DEEP BLUE SEA 2
US/South Africa, 2018, 89 minutes, Colour.
Danielle Savre, Rob Mayes, Michael Beach, Nathan Lynn, Kim Syster, Jeremy Boado, Adrian Collins, Darron Meyer.
Directed by Darin Scott.
Deep Blue Sea was a popular action thriller of 1999. It is surprising to find a sequel coming 18 years later. And, it resembles the original very much in the outline of the plot, more of a remake. And, regrettably, it is a film that cannot be widely recommended. It is a brief action adventure, derivative of the original film, not particularly well acted, a time-passer for those who enjoy sharks menacing humans.
The film was made in South Africa, opening with two rather disreputable Afrikaners hunting sharks and cutting off the fins – only for them to be attacked by the sharks and killed. The sharks are being controlled by an implant and remote control.
As with the first film, there is a group experimenting, this time with the millionaire investing in a group of bull-sharks, the most deadly, and working out algorithms to work on the implants and control them, his desire to make them “more human� in their instincts and behaviour. He is played in a manic style by Michael Beach. Because he is wealthy, he has a special centre off coast with a great range of scientists and IT experts working with him.
At the centre of the film is a shark expert, Misty (Danielle Savre) seen giving a lecture, then urged to come to the off-shore centre, offered money to support her research but the mission not explained. She is accompanied by a very young husband and wife who have also been recruited.
The bulk of the film is looking at the sharks in action, the way they are controlled, the madness of the millionaire and his rantings and ravings, the reactions of the staff, and Trent (Rob Mayes) the heroic type who will be required to do the heroics along with the computer nerd, Aaron (Nathan Lynn). No survival for the nice young newly-weds.
Not only is the main shark turned hypo by the treatment but it seems she is pregnant and gives birth to quite a number of smaller menacing sharks who behave in piranha-like fashion.
The millionaire loses control. Power is shut down on the complex. Various members of the staff are killed along the way as there is an attempted escape, some heroism, especially on the part of Trent, and some heroic quick thinking and action on the part of Misty. And the millionaire is, of course, dramatically killed and devoured.
The film was made for television, in fact, and is intended as a pastime for less demanding viewers (not necessarily for fans of the original).
