Deep Blue Sea (1999) Revisited

Set in an isolated underwater facility, a team of scientists carry our research on genetically engineered Mako sharks to help fight Alzheimer's disease but this go awry when sharks go on rampage and flood the facility.

Director Renny Harlin's delivers a B-movie premise that's good fun. Although the CGI shark effects are a bad as they were back on its 1999 release, the practical shark effects still hold up and are impressive even today.

There's plenty of shark action and the cast boasts both Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson in small pivotal roles. Leads Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane play it perfectly straight and are solid enough. However, Donna & Wayne Powers and Duncan Kennedy's screenplay add comedy moments mostly in the guise of LL Cool J who is memorable as Sherman the cook 'Preacher', instead of it being totally serious throughout.

There's some good set-ups and surprise deaths, an ominous attack on partying teens, a shark smashing stretchers against windows, sharks casing through flooded shafts, a helicopter crash, think The Poseidon Adventure meets Jaws 3.

Although Deep Blue 2 followed - it's less squeal and more of remake, recycling some of the story setups and script only without the budget and tension. Stick with Harlin's original