Because I can’t leave my readers hanging like one of those hapless characters dangling above a shark’s maw – as happens at least once in most shark movies – I watched “Deep Blue Sea 3” (2020) despite “Deep Blue Sea 2” (2018) being awful. I’m glad I did: This trilogy capper is actually good!
Restoring respectability
It’s not a classic like the original “Deep Blue Sea,” but director John Pogue and his team (mostly changed out from part two) have quality in mind, rather than cheese. They don’t take themselves ultra-seriously – as evidenced by a fistfight amid circling sharks and a collapsing village — but they do restore respectability to the “DBS” name.
Writer Dirk Blackman successfully threads a needle. “DBS3” is initially about climate change, but it also ties into the first two films; there’s a reason for its title. I doubt it’s intentional, but it also has enough of a revenge theme to parallel “Jaws: The Revenge” the same way “DBS2” parallels “Jaws 3.” But don’t worry: This film is much better than “Jaws: The Revenge.”
“Deep Blue Sea 3” (2020)
Director: John Pogue
Writer: Dirk Blackman
Stars: Tania Raymonde, Nathaniel Buzolic, Emerson Brooks
On Tuesdays this summer, Reviews from My Couch is highlighting classic (and not so classic) shark horror films through the years.
We start with Emma (Tania Raymonde, “Lost”) recording a video for her vlog while swimming with a great white she has named Sally. All the “DBS” films feature a scientist or handler arrogantly swimming with sharks like it’s no biggie. But this is the first one where someone – Shaw (Emerson Brooks), a friend of Emma’s late father — chews the person out for pushing the boundary of safety.
Striking setting
“DBS2’s” setting, while not as expensive as the corporate iron facilities of the first two films, is striking: It’s a man-made island in the Strait of Mozambique off the east coast of Africa. Once a thriving little fishing village, thanks to climate-induced changes in the habits of fish it is now the home to only two holdouts, plus Emma’s science team.
Its lagoon serves the purpose of the holding area from the first two films: a place where people end up in the water – by accident or on purpose – and fall prey to the sharks. In this case, the aquatic villains are three big-brained bull shark siblings left over from the mad science of “DBS2.”
Granted, “DBS3” has its share of funny moments, like when Richard (Nathaniel Buzolic, a Robert Pattinson lookalike), holds a harpoon to a captured bull shark’s head to get its siblings to stop ramming his boat. But we are dealing with sharks that are almost as smart as humans, so things are bound to get goofy sometimes.
Richard (an ex-flame of Emma’s) and his crew visit the island for help in capturing these rogue bull sharks. But there’s something sinister about them. It took until the last film, but the “Deep Blue Seas” finally tie into an overarching story thanks to Blackman.
The character building and acting quality are way better than in “DBS2,” if a notch short of the original. Hiding from a shark, computer wiz Spin (Alex Bhat) tells technician Miya (Reina Aoi) how much he likes hanging out with her. It’s sweet, and I just know the shark is about to attack, and I care about them.
Thrills and scares
The special effects are excellent for a straight-to-streaming movie, and the buildup and payoff are more professional than on “DBS2.” It’s not as intense as the 1999 original, but it’s paced well.
Blackman’s screenplay keeps us in sync with Emma, who is trying to save herself, her friends, the island, and the sharks other than the genetically engineered beasts. (But she sympathizes with them; they didn’t ask to be made this way.) Anyone who has felt overburdened on their job will relate to Emma.
“DBS3” includes one surprise that made me flinch (and mentally applaud), plus a memorable final showdown that calls to mind the emotional gore-horror of “Alien Resurrection” (in a good way).
“DBS2” no doubt increased its viewer count with its title, but “DBS3” might be cursed by its title. People will assume it’s bad – as I did, before pressing play – because the second one was bad. But this new filmmaking team delivers a solid horror-thriller. If you’re averse to bad movies, rewatch the original, read the plot summary of the second film, then dive right into “Deep Blue Sea 3.”