Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 15, 2025

Some of the supplements Arrow has aggregated for this release make a valiant attempt to say something along the lines of, "If only there hadn't been that stupid Jaws movie, people would have appreciated Deep Blue Sea more". Well, yeah. . . Maybe. But that very argument inevitably points out the probably inarguable fact that if you're jonesin' for a "shark flick", that "little" effort from Steven Spielberg is probably the way to go. Even granting Deep Blue Sea "silver medal" status in the pantheon of movies about killer sea life, as one of the supplements overtly does, may not completely persuade some people about the inherent quality of this admittedly fun and occasionally quite tense thriller, but to further that metaphor just a bit, let's just state that the assumed gold medal winner in this particular case is on a pedestal a good deal higher than this film.

Deep Blue Sea has had a couple of prior releases on 1080 disc (including re-releases), and Martin Liebman's Deep Blue Sea Blu-ray review of Warner Brothers' original 2010 release provides ample plot information as well as a listing of supplements and Marty's reaction to the technical presentation. I'm frankly not quite sure why that review doesn't offer actual screenshots.

Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Deep Blue Sea is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's beautiful perfect bound booklet included with this release provides the following information on the presentation:

Deep Blue Sea has been restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio. The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16 bit resolution at Warner Bros. / Motion Picture Imaging. The film was restored in 4K resolution and colour graded at Duplitech.

The new restored master of Deep Blue Sea has been approved by director Renny Harlin.

All materials source for this new master were made available by Warner Bros.

The 5.1 mix was sourced from Warner Bros.

The Atmos mix was produced by Arrow Films and completed at Deluxe Audio, London.

This is another great looking 4K presentation of a veritable "cult movie" from Arrow. The glut of underwater and/or just flat out dark material sees new vibrancy and some noticeable if admittedly minor at times improvements in shadow detail throughout courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision. The HDR grades also add considerable highlights throughout the cooler ends of the spectrum in particular. A number of the water scenes have either teal or cobalt highlights in this version which aren't quite as vivid in Arrow's already quite striking 1080 presentation. That said, there are some interesting highlights on the warmer end of the spectrum as well and some of the early office material with Samuel L. Jackson and Saffron Burrows has a rather pronounced auburn / orange tone that is again at least a bit different looking than in the 1080 version from Arrow. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout, though they understandably ebb (sorry, water pun unavoidable) in the many underwater scenes. Grain is quite heavy at times and has a bit of the splotchy yellow quality that I in particular tend not to like the appearance of in the increased resolution this format offers, but on the whole things resolve rather tightly, something that's commendable given all the other potential compression issues offered by all the water material.

Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Deep Blue Sea offers Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options (kind of interestingly, the disc defaults to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, not the Atmos track). Marty had a few passing qualms when assessing the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the old Warner Blu-ray, but I found both the 5.1 and especially the Atmos presentations on this disc to be consistently immersive (again, sorry, water pun unavoidable), with some really impressive LFE and midrange in both tracks in any number of sequences, probably most noticeably some of the more "explosive" scenes. It's kind of funny to talk about Atmos verticality in underwater material, but the bubbling, swirling sounds that accompany a lot of the submerged vignettes offer noticeable overhead activity. Discrete channelization in the side and rear speakers also offers some really nice surround activity in some of the calamitous material as things spin out of control during the storm. There is one perhaps major issue on the Atmos track, depending on how you feel about LL Cool J, with the closing music cutting out almost a full minute before the end of the credits (the 5.1 track does not have this problem). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

  Critic Commentary features Rebekah McKendry, co-host of the Colors of the Dark podcast and a self-described shark movie freak. This is new to this edition and was recorded in 2024.

  
  

  Screenwriter Commentary features Duncan Kennedy and has some interesting "how the sausage got made" background that may disclose a bit of rueful frustration on Kennedy's part. This is new to this edition and was recorded in 2024.

  
  

  Director Commentary is the archival piece from the old Blu-ray ported over here, and which considering it also features Samuel L. Jackson may have provoked a choice expletive from the actor for not being mentioned in the title (the description at least gets around to including him).

• From the Frying Pan into the Studio Tanks (HD; 25:08) is a really appealing new interview with production designer William Sandell, whose name may frankly not be all that well known, but who has some impressive credits in addition to this film.


• Beneath the Surface (HD; 19:30) is a new visual essay by Trace Thurman which makes the case that the real villain of this film is not the "smart sharks".


• When Sharks Attack (HD*; 15:07) is an archival making of featurette.


• The Sharks of Deep Blue Sea (HD*; 8:19) is an archival piece looking at the animatronic killers.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 8:02) have optional commentary by Renny Harlin. These are HD in name only and were obviously sourced from a low res source.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:22)


• Image Galleries

  Posters & Stills (HD)

  
  

  Production Art and Design (HD)

If the film only deserves "silver" status (if even that), per the above mentioned supplement, Arrow goes for the gold in terms of packaging and non disc swag with this limited edition. The keepcase offers a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece, and a double sided fold out poster offers the same two art choices. The keepcase encloses postcards from Aquatica. A 60 page perfect bound collector's book offers interesting essays by Josh Hurtado, Jenni Kermode and Murray Leeder and a glut of archival material. All of this is enclosed in a handsomely designed slipbox. The slipbox is enclosed in an O ring slipcover.

Deep Blue Sea 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Judging by this film and the upcoming The Long Kiss Goodnight 4K, Arrow's on a bit of a Renny Harlin kick right now, and fans of the frankly often maligned director should find this release to easily top the old Warner 1080 disc in both technical merits and especially supplements and non disc swag and packaging.