Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Deep Blu-ray Movie Review

'The Deep' surfaces out of the Blu with quality picture and sound.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 28, 2009

If the Jamaican pirates don't get ya, it will be the cold embrace of the sea.

A moderately paced adventure that offers the discriminating viewer a sense of history, danger, and cinematic novelty while also delivering enough thrills to make for a slightly-above-average time waster to those not quite as interested in the complexities of the plot or the history of the vessels and their contents, The Deep takes audiences on a journey to a world not oft visited on film: the cold, steely, rotten tomb of ships long since departed and the wonders, mysteries, treasures, and dangers that now define their sunken, derelict existences. Once great vessels; the pride of the sea, a country, a navy; the transporters of goods, of men, of history; now serve as treasure troves of curios. Garbage or oddities to some; priceless antiques, collectibles, or otherwise valuable materials to others; it all once served a purpose, meant something to someone, its worth now determined by factors often not even considered by previous owners or caretakers. The Deep explores not only the fascinating yet inherently dangerous world of treasure hunting beneath the surface but also factors in the human condition that engenders in some men greed and hate from the discovery of the right object at the right time and of the right value to those that would kill for whatever it is that may be buried and long since forgotten.

Ah yes. I believe this relic was once known as "HD DVD."

A young couple, David Sanders (Nick Nolte, Tropic Thunder) and Gail Berke (Jacqueline Bisset, Bullitt), are vacationing in Bermuda. On a scuba-diving expedition, they stray a bit off course and stumble upon the remains of a derelict World War II vessel, the Goliath, where they discover a few treasures that they see fit to collect and bring to the surface. Among them is a small vial of liquid that soon catches the attention of Henri Cloche (Louis Gossett, Jr., Daddy's Little Girls) who requests of them to purchase the seemingly valueless liquid, but is refused his request. David and Gail soon thereafter visit Romer Treece (Robert Shaw, Battle of the Bulge), a local expert in sunken treasures and vessels who clandestinely steals the vial while talking up a nice but mostly worthless 18th century medallion. When David and Gail are assaulted by Cloche and his thugs for the vial and cannot produce it, they return to Treece and form an alliance in the name of collecting the remaining vials, which have now been identified as morphine with a high-dollar street value as a narcotic. Complicating matters is the discovery of more treasure that could lead to the unearthing of another ship and untold riches.

A fairly standard adventure film with a unique setting and elements of intrigue, historical mystery, drama, and minor action undertones, The Deep never falters in any one area, nor does it excel in any facet of its existence. Most importantly, however, it tells a story well worth sharing, one that offers enough mystery and tension to make the two-hour runtime a decent enough investment, but there isn't much of an emotional, spiritual, or otherwise rewarding payoff to the experience. The Deep just sort of "is," the kind of movie that isn't bad by any stretch, but one that never wholly captures the imagination, despite its intriguing premise and mostly well-thought-out plot developments. Somewhat repetitive, a bit slow, but always delivering just enough tension and twists and turns to the many underwater excursions, The Deep keeps up an appearance of mystery, an aura of excitement, and a wonder as to what it is that may be buried underneath the serene waters off Bermuda, below the tranquil and beautiful blue surface where exists a ghostly and rotten gravesite of man, of steel, of countless trinkets, of possible wealth, and of potential danger.

Technically, The Deep impresses a bit more than its story. Featuring plenty of breathtaking underwater shots that deliver a broad array of both manmade and natural dangers, the film often overcomes the somewhat slow pace of the diving sequences thanks to the wealth of visible information both in the foreground of the action and in the background as coral-encrusted and corroded steel, colorful fish, and plenty of fascinating odds and ends find their way into the frame. Unfortunately, the land-based sequences don't hold quite up as well. Populated by some action, a bit of drama, a few attempts at eliciting an emotional response, and dotting the story with historical inquires and mysteries that sometimes work and sometimes bore, The Deep, to its credit, tries to structure itself around a cohesive story and doesn't opt for the easy way out by delivering a basic, superficial plot without even a hint of substance. There's a good story here that mostly works, but the film plays as a bit too bloated and intricate for its own good. The Deep also features good, but not great, performances from its quartet of lead characters. Louis Gossett, Jr., whose character doesn't get enough screen time, and Robert Shaw, both deliver fine efforts, their interplay in one particular scene during a Cricket match marking the film's peak in terms of its acting. Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, the latter -- and the film -- best known for her revealing opening sequence, deliver suitable performances from start to finish. Finally, The Deep features an above-average score courtesy of veteran composer John Barry (Dances With Wolves).

The Deep Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Deep swims onto Blu-ray with a pleasing 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. The transfer reveals mostly strong details throughout; most impressive are the long-distance Bermuda shots that open the film. They feature strong, clean images of the green land masses and the houses that dot them, surrounded by shimmering blue waters. The primary action takes place underwater, and such scenes don't disappoint. They offer strong color reproduction, the many shades of clothing, mesh bags, scuba gear, and the many colorful creatures that swim by don't simply fade into blue backgrounds but instead tend to stand out nicely in most every frame. Such scenes also offer a good sense of depth and a nice bit of fine detail on the hull of the derelict ship and the sandy ocean floor. Land-based interior shots look good enough; Treece's home features plenty of warm colors and wooden accents and decor that look a bit soft in the background but otherwise help to create an inviting, nicely-rendered locale. The transfer also delivers consistently decent blacks and flesh tones. A fair amount of grain may be seen over the image. It's rarely presented heavily enough to be a distraction to those that dislike natural film grain, but it does spike at times and can appear rather heavy in several shots. Finally, a few pops and a bit of debris are seen scattered here and there on the print, but it's in very good shape, all things considered. Overall, this Blu-ray release of The Deep delivers an impressive, but not fabulous, transfer of a 32-year-old catalogue title.

The Deep Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Deep uncovers a fairly good Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation manages to deliver suitable content throughout, beginning with a string-heavy opening title score that flows naturally and pleasantly into the listening area with strong, but not overbearing or awkward, rear-channel support. Listeners will hear the varied instruments placed all across the soundstage. During the first underwater expedition, there's not much of a sense of submersion created by the track, but subsequent returns to the derelict Goliath deliver a much stronger sense of actually being submerged with the divers. From here on out, the track offers plenty of fine sound effects that play across the entire soundstage. The creaking metal of the ship; the shifting of its perilous position on an underwater cliff; the constant, deep sound of the water pressure; and various other niceties; create a fine underwater atmosphere that greatly benefits each such sequence that otherwise delivers minimal sound. On the surface, sound effects don't pack much of a presence, and dialogue is often hard to hear at reference level and requires an upward adjustment of the volume knob. The track also features a few good instances of rumbling bass. A slight audible hiss accompanies the soundtrack but, for the most part, this one delivers a suitable listening experience that doesn't disappoint.

The Deep Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, The Deep seems to have missed the boat and surfaces onto Blu-ray with only a handful of supplements rather than the treasure trove fans might have been hoping for. The Making of 'The Deep' (1080i, 48:40) is a comprehensive vintage piece, narrated by star Robert Shaw, that looks at the "danger, challenge, excitement, and fear" of making an aquatic-based film. Topics include the number of dives required to make the film, shooting underwater and with real derelict ships, the danger of natural predators to the cast and crew, the performances and professionalism of the cast, filming some of the dangerous stunts, and much more. The piece also contains plenty of archival and behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew interview clips. Also included are six 1080p Selected Scenes From the 3 Hour Special Edition: Romer Treece's Disposition (1:06), Treece and David Harassed by Cloche's Goons (2:12), Pillow Talk (6:22), Extended Conversation Between Cloche and Treece (3:22), Treece's Past Revealed (5:19), and Prologue: The 'Goliath' Sinks (3:09). Finally, this disc features BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) functionality and 1080p trailers for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Secret Window, The Dark Crystal, The Da Vinci Code, and Rocky Balboa.

The Deep Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Deep delivers a good, but not strong, story. It also features decent if not sometimes clumsy pacing, solid but not memorable acting, and just enough mystery and danger to keep things interesting. "Average" describes The Deep in a nutshell, it's very existence defined by a collection of mediocre-to-decent pieces that come together for a sometimes fun, almost always intriguing, and worthwhile movie experience. In the Hollywood of 1977, and particularly in light of today's mixed bag of offerings, "average" isn't bad at all, and neither is The Deep. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Deep, much like the film, never highly impresses, nor does it disappoint. Featuring a fairly good 1080p transfer, an adequate lossless soundtrack that delivers all that is expected of it in most every area, but failing to include all that much in the way of bonus materials, The Deep is well worth a rental, and its fans should feel confident in a decision to purchase.