One of the finest movies ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2001)

The initial success of this film is not up for question, but I think that with all the hype that surrounded this film upon release the quality of the film that Spielberg had made was upstaged by the shock value.
I like to see this film every twelve months or so and it simply appeals to me more and more every time I watch it. It has possibly the best combination of acting, dialogue, direction, photography, suspense, humour and plausibility that I think I have ever seen. Some of the shots that Spielberg got when out on the water are simply superb and obviously took enormous effort to consign to film back in the mid 70's.
I'm loathe to mention 'Deep Blue Sea' in the same sentence as Jaws (although it was an enjoyable film in it's own right), but there is a point that can be made here. The advent of CGI effects means that we can now see more of the stuff that used to cost huge amounts of money, man-power and time to create on film. However, this is exactly where Deep Blue Sea fails where Jaws so resoundingly succeeds. We do not need to see the shark in Jaws to know it's there and the film is carried not by the appearance of the shark but by masterful acting (by the whole cast), great cinematography, genius direction and an intelligent and fit-for-the-screen take on Benchley's novel.
It's nice to be able now to sit back and appreciate this film for more than just the shock value of the 'shark in the water' formula. More than 25 years on this film still stands head and shoulders above most other movies (similar or not).