Deep Sea (2023) review: it has a breathtaking animation, but its nice underwater adventure remains at half throttle

There are films that seem made to be enjoyed exclusively on the big screen, especially those whose animation is simply fascinating. ‘Deep Sea. Journey to the depths’ is a technical feat that enters your eyes directlyand has just been released in Spanish cinemas.

Return to the sea

Shenxiu was abandoned by her mother when I was younger. Some time later, the girl one day receives the call of the sea and ends up being dragged into the depths, where find a peculiar underwater restaurantrun by its bizarre owner and his otter employees.

‘Deep Sea’ (‘Shen Hai’, 2023) is a Chinese animated film written and directed by Tian Xiao Pengwho only has one other film to his credit as a director: ‘Monkey King: Hero is Back’ (a previous adaptation of the same character as the recent ‘The Monkey King’).

Produced by Horgos Coloroom Pictures and October Media, the film has finally been released in cinemas after passing through festivals such as Sitges or the Berlinale. The style of animation used aims to evoke a mix between modern CGI techniques and traditional Chinese ink paintings.

In fact, there is no doubt that The best thing about this movie is its animation.which reaches dazzling levels: from the spectacular settings to sequences that are a real explosion of color. It is impossible for your eyes not to wince at such a waste of creativity, which turns viewing into a visual delight.

A section in which achieves excellence and is far above all other aspects of the movie. Starting with the script, which raises interesting things but does not develop them well.

‘Deep Sea’ is visually stunning; the rest, at half gas

On the one hand, the starting point is really striking, with that extravagant restaurant full of friendly sea creatures that work sun and shade to meet the demands of the crazy genius who is their boss. A beginning which promised a lot of fun (although at times it is too similar to ‘Spirited Away’) and in the end it is just that, a couple of funny scenes and that’s it.

Mainly it’s because the script does not fully explore Shenxiu’s trauma (the pain caused by his mother’s abandonment) and he also doesn’t know how to tie it together with the adventures he lives in the restaurant. His relationship with the owner sometimes stagnates and other times gives sudden changes, without leaving any real space for it to evolve organically.

Besides, The 112 minutes of footage seem excessive, especially the last half hour, in which everything drags on longer than the story needed. A shame, because up to that point it had a fairly entertaining rhythm, but when it comes to connecting with the more emotional part it ends up suffering.

Although it fails to reach all the potential that that beginning promised, ‘Deep Sea’ is a nice adventure Suitable for all agesthat flies especially high in its technical sectionwith an animation that is one of the best and most beautiful that we will probably see this year in theaters.

In Espinof | The best series of 2024

In Espinof | The best animated films of 2023