’t change anything.)

Once again, we find ourselves in an isolated oceanic facility—this time off the coast of South Africa—where scientists are genetically modifying sharks to increase their intelligence. In the first film, the goal was a laudable effort to develop a cure for Alzheimer's, but in DBS2 the ultimate object of the experiment is to enhance human intelligence so that it can keep ahead of the rapidly expanding potential of A.I. The project is funded and overseen by billionaire pharmaceutical entrepreneur Carl Durant (Michael Beach, a good actor who deserves better material). A poor man's Steve Jobs, Durant is a visionary who has—you'll pardon the expression—gone off the deep end. In addition to spouting apocalyptic nonsense about the threat of thinking machines, he has also been secretly dosing himself with the same serum being administered to the sharks, though it doesn't appear to have made him any smarter. (Indeed, to all appearances, the opposite.)

Like Hammond in Jurassic Park, Durant gathers a group of scientists at his facility, although it's unclear for what reason other than to admire his work. The group consists of a shark expert, Misty Calhoun (Danielle Savre), and a newlywed pair of neuro-scientists, Leslie and Daniel Kim (Kim Syster and Jeremy Boado). They join the station's existing crew, which includes trainer Trent Slater (Rob Mayes), who is already sounding alarms about the behavior of the five experimental bull sharks led by a "queen" named Bella. Sure enough, shortly after the scientists' arrival, Bella and her brood attack the facility, wrecking its generator, cutting off communications, flooding the corridors and turning everyone aboard into potential fish food.

DBS2 has three credited writers, but they haven't contributed anything beyond scenarios lifted from other, better movies—James Cameron is a major source—accented by a few big speeches for Durant and formulaic exchanges for everyone else. They certainly haven't made any effort to explain the many obvious questions raised by the rickety plot. Why has Durant chosen bull sharks for his experiment over all other varieties, when, as Misty explains in an opening lecture, they're the most savage and dangerous of the species? How does Trent "control" the sharks with the device hanging around his neck, which appears to be a glorified garage door opener? Other than teaching them to swim in formation and turn on command, how has the team measured the sharks' mental development? Why has Trent devoted so much effort to fortifying the electrical perimeter preventing the sharks from escaping into the open sea—unsuccessfully, as the opening sequence shows—while he apparently hasn't given any thought to fortifying the facility itself, which proves ludicrously easy to disable? (The generator perched perilously on an outcropping and surrounded by easily toppled fuel cans is especially vulnerable.) And what kind of idiot sticks his arm through a shark's open mouth and down its throat, even if the beast is supposedly drugged? (There's this thing called "reflex action".)

The viewer has plenty of time to contemplate these and other incongruities in DBS2, as director Darin Scott (Something Wicked) sends his cast wading through corridors, struggling with stuck hatches and floating debris, and gasping for breath in sequences that have been done before (and better) in Leviathan, Deep Star Six, The Abyss and the original Deep Blue Sea. Scott says in the extras that he wanted DBS2 to feel like a horror film, which is presumably why his third act features frames that are tinted with alternating washes of blue, red and green. The effect is supposed to be atmospheric, but it turns out to be visually boring (although it does help conceal the budgetary limitations of the production design). DBS2 offers one minor novelty, courtesy of a new "breed" of shark, but it has nothing to match the memorable shocker that was a crucial factor in elevating Harlin's original film to cult status. (If you've seen the first DBS, you know what I'm talking about.) Nothing in this sequel rises above the predictably routine, including the ending, which is presumably designed to set up another sequel that, with any luck, will never be made.

Deep Blue Sea 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Deep Blue Sea 2 was shot by Thomas L. Callaway, who has partnered with director Darin Scott on previous independent horror efforts. Specific information about the shooting format was not available, but the film has the appearance of a digitally acquired project finished on a digital intermediate after substantial effects work (which is explored in the extras). The image on Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is typical of such projects, with generally good detail and sharpness, except in the film's third act, where, as noted above, the entire frame has been tinted with alternating washes of blue, red and green (and occasionally yellow), which tends to blur detail and soften edges. Earlier scenes outside the facility feature superior clarity, with a palette dominated by marine blues, which become even more pervasive once the team descends inside, where the interiors are dim and detail falls off. Banding occasionally intrudes, but it is relatively minor. Warner has mastered DBS2 on a BD-25 with a low average bitrate of 19.96 Mbps, which is reminiscent of past practices that the studio should have abandoned by now. Still, it's unclear whether more generous compression would noticeably benefit the film, given its generally flat and dull visuals.

Deep Blue Sea 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

DBS2 arrives with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that barely takes advantage of the material's opportunities. If director Scott wanted a horror film atmosphere, the surrounds should have been continuously alive with ominous dripping, creaking, metallic groans and unidentifiable disturbances that might or might not signal the approach of a predator, but the mix forgoes such opportunities, falling back on generic ambiance. The dynamic range is broad enough to lend authority to the sharks' attacks on the facility and the occasional explosion, but nothing on the track will challenge anyone's subwoofer. Dialogue is clearly rendered and appropriately prioritized, and the score by Sean Murray (another veteran of director Scott's independent horror projects) does what it can to supply tension and suspense to a film sorely lacking in both.

Deep Blue Sea 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Returning to the Deep: Making Deep Blue Sea 2 (1080p; 1.78:1; 12:21): For some reason, bad movies often have some of the best behind-the-scenes featurettes. This one includes an extensive roster of cast and crew and a broad overview of the film's effects and stunts. (Note, however, that it's full of spoilers.)



• Deep Blue Sea 2: Death by Shark (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:32): This plays like an extension of the longer "making of", with the focus on individual death scenes. (Again, major spoilers abound.)



• Gag Reel (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:08): Instead of the usual collection of flubs, this "gag reel" captures the cast mugging and horsing around between takes.



• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:40): The four scenes are not separately listed or selectable. The most notable are a flashback to Misty's childhood and an extended conversation between Misty and Trent about the sharks' training.



• Introductory Trailers: The film's trailer is not included. At startup, the disc plays trailers for Dirt, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Batman Ninja and Tomb Raider, plus the familiar Warner promo for 4K discs (which, in this context, is almost laughable).

Deep Blue Sea 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Skip Deep Blue Sea 2 and watch Shark Week instead. If you want to see an entertainingly schlocky shark movie, get the original Deep Blue Sea. Or go back to the source and watch Jaws. Even the most laughable Jaws sequel would be better than DBS2.