4.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.4 |
When shark conservationist Dr. Misty Calhoun is invited to consult on a top-secret project run by pharmaceutical billionaire Carl Durant, she is shocked to learn that the company is using unpredictable and highly aggressive bull sharks as its test subjects, which soon break loose and cause havoc.
Starring: Danielle Savre, Rob Mayes, Michael Beach, Nathan Lynn, Kim SysterHorror | 100% |
Action | 22% |
Sci-Fi | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish=Latin & Castilian; Japanese is hidden
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
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.)
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.
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.
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.
2020
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