Deep Blue Sea (1999) Limited Edition 4K Review

4 star restoration of a thoroughly satisfying shark fest.

Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 American science fiction/horror film, directed by high action specialist Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, The Legend of Hercules, Die Hard II).

Written by Duncan Kennedy (Bait), Donna Powers (The Italian Job) and Wayne Powers (Valentine), it has enjoyed a 4K restoration and is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray from 17th March 2025, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“Okay. We’ve had some problems at the facility. What we’re attempting to achieve here has never been done. We’re this close to the reactivation of a human brain cell.””

As the film opens, we see two couples aboard a pleasure boat, which gets a whole lot less pleasurable as a huge shark bursts through the deck. Luckily, they are saved in the nick of time by handsome shark wrangler Carter (Thomas Jane – The Expanse, The Predator). He is an employee of the nearby research facility Aquatica, from where the test shark has escaped.

Head of the project, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows – Baghead, Troy) has been called before the head of the board of Chimera Pharmaceuticals and their main source of money, Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson – Big Game, Cell). Headlines about escaping sharks are not good for company stock and he decides to accompany her back to the facility to see her work into an Alzheimer’s cure in person.

On board Aquatica, most of the crew are departing for the weekend, leaving behind only a skeleton crew. These are Brenda (Aida Turturro – Mickey Blue Eyes), who mans the tower, structural expert Scoggs (Michael Rapaport – The 6th Day, True Romance), research doctor Jim (Stellan Skarsgård – Good Will Hunting, Amistad), marine biologist Jan (Jacqueline McKenzie – Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears), the cook, Preacher (LL Cool J – Mind Hunters, Deliver Us From Eva) and of course Carter.

Despite warnings from Carter, they accelerate their plans to extract protein from the brains of the three sharks, but unknown to everyone else, they have illegally increased the size of their brains, massively increasing their intelligence at the same time. With a storm raging above them, can they survive the wrath of these creatures?

“Actually, they don’t like the taste of us very much. If they bite you it’s because they think you’re a fat little seal. Or a rich suit.”

Deep Blue Sea is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It’s a ‘B’ movie in every sense and glorious with it. The acting is surprisingly good and so is the script, just the right amount of bickering and comedy moments to make you engage with the characters. Especially good is LL Cool J. who also provides the music for the closing credits “Deepest, bluest, my hat is like a shark’s fin”, absolute genius.

There is also lots of toothsome shark action, with blood and body parts aplenty (poor little Bird). The special effects are good enough that you soon forget you’re not watching real sharks, making the well executed jump scares all the more effective.

This film is really good fun and all the better for an excellent 4K UHD conversion, you can watch the best speech ever from Samuel L. Jackson in beautiful and satisfying clarity. A great way to discover this gem of a shark flick, or for fans to enjoy it at its gory best. With lots of special features, this is well worth adding to your collection.

“What you’ve done is take God’s oldest killing machine and given it will and desire. What you’ve done is knock us all the way to the bottom of the goddam food chain. That’s not a great leap forward in my book.”

Deep Blue Sea is available to own now on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films approved by director Renny Harlin
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation
• Original DTS HD-MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by screenwriter Duncan Kennedy
• Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry
• Archive audio commentary by director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson
• From the Frying pan… into the Studio Tank, a new interview with production designer William Sandell
• Beneath the Surface, a new visual essay by film critic Trace Thurman
• When Sharks Attack: The Making of Deep Blue Sea, an archive featurette
• The Sharks of the Deep Blue Sea, an archive featurette
• Deleted Scenes with optional audio commentary by director Renny Harlin
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Gallery
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
• 60-page perfect bound collectors book containing new writing by film critics Josh Hurtado, Jennie Kermode, and Murray Leeder, plus previously unseen production art and designs
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
• Postcards from Aquatica