A fairly entertaining sequel that nobody asked for. With some impressive CGI and story elements, this one may surprise the most skeptical of moviegoers looking for something to sink their teeth into.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
“On the tiny island of Little Happy, Dr. Emma Collins and her team monitor a flourishing marine nursery where great white sharks come to breed. Their idyllic existence is interrupted when Emma’s ex-boyfriend arrives in search of three murderous bull sharks. But these aren’t ordinary sharks: Their mother, Bella, was genetically modified to be highly intelligent…and dangerous. As their body count rises, it’s clear that Bella’s offspring inherited her killer genes, and if they manage to spawn, life as we know it may end. Get ready for the deadliest return to the deep blue sea yet!”
Deep Blue Sea 3 takes place after the events of the second film, as the three offspring of a genetically modified bull shark wreak havoc on everything they come across as they are hunted down before they can breed and unleash more killer-spawn upon all life in the ocean. Although this does take elements from the second film, everything is nicely explained in some quick exposition about the sharks, the company that created them, and the end goal. If you’re like me, and haven’t seen the second film, it helps to set up a little backstory, but the third film definitely stands alone in terms of its characters.
The problem with shark films is that there is only so much you can do with them. After Jaws, how can you possibly top something masterfully crafted that was so effective it stopped people from going into the ocean? There is little you can do to make a film like this unique, but it does its best to give us things we’ve never seen before.
My favorite aspect of Deep Blue Sea 3 is the setting: Little Happy island, a city built on the shallow reef near an underwater nursery. Now deserted due to a rising sea level, a research team uses it as a base of operations to study the underwater nursery and document their findings, using their underwater footage for a blog to raise awareness for marine life as well as global warming that is causing the slow destruction of the island. The entire film takes place on or near this island, making it a perfect seclusion-type story away from all civilization that a lot of great horror films utilize. The island is used for another sequence in the third act that is also utilized very well to create a perfect sense of tension in the climactic scene at the end.
The actors all do a surprisingly good job in their roles. Dialogue isn’t too bad, and most of the characters have a bit of depth to them. Although we don’t get much time to develop any of the relationships, there is still a history to several of them that make them seem much more real and organic. The human antagonist is a bit cartoonish for my liking, but there are aspects of the film that make up for that fact.
The film takes a while to put the genetically modified sharks in the spotlight, but once they do, there are some great sequences that show why this is rated R. The kill sequences are gory, even funny at times, but most of all fairly unique to other CGI shark attack films. Speaking of the CGI, it’s done surprisingly well, looking very believable as the actors interact with these killer sharks underwater.
Video
Deep Blue Sea 3 is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. This transfer looks great, with crystal clear detail and beautiful color balance that highlight the ocean-setting contrasting nicely with the bright colors of the island and vibrant fish underneath. For a straight-to-video sequel, the combination of gorgeous CG and clear video above and below the water really elevates the film in more ways than one.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track sounds great, the highlight being the underwater atmospheric effect produced by the surrounds, totally immersing you in the underwater environment. Levels sound good, dialogue clear and concise, with all the action scenes really ramping things up to give your system a good workout.
Special Features
Two short features on this disc. Very brief, but informative featurettes about the underwater training and special effects of the film.
- Deep Blue Sea 3: Fight to the Death
- Sinking Sets and Sharks: Making Deep Blue Sea 3
The existence of Deep Blue Sea 3 is surprising given the poor reception of the second film. Although this one has its shortcomings, it makes a great attempt to steer the franchise back in the right direction. The film has a nice set up, a prelude to some very entertaining shark attack sequences that will please any fan looking for that kind of genetically engineered carnage.