Following from the original Deep Blue Sea, which featured in cinemas in 1999, the sequel has taken 19 years to arrive… straight to disc (DVD/Bluray) and digital. I personally was a fan of the original film, not because it was terrific, but because the 1st film was just so much fun and provided a substantial amount of popcorn entertainment, even more so if you shared the viewing experience with a group of friends. Nowadays, we are drowning in shark films, from Sharknado to other low budget films such as 47 Meters Down.

The plot is simply something we’ve seen before- a research facility, run and financed by a wealthy man, is currently experimenting on bull sharks. Soon, a small group of skilled characters are all invited to visit the facility. The group will encounter a new problem with wildlife while being at sea. Will they survive and escape the new threat?

For those who are curious to know, Deep Blue Sea 2 has zero connections to the original film with no returning characters and the history of the previous movie is never discussed. The film should have named something else, and it would make no difference to the plot. The name of this film is simply a marketing cash grab, and it worked- after all, I was curious enough to watch the film and purchased it to review.

Our characters are incredibly bland, boring, uninteresting and forgettable. As far as acting goes, everyone is trying way too hard, and the dialogue is unsuitable. Even during critical stressful/tense moments, our heroes seem to care very little.

The film is no doubt completed on a cheap budget. There are scenes where even the blue ocean have done by a computer. Editing is also a true shocker. One scene in particular that stands out is when a woman is pulled out of the ocean, only to find she is dry in the next shot, just as if she was never in the water.

The film uses four key colours (vivid blue, red, yellow and green) that feel like they have edited to sit in front of the image. Once again, used as a cheap and natural effect. This use of colour tones makes the film worse. It’s a shame that proper lighting isn’t used in critical parts of the movie.

There is a reason why this film skipped cinemas. Fans of the original (like myself) will find nothing exciting here, nor a sequel to the 1999 film. With poor editing and critical characters that come across way too forced, this film will only make you wish you were swimming with sharks just to end your pain. I’m going to be harsh, but as always, I’ll be honest.
Forget this film. If you haven’t watched Jaws in a while, I suggest you re-watch that instead on Bluray.

1.0/10

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Review Written by Peter Walkden