Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Show Opener

Binx 0:04

Super wet! It was a little a little too wet.

Movie Introduction

Kris 0:12

This week we're commemorating both Shark Week and Summerween by checking out a 90s science fiction horror film that brought the Killer Shark movie into a new era. Released by War Brothers in July 1999, the film was directed by Rennie Harlan of The Strangers franchise, who approached the production with one rule: depart from Jaw's legacy and don't hide the sharks. The story follows a team of researchers working toward an Alzheimer's cure at Aquatica, an underwater laboratory where experiments on Mako sharks produce consequences scientists did not anticipate. This week we're talking about Deep Blue Sea.

Greetings & Salutations

Kris 0:52

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack.

Binx 1:03

Total joke, a waste of time.

Kris 1:05

Or a slash. Totally killer, pun intended. My name is Chris. I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast, and this week I'm joined by the paranormal paramour, Binx.

Binx 1:14

Shit, it could have been worse. I could have let them eat your ass. You're tuning into Deep Blue Sea, but if you support the show, you'll also get to hear our B side at the end of this episode, where we basically discuss genetically engineered animal options. What other things could we kind of cook up here at the lab? Not too sure, but it was quite the discussion.

Kris 1:32

Probably what's currently found in your grocery stores.

Spoiler-free Discussion

Kris 1:35

But being said, you had seen this one before? I would hope so.

Binx 1:38

Yes, I sure did. I sure did. But as a kid, I completely forgot about this movie. I don't really think I've revisited it since. I distinctly remember, though, core memory, going into my grandfather's house, sitting in front of that small ass CRTV, and being very scared of sharks after that. That is for sure. But I felt like it was, you know, peak 90s, peak terrible CGI, the cheesiness. That I do recall. What I didn't recall was the fucking cast. What a cast. That's crazy. Crazy. I was like, how did I not have that as a core memory of this movie? I mean, the sharks really do take the take the cake, but I feel like there was plenty of cast members here that are now like some of the most famous fucking people we know.

Kris 2:31

Binks, I want you to picture this. The year is 1999. Rennie Harlan's movie, like this movie in particular, is coming out after he did I believe his filmography before that was like Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiska Knight, which both did not perform particularly well. So this is his last chance. He has a movie starring, among other very recognizable people, Samuel L. Jackson and LL Cool J. Imagine putting this movie out, and then in the same year, Samuel L. Jackson is also in the fucking Phantom Menace. Oh my god. 1999. You didn't even have the best Samuel L. Jackson movie that year, bro.

Binx 3:14

I'm crying. Samuel L. Jackson really owned 1999.

Kris 3:19

He sure did. And listen, this movie is-I know I make a joke about it not even being the best Samuel L. Jackson movie, but this movie hit when I was a kid. I have just as many fond memories watching this as I did watching The Phantom Menace, which says everything about me, I realize. But watching The Phantom Menace. And as someone who never really loved Jaws, this was a kind of shark movie that I really latched on to when I was a kid, and what brought me into being down with the shark subgenre. This movie will for sure never not be fun. It was one of my personal favorites growing up. And the thing that I think you ask about this movie, is it as good now as it was then? Is it as entertaining now as it was then? That's really your mileage may vary, but I will say that over the years that I've watched this, I think it gets a little long in the tooth visually, but it is still by and large pretty solid.

Binx 4:16

I definitely agree. There is an obvious charm, to me at least, that this film provides. I think it's pretty funny, even in its grandiose fucking nature, that's for sure. It's got the 90s archetypes and the charms and the one-liners and all the bits and pieces that remind you of the good old days, you know, when we didn't take things too, too seriously, which is rich coming from me, I understand. But this was a movie that reminded me on this rewatch of simpler times. Let's just throw on a creature feature and have a laugh and get a fright. And I can absolutely see why this movie scared the shit out of me as a seven-year-old. I mean, Jesus, those sharks are huge and they're crazy and they're smart. And I think that as an adult, in hindsight, I'm thinking, okay, yeah, maybe I'm not as intimidated right now, but I can still appreciate what they were trying to do here in terms of like, let's take the Jaws bit and maybe we can just turn it up a little bit more.

Kris 5:23

Yeah, this is, I think, the first real step you get where you start the slippery slope of eventually getting to Sharknado. Jaws positions, and you know, wildly inaccurately, mind you, what a danger or active threat sharks are to people. When you then have this movie where there's scientific intervention, then this is where you start to really quote unquote jump the shark. This is where you start getting a little silly, a little ridiculous. But what I appreciate about this movie and what has grown on me since then is the reason why. And especially in sci-fi horror, we always have someone whose ambition to discover more or learn something ends up being the thing that is compromising or jeopardizing everybody's life. You have Frankenstein or Dr. Frankenstein and his hubris and his desire to play God and create life for whatever fucking reason. But much like we saw in Godzilla with Dr. Sitesawa, you have people who are also making discoveries in pursuit of something else, and sometimes they really regret and have to reconcile with what they have created and what they have done to the world. And here we get a leading character who is not doing this for the wrong reasons, they're doing it for completely believable and emotional and compelling reasons. Why? And then you do kind of have to ask yourself, maybe it's not that bad though. Maybe it is worth it.

Binx 6:58

Yeah, I agree that it's almost like what is the lesser of two evils in a way. Because I mean, I think even for both of us, this idea of research for you know Alzheimer's and just neurodegenerative diseases, like that's stuff that affects millions of people, especially, I mean, you and I, and I feel like when we watch movies, sometimes we do project some of our own stories. That's just natural with movie watching, of course. But yeah, you don't realize that that's still going to be so relevant in a 90s creature feature like this one. I don't know. I think when going into it, I also was thinking to myself, oh, is this one like a really silly, campy one that I'm maybe not going to feel that charm? And I was surprised that I actually did feel that way. And I think that that works for this film. This film really knows how to balance those things, have a little bit of that, like you're saying, more moral decision that you have to make as an even an audience member, while also saying, fuck it, I'm having a good time and a good laugh. I mean, the the one-liners in this film alone are worth watching and spending your time. But it is definitely interesting. I think that what is maybe on the other side, like maybe what most people might not love about it though, is the cliches maybe overdone. So things like for me, in my personal taste, if I'm in the right mood for it, I love the constant little bits of humor. Some of these kills that we get are kind of silly, but I enjoy them. You know, they're a bit in and of themselves. Maybe people are wanting to digest a creature feature that's a bit more of a serious tone and a bit more threatening. I think if you just squint your eyes enough, you kind of realize like maybe these sharks aren't actually that threatening at all. But otherwise, I mean, I think that this is a a great movie for people that love sharks, maybe, and and maybe not. You bring up a good point. I'm so curious. I don't know anything about sharks. And I certainly do not watch Shark Week material. But you brought up something that actually got me a little curious as far as like maybe the portrayal of sharks, especially in horror, may might just rub people the wrong way because they they're kind of like really misjudged, right?

Kris 9:16

Yeah, I would love to direct both you and our listener right now to a bonus episode that I did with Paris last year called Sharks Exploitation, where we actually explored the idea of shark exploitation and how sharks have been represented in cinema, both in horror and out of horror. Most of the time it's painted as horror in some way, even if it's like an action thriller. And we really start with okay, what reputation did Jaws set and how did that evolve over time? There's also, I think, a companion piece on our blog post. So I'll put a link in the show notes in the episode description for everybody. But there's so much to dig into there. And I would say that if you love sharks, you can passively enjoy this, maybe. But if you're the kind of person who loves sharks, this is probably also gonna piss you off. Let's be real. I think we can acknowledge that. What I think is best about this movie though, actually, let me back up and give you some context here. Do you remember the year that Jaws came out? 1975. When did Alien come out? 1979.

Binx 10:17

I was gonna say after that or not the same. I only know 1975 because unfortunately the Miami Dolphins, it's not 76. It's I know it's for adjacent, anyways.

Kris 10:26

Yeah.

Binx 10:27

Okay.

Kris 10:27

So Alien comes out four years after Jaws. And when Alien was getting pitched, it was famously pitched as Jaws in space. Yeah. So you think through the experience of Jaws, you think through how much it's seen and not seen. It's like looking at genetics and genes getting passed down a family tree because this movie as a shark movie is more akin to alien than it is to Jaws. Because where alien takes the shark and makes it an alien, it also then has a crew that's confined. There's tight corridors and having to navigate this space where you're really trapped inside this thing with other things, with other creatures, a creature, in this case, an alien, and you're fighting against that. But on the outside of you, there's a vast expanse of nothing. So even if you make it out, what the fuck are you gonna do? So it's a really interesting concept, and I appreciate that this movie is a direct descendant of a long line of influence in cinema. Two movies that are globally recognized and honored by history for doing what they did in just society and to our culture, but then he got LL Cool Jay as like you know, the grandkid.

Binx 11:49

Oh, Cool Jay, look at that. I'm still not over it. But also, I mean, Stellan Skarsgard, when I saw him on screen, I almost threw the remote. I couldn't even believe that I f I, of all people, forgot that. That was crazy. The father, the literal patriarch of the Skarsgard family, Stellan Skarsgard.

Kris 12:09

I I want to really like just circle back to this. There's actually a quote in this movie, and it's actually a quote from Samuel L. Jackson. I know that L. Okol J had some great ones. Nature can be lethal, but it doesn't hold a candle to man. That is such a great thesis statement for this entire movie. Now, I think its premise and its idea is better than it's currently aging. Again, I think it is super, super re-watchable, super fun still, but it's starting to show at the seams, it's starting to rip at the seams a little bit. Mostly in like some of the slow motion that you get and some of the escalation and the panic that sets in. But by and large, if you can just get past that and move on from it, please do because you're gonna end up watching a movie that's very fucking entertaining.

Binx 12:57

I mean, there's a lot of things here, just a blanket statement of like remember what you're watching at the same time. I mean, yes, we've got masterpieces like you've talked about, but again, I go back to like the perfect little balance and maybe just uh an icing on the cake, you know, in terms of tension building, creature feature, 90s films. You've got the quintessential parts, you've got a lot of the tropes that we enjoy, those character stereotypical tropes, you know, the funny guy, the you know, the wrangler who's got a little bit of an attitude, a little bit of a I ride solo vibe to him. Moral compass.

Kris 13:42

You could have said lone wolf, but you said the Wrangler. Like he's a fucking Jeep or a pair of jeans.

Binx 13:47

I don't know. Thomas Jane, okay? Another name drop. It was crazy. It was crazy this cast, okay? I'm just saying that it has a lot of like the little pieces. We've talked about the comedy, we've talked about the tension. There's also some practical effects here, or I mean, the setting alone, I was mesmerized and suffocated by, that's for sure. There's lots of little pieces here that I think make this really entertaining. So it's if one of those perfect films, even if you're like sick and you just want to throw something on or you're a lover of the 90s classics, you want to put something on that you don't have to take too serious, but you still find it worth your while. It's not like too camp and too silly. It's just the right perfect sauce for me.

Kris 14:31

If someone were to have not seen this movie yet, period, would it work for them? And I think by and large it would, but I'm very anxious to see what the reception is like tomorrow night. This episode releases Friday, July 31st. And on Saturday, we actually have a watch party in our Discord server where we're gonna congregate as a community and watch Deep Blue Sea. So if you haven't seen this yet and you want to join us, please do. Can't wait to see you there. But we have to start making our way towards our ratings. Obviously, before we score this movie, we have to score it in a different way. Break it down, all these fucking sharks.

The Gore Score

Kris 15:13

What's the gore score?

Binx 15:14

Despite all the sharks, and despite a lot of blood, I'm gonna be honest with y'all. There's something about it being mixed with water that makes it seem not so bad. And sure we've got body parts and dismemberment, but I feel like the intimidation factor of that is just ever so slightly lacking. So as I say, if I you know, the few times that I do the gore score throughout the history of me being on the show, I always say I'm gonna channel my Sean and I'm gonna give this one a low gore score.

Kris 15:46

Yeah, there is not a lot there to sink your teeth into. The sharks were doing a lot, but

The Animal Report

Kris 15:51

how would you rate the animal report?

Binx 15:53

Well, now, speaking of, I mean, with this being a creature feature in sharks, we were kind of destined to have not so good of a rating here, to be honest with you. So yeah, we're not safe. We're not

Scoring

Binx 16:08

safe at all.

Kris 16:08

All right, well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings. Deep blue sea from 1999. Was it a hack or slash?

Binx 16:15

In truth, deep blue sea felt like a big splashy blast of late 90s creature feature energy. Okay. It's got equal parts, cheesy charm, this sense of they really went for it spectacle, I feel like. And I really was expecting a lot of dated CGI with a hint of nostalgia, but I was genuinely surprised by not only this stacked cast that I keep talking about, but just how overall how much it leans into this like larger than life fun vibe with equal amounts of serious storytelling. We talk about like this moral ambiguity that some of these characters have and just like the moral compass of it all, the ethics of what they're doing. That doesn't seem like thrown to the wayside just because we have smart sharks running around, you know? I think for me, what worked most was that there is a lot of familiarity here. It feels like a fun, safe ride. I don't have to overthink anything, nor do I have to feel like it's kind of just serving me comedy or serving me gratuitous gore. It's just the right amount of every little bit that I love of a 90s film personally. The overall experience was really funny and great. There's some moments here that are even like in slow motion that I have a really good time with, and other moments where I was almost feeling a little anxious and claustrophobic just enough for a 90s film that you don't expect with something like this. So, bottom line, I feel like if you are looking for a creature feature that takes you back in time, that you can be in awe of its cast, put some one-liners in your back pocket to always reference and have just the right amount of action horror. This is that sweet spot. So for me, this is definitely a slash.

Kris 18:04

Okay, thank God. What a relief. I was apprehensive going into tonight, wondering what your review of this may have been, because I am very fond of this movie. I know several members of our Discord community are also fond of this movie. And when I view this, I it's it's this really an open water that started a love of just like shark movies. And if you know me, you know that when I get sick, I just start watching bullshit shark movies. This started that like source of comfort for me. And a lot of this is also because, again, you mentioned that we have this incredible cast that really pulls everything together. This is a wild concept. Let's be honest. There is some of it that's camp, there is some of it that is excessive, but when you have people who are committed to what they're doing, that really takes you far. This movie, even though it is excessive and yes, it's aging, the approach is still solid and the execution earns every bit of love that this movie gets from those in the community who really do appreciate it. And it does so because Rennie Harlan and every person on that set committed to the vision. There are times where you can watch a movie, even though everybody seems like they want to be there, you can see who belongs in a completely different league. There's a scene in this movie that is reminiscent of a very infamously bad-looking scene from Jaws 3D. This movie takes some big swings with a lot of things, but it handles it in a way that takes itself seriously and weaves together a story with a cast that's charming, that's effective, and actually makes you root for them. In the 90s, you may have rooted against someone and swayed what their fate was at the end of the movie. We'll talk about that in the spoiler zone. But the reality is there's nothing about this movie that does not constitute a slash. Sure, yes, it's effects are not great, they're aging, but also fucking technology changes, guys. It's gonna be okay. Sure, there are other movies that have done more with less. And yeah, I don't disagree with that. But what you're buying into here is the experience and the concept. And honestly, for me, it's just a really fun ride. So with that, Deep Blue Sea from 1999 has earned a universal slash. Now you can find this movie streaming online, so go check it out, or come into our Discord server on Saturday night and go check this out as well. Either way, Jordan's in the second half, and we'll jump into the spoiler zone and just unpack what deaths were changed from its original release. We'll see you in a bit.

A Word From Our Sponsor

Binx 21:02

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Welcome to the Spoiler Zone

Kris 22:00

Deep Blue Sea from 1999, which has earned a universal slash. Now we have so much to dig into here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, we

The Body Count

Kris 22:08

gotta go by that sleigh by sleigh.

Binx 22:09

Boy, oh boy. I mean, we've got a good amount here, so we have a total of 13 kills, and that does include and that does include animals. Because, well, I mean, I felt like we kind of had to in a way. Let's start off with our first one. We've got the tiger shark eaten by our genetically mutated sharks. Rip. That was also kind of crazy, I felt, because I wasn't prepared for sharks to literally eat other sharks. Again, this is just me not knowing a goddamn thing. Let me just be very clear and upfront about that. Not a shark weak person.

Kris 22:45

I love that you can watch a Jaws movie and see this big ass shark eat through boats, end up fucking up all kinds of things. But it's this movie in which a shark eats another shark that really takes you out.

Binx 22:58

Well, can I just have a moment of honesty real quick? I've only seen the original Jaws, and I'm pretty sure I saw Deep Blue Sea before I saw that. I saw the original Jaws as a kid, to be clear, because I also then rode the ride. But I also want to say I haven't revisited the original Jaws in probably a long ass time, probably well overdue, to be very honest. I gotta be real, I am like 97% sure I saw Deep Blue Sea before I saw Jaws. That is, I mean, again, 97% certainty. So listen, it was what was on my grandfather's TV, okay? By the way, that means if you guessed it, you guessed right, it was dubbed in Spanish.

Kris 23:38

You can only imagine Lapina before you saw Jaws.

Binx 23:42

Sure. Also, imagine L Col J's lines in Spanish. Give us a translation.

Kris 23:48

I'll have to take a look at them again and do a few, but Okay, join us in the B side because we're gonna make we can stew it on the spot in the B side if you're a patron.

Binx 23:55

Oh, absolutely. Oh my god. I mean, I could if I could go back in time just to relive that moment of hearing it in Spanish, I really could.

Kris 24:03

But you know, we can do that. You can change the language and the dubbing.

Binx 24:07

Oh, I know. No, but it's not the same. It's not the same as like being a kid, the ambiance, you know, my grandmother's cooking. It's gotta be the whole thing. It by the way, it was like, what was it used to be called? Like televey más or something like that. Oh, it's been a while. Um the brain fog.

Kris 24:20

Okay. Next year, we're gonna watch Deep Blue C and Piranha in Spanish. We're gonna make Pika de Yo.

Binx 24:27

Oh, the whole bit. There's gonna be a lot of oil that's being fried and used so that way the the aroma of oil, your eyes are fucking burning while you're watching piranha. Let me be clear, Pidania. All right, well, Tiger Shark R.I.P., but I'm gonna rattle off a couple other kills that happen basically seconds between them because it all happens within the same scene. Four people get got in the first scene. We've got two unnamed helicopter pilots that unfortunately get blown up when one of the sharks, big brains it, basically has them crash into a radio tower.

Kris 25:03

How fucking crazy is that, bro?

Binx 25:05

That's when everyone should have known they were fucked.

Kris 25:08

Yeah, I don't understand how you find yourself in this situation and watch a shark make two helicopters crash and think you have any ounce of fucking surviving.

Binx 25:21

It's just not gonna happen. Because also RIP Brenda, who literally gets blown up to bits in that said radio tower as a result.

Kris 25:31

Yeah, that was a really fucking big bummer. And what I appreciated about this movie, like leading up to it, and you get to meet everybody and see them mingle before everything goes down. You start to see there's some really charming people here who like a believe in the work that they do or are trying to fly under the radar, but are also genuinely having a good fucking time together.

Binx 25:51

Vibes in the chemistry was there, I'll say it. I was there, and I really liked everybody, even if it was just for a small bit, because we're really not with Brenda for that long. The same would go for Stellan Skarsgard, aka Dr. Whitlock, because it all really starts with his hand being chomped, at which point I said, Oh my god, that's right. This is what happens to this guy. And when the shark, again, let's not forget big brains and is petty. The shark literally then drowns him and smashes him into the glass that they are watching from.

Kris 26:29

Okay. Yes, I want to point out here, I want to dissect this into two different sections. One is the initial scene where the shark rips off his arm. That is, I think, the single worst scene in the movie, visually. Visually.

Binx 26:45

Slow motion.

Kris 26:45

It is, because it's just not a fucking great look. I feel like it's like a I'm gonna throw my home video into Windows movie maker and slow it down just a little bit. We're gonna make it work. I didn't love that. The idea of what's happening in the chaos, and I love the thought of slowing it down. I love the thought of stopping for a moment to realize, oh shit, this is fucking wild. This is sudden, this is unexpected, and there's a lot of chaos in this moment. And the fact that you then have her reach over and flood it so that the shark doesn't get killed, saving the work, obviously a huge point of contention here. I absolutely fucking loved the idea of the scene. I just hated the execution of it visually. But then when he gets fucking smashed against the glass, I have to know what you thought about that.

Binx 27:35

No, I instantly was taken back to me as a child, and that's the core memory. That scene right there is my core memory of this movie, specifically because I remember feeling like holy Christ, that shark is massive heading for that glass. I remember, oh my goodness, he's literally drowning, being smashed into the glass. Like, there were so many things of that scene that as a kid I was freaking the fuck out about. As an adult now, I'm like, oh my god, Stellan Skarsgard's drowning.

Kris 28:12

Okay, Binks. One, let me say that shark was petty as fuck. To take him in the in its mouth, smash him against the glass, and use that to break the glass of petty as fuck. And I loved it. But you have not seen Jaws 3D. Oh boy. Do you know about Jaws Jaws 3D? Do you know anything about it? No. What would you say if I told you Dennis Quaid was in a Jaws movie? What would you say if he did so much cocaine? Yeah. This movie's wild. And also, not only is it Dennis Quaid, Binks, this this Jaws movie takes place at SeaWorld in Florida.

Binx 28:49

Oh, it's fucked. Oh, I almost feel like a bad Floridian, not having seen it. You know, I really also thought that you were gonna tell me, what if I tell you, Binx, that there's 3D tits in this movie? And I would have said, I believe it. You would have said, I'm in.

Kris 29:03

No, I it's not that. It's not that. Kind of actually. That's crazy in a way. But this scene that you see in Deep Blue Sea is first seen in Jaws 3D. And I just texted you a link and I would love for you to watch it. I'm gonna link it in the description.

Binx 29:21

You're kidding me. Go ahead. Oh my god. Wait. I also gotta be honest, I don't think I realized that Jaws 3D came out so before this movie, too. Oh no. Okay, but this shark looks pretty big. It's a big shark, a big boy. Oh wow. Okay, okay. This is a pretty You see the vision? Yes, I see the vision. I see the vision. Okay, but this is like a pretty great, like little Easter egg. I don't think that Deep Blue Sea is like trying to be better than Jaws. It's almost like maybe and this is my interpretation, but being someone that doesn't consume Jaws outside of just the the original of that one time or whatever. But I feel like it's like, hey, I'm not trying to be you. I'm just trying to say thanks for being an OG. Maybe? Am I being too optimistic?

Kris 30:11

Rennie Harlan made the very conscious decision to change and help try to make his mark on the shark subgenre. So I think there's plenty of callbacks. This feels too apparent to not be some kind of homage. This is also my favorite Jaws movie. I know it's like a shitty Jaws movie. I think this is the one that people like almost the least of any Jaws movie. But it just feels so apparent. When you watch it, obviously now, it's a shitty looking effect. But I I fucking still love it. I absolutely love it unapologetically.

Binx 30:45

I think it's got its own charm, it's in its own right. I am very curious about watching it. I'm gonna have to plan this out, this whole watch. I also feel like the name 3D doesn't do it any any favors with any Well, it's Jaws 3, and it was also filmed in 3D. No, of course. I figured, but I you know, people's aversions to 3D is already a very big thing. Well, we're talking about sharks and we're talking about how they were petty, but I have a death to report that isn't quite petty in nature, but is just fucked up. And it's an animal death, okay? And I'm gonna bring it up. It's preacher's parrot.

Kris 31:22

Yeah, I'm gonna be honest with you. Every single time I watch this movie, I forget that the parrot doesn't actually escape the mouth later. I don't know why I had it in my brain watching it. I think this is like a childhood memory blocking this out. I think in my brain, I imagined that because the shark's mouth is so big that the parrot must have been flying around in there and inevitably just flying out of it at some point when it reopens it. It feels like it was capable of it. But yeah, it's terrible. I hate it. I mean that bird was a little bit of an asshole. But Preacher also worked really fucking hard to find that bird again. And I remember that being a terrifying moment when he's reaching out to it and then it just snatches it right up.

Binx 32:04

It's brutal, dude. It's brutal. And imagine me. Again, clearly it was a childhood suppression thing because revisiting this for the first time since, I'm thinking, nah, they're not gonna kill the parrot. The fuck did I think? How how could I think something like that? They don't give a fuck about that parrot. No, they don't give a fuck about animals at all back then. Are you kidding me? Everyone got got. What have I been doing here doing this animal report? I mean, I should I should know better by now. Yeah, I don't know what you think. I was in a very optimistic spirit, clearly, while watching this. But that being said, I mean, what's to come next is another animal death, and we've got our first shark that gets got and blown the fuck up by Preacher.

Kris 32:48

Ooh, this is for my bird.

Binx 32:50

This is for my bird for real. For real. So, first shark goes down. We got two more to go, but before we get there, we get a kill that I find hilariously epic, iconic, and couldn't be more fitting for Samuel L. Jackson, and that's Russell Franklin's death.

Kris 33:10

Holy shit, what a fucking moment. Because Samuel L. Jackson is such a wild caliber of actor to not only be in this movie, but to also lose from this movie. This really is the Drew Berry more of it. If you put Samuel L. Jackson and gave him top billing and put him on the cover of this film and then killed him off halfway through the movie, holy shit, that would have just like really fucked people over. That really would have messed with people. But for him to be this rallying force, for him to have survived something clearly horrendous, and then center himself on like bringing everyone together to come up with a plan before he just so good.

Binx 33:52

It's the perfect subversion of expectations with a comedy bit, I think. Yeah. I find I find that really cleverly done in movies like this, where you've got the comedy already established and you just go ahead and just throw in a little bit of a surprise there.

Kris 34:09

And you know, he actually recommended that he get killed, period. But also, B, they were playing with the idea of just allowing him to finish off the whole speech, and then they decided to move it up into like mid-sentence, which I think it really fucking works.

Binx 34:25

Oh, I mean, it definitely does. That it definitely does. Now, next one to go is Janice. She does get eaten by one of the sharks. I mean, eventually we're gonna have to start thinning out the crew, and she gets got, and it's quite unfortunate. I mean, I did I did kind of like her. She gets dragged down. It's just like a whole another drowning situation, obviously, right? We got we're gonna have plenty of that here, so we're patting up the body count that way, but R.I.P. Janice.

Kris 34:54

Maybe this is just me, but I didn't give a fuck about Janice when she died. Oh, it's not that I disliked her as a character up until the infighting started to happen. I don't blame her because I mean, listen, had we not flooded the chamber and released this initial shark in the first place, things could have looked and felt a little bit different. You were really playing with fire. But I also, for some reason, just could not feel particularly gravitated to her.

Binx 35:23

Interesting. I I enjoyed it, but I think I enjoyed just the ensemble overall. So it's everyone is kind of at the same level in terms of where I felt for them.

Kris 35:33

Was the ensemble ensemble?

Binx 35:35

The ensemble was kind of ensembling, I thought. There's just one character in particular we're like, you know, we're gonna get there in just a second, but interesting. She's interesting, just interesting is all. Now, the next person of the said ensemble that sadly does not make it is Tom. Good old Tom. Some would say torn apart Tom, because Tom gets shredded, boys. He gets absolutely shredded by one of the sharks. Now, this is where I thought that we would definitely get a little bit more of that kind of kill in Deep Blue Sea. But I suppose had we, then I don't think we would have had that delicate balance like I was talking about earlier, because we would have then just had a higher gore score. Would we really get into a little bit of like, okay, this isn't that intimidating if we just got bodies and limbs just flying and flailing around? I don't know.

Kris 36:31

Yeah, I was again not even remotely invested in Tom. There isn't a single person. Okay, I know I said earlier that the cash really works together, and they do, they really do. But character-wise, I didn't particularly care for anybody outside of our final three people. They were, I was totally okay losing everybody. Samuel L. Jackson was wild, don't get me wrong. They all played their roles really well, and the chemistry was there, and I appreciate it. And I felt really grounded in who they were and what they brought. But I was just like, yeah, okay, yeah, you can go, and I'm at peace with that. I'm not bothered by this.

Binx 37:04

Yeah. You mentioned our final three, which is interesting because we do get into a pretty big one that you hinted earlier. Definitely people had some thoughts about, that's for sure. And that's well, we've got our two sharks, right? So we've got shark number two gets electrocuted by Susan. That's quite the fucking gnarly way to go, that's for sure.

Kris 37:29

If you had just had this mindset from the beginning, Susan, then you would have saved everybody a lot of trouble.

Binx 37:34

But again, funny enough, who's the next one to go? Motherfucking Susan. Okay. Just a slight bit of stubbornness there, girly pop. Just a slight bit of stubbornness. But you mentioned it earlier. Oh, oh, damn. That's a good one, yeah. Yeah, she did, she did, and that's really the frustration. But you mentioned earlier that this was one that was swayed by audiences. It sure was. Test audience originally saw the ending of this movie where she survived and we had a little bit of a romantic bit there, and they said, Hell no, buddy, because isn't she the villain? And that's T. She's not the villain. I'm with you. I'm with you. She's not the villain, but she's made some decisions that clearly made some terrible impacts. Does that make you a villain? That's a great just question of debate, right? Just because you make some mistakes, the lesser of two evils, like we talked about, does that really make you the full-on bad guy? Did we not have sharks fucking chomping and killing people?

Kris 38:40

Yeah, it's a good question.

Spoiler Zone

Kris 38:42

So here's my perspective on this. Every hero is the villain in someone else's story, and villain is subjective. And the way that we look at villains often in stories, I do not feel she is deserving of the full villain title. You know what I mean? When I look at someone who is actively working against the interests of people and the protagonists, etc. She is a protagonist in this movie. She is flawed, she is imperfect, she makes some dumb decisions 100%. What is this movie really pointing out as the antagonist? Is it sharks? Is it man versus nature? Okay, sure, yeah. But it's not really sharks because it's genetically modified sharks. Okay, why is it genetically modified sharks? And we're trying to create medication to be able to help a lot of people with Alzheimer's with Alzheimer's with Alzheimer's. But the reality is the reason you have to go through all these lengths in the first place is because of capitalism. Big Pharma. Big Pharma's the enemy in this movie. Big Pharma is the villain, and had we been all about our shit in the first place, I think we would have been fine. Listen, I recognize that she makes dumb decisions, and I am not saying that she is undeserving of a fate, but I appreciate that she at least consciously made the decision to use herself as bait as a bit of penance for what had transpired throughout the day and throughout the night, etc. But if I watched this in 1999 and she lived, I don't think I would have been mad at it.

Binx 40:21

Hmm. I mean, I get you. I get you. Because when you said like there is a villain in every hero's story or what have you, like I think that this is one where several perspectives could be had. I mean, honestly, like even Russell isn't necessarily safe from accountability either, in a way. Like, who is, right? So there's that. I think there is a little bit of frustration and stubbornness that I can't help but feel innately. But ultimately, I mean, goodness, it's like we talked about at the beginning of the episode, where it's like, I also gotta be honest and say, wouldn't it be great to have research that could help fucking Alzheimer's? I mean, if I were her and a part of that crew, hello, the stakes are fucking high, you know. Wish I didn't, it didn't have to result in animal testing. But, you know, it's it's just like no one fucking wins in any of these kinds of scenarios, whether it's real life or in the movie, obviously.

Kris 41:23

Yeah, and listen, I'm not here saying that we should be fucking doing this. I'm not. But I think when you look at her motivations for wanting to do it, it does not someone's motivation does not indicate whether or not they are doing the right or wrong thing. Your motivations, I think, are separated from that. There could be in in obviously the good and the right and wrong, the good and the bad, it's subjective. We would like to think it's a more objective thing than it really is, but it's all a matter of perspective. And in this scenario, this is a moment where she is doing what she feels is the right thing for the right reasons, and others may see her as doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. And a lot of people removed from this situation, who would just be looking at the story of Aquatica and looking at all this, would just insist that they're doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons just to make money. Samuel L. Jackson's character as the man financing this entire thing. What is his level of investment here? Because her investment is to do the work for a cure. Because she's personally affected by this. What is his involvement here?

Binx 42:39

Right. No, you bring up a good point. You bring up a good project. Ah, isn't that always the case? Too real, too real. Look at that deep blue sea. Just still being relevant today. Isn't that wild? And the saddest part of it all, if anything, is that at the end of the day, what happens? The last shark dies, anyways, also gets blown up. L Gol Jay is single-handedly responsible for two out of three shark kills. That's what's up.

Kris 43:10

66% of sharks killed in this movie came from LL Gul Jay himself.

Binx 43:14

Isn't that unexpected? Was by me. You'd think that Thomas Jane's the one or Carter in this case in the movie, the actor, Thomas Jane is just out here being the punisher in this movie as well, and just taking out sharks left and right, but guess not.

Kris 43:30

Yeah. Yeah. I can I can enjoy living in a world in which LL Cool Jay, as we've already seen him in Halloween, age 20, 20 years later, I can appreciate him being the star. I love that. I think it's such a refreshing moment, a when we see him in Halloween, and you think he's about to encounter one fate, we get that same relief here. I think L Col J is someone who makes you fall in love with a character that he plays, and you're like, fuck man, I don't want anything to happen. To this guy ever. I want to see him win. I want to see him come out of the other side of it. And I was really relieved to see him there at the end. But you know what else I was relieved to see, Banks? I want to break down the animatronics they used for this film. Do you know anything about them?

Binx 44:15

No. But I am I was very curious. So, yes, tell me what you found.

Kris 44:20

Things get come compounded and combined, right? So there's practical effects, there's animatronics, and there's also CGI on top of all of it. But Shar Jaws had a pretty fucking big shark, the great white shark, Bruce, that was 25 feet long. There are sources that say that the animatronic, the main animatronic used for the sharks in Deep Blue Sea, was specifically 26 feet long just so we could beat Jaws.

Binx 44:49

Okay, so as it turns out, the sharks were petty, but so was the developer or rather the production team of this movie.

Kris 44:59

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Binx 45:01

That's kind of epic. That's a little ridiculous, and I like it.

Kris 45:06

Yeah, 26 feet and 8,000 pounds. 8,000 pounds? 8,000 pounds.

Binx 45:13

That shit falls on you.

Kris 45:15

You're nothing. You're dust. Do you also remember the license plate that gets pulled from the tiger shark? Homage to Jaws?

Binx 45:22

You got it. That I did remember. Shockingly. How? Who the fuck knows?

Kris 45:28

We both had to pull double duty in Sean's absence.

Binx 45:31

Listen, I was really trying to be vigilant, and then I almost thought to myself, where have I seen that before? And since we had the anniversary of Jaws, I was like, okay, let me I must have seen a clip or something to remind me of that. So I'm really overdue. I need to watch that movie again. Jesus. But I did remember that. That's kind of incredible. I I want to say though, you know what was really surprising to me? I've hinted to this a little bit already.

Kris 45:56

Oh, was it to me? L Col J has such a fucking phenomenal song at the end of this movie? Deepest bluest, Drux Fan.

Binx 46:03

No. But yes, that's also what a title of a song. Okay. That's it. You also can't have L Cole J in a movie and not one of his tracks. That's kind of like what happens when you put these musicians in a movie. It's kind of like a contractual thing, I'm pretty sure. But actually, it was how wet this movie was. And like, yeah, sure. Duh, no, no, no. But hold on, but hold on. Because I'm going to be very real. You know what was going through my mind as I'm watching this? I don't know about like setting, like where this was filmed. I didn't do the deep dive on that, I'll be honest. So I'm thinking to myself, like, of you know, recently I watched The Odyssey as an example. And yes, there was a lot where they were filming those boats, obviously on site, you know, out in the actual fucking ocean. But others, they were, you know, as typical, these films get done on like these stages, right? So I'm thinking to myself, there's gotta be moments, obviously, here with this movie where they are in a stage. The amount of fucking water everywhere, when they're trying to get this guy on the freaking helicopter and get him saved, and the water and the rain and the fucking Poseidon's crazy bullshit at an all-time 12 out of 10. I'm thinking to myself, how did these actors even manage to like see, say their lines, fucking breathe with the amount of water splashing in their faces? I was like, oh fuck that. I was getting claustrophobic. I was like, no, no, no, no, no.

Kris 47:41

You just sent me back. Wait, how many years ago is this? I hate that I'm doing this math.

Binx 47:46

Oh my god, you in the Navy? Is that what you're trying to do?

Kris 47:49

18 years ago, I was in boot camp.

Binx 47:52

Oh, Jesus, there's a lot there. That's a lot to unpack right there. That's just crazy, dude. And that was it's just a movie, it's not even real. And there was just so much water. I felt like I was drowning at times. So much water, dude. Like everything was flooded left and right. It was crazy. Super wet. It was a little, a little too wet. It's a little too wet. I can't have it. I can't have it. But you know what? Speaking of in a way, I want to take it all the way back to arm being bitten off. Because leave it to a moment like that where if we could have just let this guy shoot the fuck out of that shark, not me, Animal Report Queen, being like, kill that fucking animal. But in a way, we could have probably, I guess, not had a movie, but we still would have had the other sharks to deal with, sure, I guess. But the pettiness would have just maybe gone to a level 3,000, not sure. But Jesus.

Kris 48:53

I mean, you're not wrong. How do we just done that? Or how do we not done this fucking testing to begin with? Or found different methods by which to test. Though the thing about this movie is that the science gets very hand wavy. It's like, oh yeah, Alzheimer's research, and then you're expected to just go along with it. And you should. You should not go into fucking deep blue sea trying to look into the sp the specifics of the science and challenge it. Just fucking go with it. So we can always look back and be like, oh no, animal testing. No, definitely kill that shark. Yeah, sure, we wouldn't have had a movie. But when I think about just like what happened there, sir, I don't give a fuck how knocked out that shark is. Absolutely no fucking way. Should you be that close to the edge?

Binx 49:42

Should you know better? But I guess not, because you were out like pissing in the wind at one point. So a lot of these things here are up for debate, I suppose. But buddy, buddy, come on. I don't know. I just felt like, well, he goes it. But there are some great scenes here. That's just one where I thought, we really could have had a whole ass other movie if we just let that man shoot.

Kris 50:05

Yeah. And that's also there's that scene. There's, of course, we talked about the Samuel Jackson scene that to be clear, that his whole speech that we get interrupted, it's seven pages long. There is a long fucking speech that he gets killed off halfway through. Rennie Harlan was resisting and did about like ten 20 takes to get through the whole thing. And then they decided, no, let's just move it back. But let's just move it up. For Samuel Jackson's for Samuel L. Jackson's it worked out better. This was part of this movie's fucking legacy at this point. But there are two other scenes that I really want to highlight here. One is a little bit more one is a little bit more brief, but it gives us some insight into who Susan is, period. And it's when she's standing there, she's about to do this work, she's reflecting, and she says, You wait your whole life for a single moment, and then one day it's tomorrow. Imagine the pressure that comes with that. Imagine the buildup that comes with that. Imagine the very Hamilton-esque, I'm not throwing away my shot that comes with that.

Binx 51:14

The relatability to that statement is pretty wild hearing it back again. And I and it's interesting because you're right, it does provide some nuance to her in a movie where you are not expecting nuance in any of these motherfuckers, that's for sure. I mean, I'm thinking it's a good time and la la la, whatever. It's freaking LL Cool J spitting out all kinds of comedic relief. But I guess I do understand in terms of like from a research perspective, the impact, the power, for lack of a better word, that she has in changing the trajectory of society and the way that we function in something that's obviously very delicate, and then it just like can go away in an instant.

Kris 51:58

And to be clear, again, she's not robbing graves and trying to reanimate men. She's not doing that, right? There is the spectrum of severity and wholesomeness when it comes to scientific overreach. And all of it, or the overreach, yeah, sure, it's bad, but not all of it is in the same category as each other. That's exactly why I would never qualify her necessarily as a victim. That's why I would never qualify her necessarily as a villain. But the other scene that I wanted to show up, but the other scene I wanted to shout out is actually the beginning of this movie, Banks. How did you feel about the opening scene?

Binx 52:35

I mean, it was okay. Oh, I guess I was yeah, no? What did you think? Wait, really?

Kris 52:40

I enjoyed it a lot. And I enjoyed it for reasons. One, it's fucking it's dumb, it's two young adults on a boat and then they get attacked. But what I loved about it is that it subverted what you would expect. Because again, shark movie, Jaws. What happens in Jaws? We open up, we don't really see the shark, we're going underwater with the shark, shark kills someone. In this instance, we have had years of being conditioned by Jaws. We've had years of expecting and knowing that even in Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, Jaws of Revenge, we get Jaws attacking vessels. So you get into this situation, you think all these people are cooked. It's done. They're not making it out of this. So then to have the moment where Mr. Thomas is wrangling the sharks and stops them, and then you have not you're confronted with not the loss of life, but the threat of legal action. And that's is what's starting this movie. It's such an interesting way, I think, to start it.

Binx 53:45

You know, it's funny because I'm thinking that in the moment, this is a perfect example of what I'm encouraging people not to do when watching this, which is me that constantly overthinks everything, started the movie off thinking immediately, okay, well, they can't possibly get got because it wouldn't be by these genetically mutated sharks. It would be by a regular one. And are we really going to set that precedence right off the bat? No. And also I recall XYZ. You know what I mean? I was under, I was kind of in that spell already of overthinking and trying to remember the little details of this movie as it started off. So it took me out already from the beginning, not at the moot the faults of the movie, more so myself and the way that my brain just won't fucking chill out. But once I do, I then am in for the ride. But you bring up a good point. It's already the red herring, in a way, at the beginning. It's already this idea of the homage, I suppose, to the stereotypes that you're talking about when it comes to sharks right off the bat. But I guess the gag with me was thinking, well, are they really going to start off like actually doing it though? It's one thing to kind of hint to it. It's another to just like fully dive in within the first couple minutes. Now, that being said, I mean, we've talked plenty about, I think, the characters overall and the ensemble as a whole. I think Carter Blake, aka our boy, Thomas Jane, I just feel like he's an interesting, like final character, I suppose, in a way. I don't want to say hero, because really, if we want to argue, in a way, Preacher is the hero. I mean, he actually did a lot of the damage. Okay. And I find that really cool because I go back to for me, the ensemble ensembles, because each one of them are the stereotypical 90s tropes. The bad boy, the Wrangler, as I said. We have our comedic relief, our funny guy. And you don't often see that the funny guy is actually more of a hero than the bad boy. You know? Is it kind of great that they end up at the final two? Yeah, because that's usually what we see. But I really appreciated that preacher really puts in that motherfucker work. He is blowing them up and he's doing the things. And if anything, Carter's definitely interesting because he w had no issue in almost killing the shark initially, even though he is one that works with sharks intimately, he had no problem with fully taking them out. Because in a way, that is also his role and the expectation there, I suppose. But it was interesting that they never actually had him follow through with any of those kills instead, and it was all L Cool J.

Kris 56:40

Well, even down into the beginning of the movie, he harnesses. Granted, it's the shark is company property at this point, so how could he really kill it? But if he had just killed those sharks, they wouldn't have known shit about that company. If he would have just killed those sharks in the beginning, wow, it's a good thing I happened to be out here and saw you all getting attacked. He could have concealed that. But he didn't do that. I'm not saying that he should have, but he could have. It's it's interesting. Did you know that Samuel L. Jackson was initially offered the role of Preacher in the cook?

Binx 57:15

Oh. I didn't know that, but I can see.

Kris 57:18

I mean and his team turned it out. And so they wrote his character, Franklin, specifically for Samuel L. Jackson.

Binx 57:25

Okay. Wow. That's interesting. And then Preacher is extra interesting.

Kris 57:30

I remember Preacher was actually supposed to die early on.

Binx 57:33

Okay. So I love when writers do this, like they change it up and they change their mind about little things like this. You know, not to be, you know, like cheesy or whatever and like nerdy about it, but my instant thought was Stranger Things, to no surprise. And how Steve, who is like the bad boy, but a little bit of the comedic relief at times, was supposed to die very early on, too. And they changed their mind about it. And obviously, look at that character today, right? What this movie would have been if you had killed off the comedic relief so early on. I mean, this is also we've got Randy from Scream, like yes, we do eventually, right? But what would Randy be it if he had gone so early in actual Scream? Like iconic character. We had to see him through to the end. So that's really cool. That's really, really cool.

Kris 58:30

Yeah. L Cole J makes this movie. It was the absolutely hiring him and forcing the studio to hire him was the best decision Rennie Harling could have made for this movie, quite frankly. Iconic. Iconic.

Binx 58:42

I think that when looking at this movie as a whole, and you kind of brought it up a little earlier. I don't know if there is an absolute worst part of it. And that might be shocking. Oh. What? Yeah? Really? Okay. Two things. Maybe I'm maybe I'm just like in the I'm like in the capture of the moment. Like I'm just good time with it.

Kris 59:08

I don't really think in this movie. One, the slow motion that I mentioned earlier. Two, the reshoot that got an entire woman killed in the movie. Oh, okay. Yeah, you see, I love that. I would have preferred the original ending, quite frankly. But here's what I can respect. And that's why, even though I say this is the worst part of the movie, yeah, sure. I personally would have loved to see her lot live. I appreciate that she went out with a sense of purpose and meaning, and that something came of her death, and that it was a conscious decision. And she did so not as an incidental victim. Because if she had gotten picked off like any of the other people before her, that wouldn't have had nearly as much weight. And something to her character for her to recognize all that has happened, all that has been tr transpired and what she carries on her shoulders because of that. And she makes a choice not just to end her own life and not have to face or confront the consequences of any of this, but she recognizes that it's one of the smartest animals alive, but it's still an animal. And the only way for her to move forward is to use herself as bait. That's impressive. It takes guns.

Binx 1:00:18

I feel, to me, I lean more into that, where she has some semblance of purpose and her arc makes a lot more sense to me than her living, and it'd be some kind of stereotypical romance situation and trope. Like that's the one trope where I feel like, all right, we can miss that though. We get that all the time, don't really need it, doesn't add anything to it. And it would, if anything, it would be almost like more disrespectful to her character as a whole and her motivations at the very least.

Kris 1:00:49

Yeah, I'm not saying I would have wanted the romance angle at all, but I definitely would have wanted her to make it out. Maybe she faces a different level of consequence to think about her mind and what she had to offer the world in terms of and finding a cure for Alzheimer's or treatment. What a massive loss to the world. Yes, that is true. And quite unfortunate. That doesn't stop me from ever watching this movie. As much as I dislike that, I will watch this often. I wouldn't say every single shark week, but more than likely, yeah. And I'm actually really excited again to watch this on Saturday with our community.

Binx 1:01:26

Listen, I was gonna say this movie is a big like, why wouldn't I? And truthfully, there is no reason as to why I haven't revisited this since I was a kid. I think in general, I've I've shared this before, I'm sure. Like, I just don't naturally gravitate towards creature features. It's not a subgenre that I seek out and am ever like in the mood for, to be honest with you. But it's certainly never one that I would shy away from. But I really want to put an emphasis on how fun this would be watching it with our community. The commentary, I can see it now. It's gold. It's fucking gold.

Kris 1:02:10

Actually, tonight we were just watching Dangerous Animals together, and I'm looking at the chat while we record and the commentary there for dangerous animals is already fucking gold. It's just like what a great way. Shout out to Nathan because Nathan reminded me that I did not include Halloween resurrection in the Shark Week lineup. And you may think to yourself, yeah, like you're making that face right now, Banks. You're thinking, why the fuck would you put Halloween resurrection in the Shark Week lineup? And that's because, as Nathan pointed out, Buster Rhimes in that movie says, Michael Myers is a killer shark. That's right, you let's not forget.

Binx 1:02:46

Exactly. I was gonna say, let's not forget that's the one I haven't seen that everybody's like, we need to put the watch party on so that we can get Biggs' reaction. Yup. That's kind of crazy because of a line. You guys are silly. I love it.

Kris 1:02:59

Yeah, we could find any reason to include Halloween resurrection in anything. But

Toodles

Kris 1:03:04

for now, there you have it, folks. Deep blue sea, an actual shark movie, has earned a universal slash. Now we certainly had a robust discussion here, but the conversation doesn't end here by any means.

Binx 1:03:15

If you want to find out how you can go further than this episode, consider supporting the show by visiting patreon.com slash hacker slash. This is where you can enjoy even more of the show, including bonus content with early access, extended episodes with our B sides, movie nominations, and live shows.

Kris 1:03:31

We'll see you next time, folks, and remember, we will start with the perfect omelet, which is made with two eggs, not three. Amateurs often add milk for density. This is a mistake. Take me back to the ghetto.