FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW

Review of Deep Blue Sea (Trevor Rabin)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you hold a soft spot for the stereotypical Media Ventures blockbuster scores of the late 1990's, this one being among Trevor Rabin's most impressive entries.

Avoid it... if you expect more substance than gloss, for Rabin's music is highlighted by simplistic harmonic structures that strive for attractive rendering rather than intellectual development.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Deep Blue Sea: (Trevor Rabin) As tempting as it might be to write off a typical Renny Harlin action flick as trash, the 1999 shark thriller Deep Blue Sea wasn't as bad as it certainly could have been. A tribute of sorts to Jaws, Aliens, The Abyss, and Jurassic Park, the film's plot is derivative but entertaining, its greatest asset perhaps being the willingness to kill off any character at any given moment. The bait for the sharks this time is a group of scientists conducting experiments on them in a large ocean station. As a side effect of their genetic alterations, the sharks become stronger and more intelligent, eventually causing them to revolt against the humans and try to eat and smash their way to freedom. Since Deep Blue Sea, which received surprisingly positive critical response at its opening, didn't attempt to break new ground, the production hired composer Trevor Rabin to write a score in the mold of the popular Hans Zimmer-inspired sound that was beginning to define major blockbuster soundtracks at the time. Starting in earnest with Armageddon, there had been a split in the film music community between those who welcomed the Hans Zimmer/Media Ventures-influenced sound and those who feared that such simplistic, electronically-rendered music was a hazard to the future of orchestral film scoring. Many collectors fell somewhere in between, enjoying the melodic passages of such scores while usually discarding the knock-off Crimson Tide action pieces that may or may not contain insufferable electric guitar contributions. Doubts existed that the former Yes guitarist Rabin could produce a score with any intellectual merits for Harlin's Deep Blue Sea, but the work's emphasis on orchestral and choral elements as equals to the electronics led to a pleasant surprise. Rabin's attention to the fantasy side of the story (as opposed to simply addressing the expected horror) yields two major themes and several lovely moments of harmony.

Thematically, Rabin provides the film with two major themes, both dramatic and easily accessible. Neither idea is provided at the outset of the film, interestingly, leaving a slew of individual sub-themes to carry the score's identity until the two major themes strengthen. Most commonly considered the primary theme for Deep Blue Sea is the idea heard most prominently in the film's topside finale. A series of two four-note progressions, this rather simple theme is not much different from the anthem of Armageddon, but its rendering here is less overbearing. The two full ensemble performances of the theme in "Aftermath" are the highlights of the score, the latter concluding with lovely choral accompaniment. Rabin extends theme and its introductory phrases to acoustic guitar and keyboarded solos in "Susan Softens" and "Doctor's Orders," providing easy harmonic listening. While this theme's orchestral and choral performances in "Aftermath" are among the best that Rabin has accomplished in his career, they really aren't in tune with the spirit of the film. After a less transparent series of suspense and horror cues for the mass of the film, this finale seems like a cheap Hollywood thrill that sounds far too fluffy and heroic for even the overhead shots of resolution. Its tone is too majestic for what has come before, being that a whole lot of people were killed, the experiments went awry, and an expensive sea station was destroyed. Still, the concluding statements of this theme are quite enjoyable on album and are conveniently placed at the start of the short release for Deep Blue Sea. Arguably more appropriate for the tone of the plot is the second theme that Rabin conjures for the picture, heard in crescendos at several important junctures in the film. On album, this melodramatically morbid idea is heard initially at the ends of "Susan Softens" and "Journey." The massive statement of the theme's two six-note progressions at the end of "Susan Softens" seems to better speak to the grim nature of the film's fantasy concepts.

The fact that both themes are simplistic in their repeating structures perhaps betrays Rabin's sensibilities when it comes to melodic statement, but, as mentioned before, they make for pleasant listening experiences. One of the more curious aspects of Deep Blue Sea is the fact that Rabin explores several other melodic ideas in individual cues that never really amount to anything. There are moments of immense orchestral and choral confluence in the score that don't relate to each other (or either main theme), leaving their general tone to set the atmosphere of the score rather than any truly devious development. The one exception is the hyperactive action cue "Anarchy," likely to be a favorite with fans of the composer. In this lengthy, frenetic cue, Rabin treats both themes to robust ensemble performances with synthetic backing. The electric guitar performance of the primary theme at about 2:10 is as typical of the Media Ventures blockbuster sound as you can get (a la The Rock), as are the staccato pounding of the synths, percussion, and orchestra in the cue's third minute. The noisy cue concludes with one last massive choral and orchestral performance of the secondary theme that draws to an impressive, deliberate finish. The straight action music in "Main" and "Shark Side" is generic in its pounding hits, and the conversational and minimal fantasy cues like "Hunting in Packs" and "Experiment" barely register beyond their stark and aimless, low volume electronics. Overall, Deep Blue Sea is above average for Rabin and contains five to ten minutes of music worthy of any Media Ventures compilation. The mixing of the L.A. Master Chorale is impressively handled, giving the score more depth than Rabin's other works. Still, there aren't many truly inspiring and smart techniques in action here, and listeners hoping for more substance than gloss will be disappointed. The short album presentation is out of film order and seemingly tacks on an edited "Doctor's Orders" cue (with a much wetter mix?) simply to pad it to 30 minutes. Fans of the composer, though, will roll around in delight like a shark that's just eaten a nice, plump human for lunch.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 30:02

• 1. Aftermath (2:47) • 2. Susan Softens (2:26) • 3. Journey (4:48) • 4. Main (3:07) • 5. Hunting in Packs (1:42)

• 6. Experiment (4:28) • 7. Jim Returns (1:21) • 8. Shark Side (4:27) • 9. Anarchy (4:23) • 10. Doctor's Orders (0:33)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes no extra information about the score or film. The cover art is extraordinarily ugly.

Copyright © 1999-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Deep Blue Sea are Copyright © 1999, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/3/99 and last updated 5/1/08.