On a picturesque day, two tourists board a seagoing expedition to dive with sharks. Under the guidance of the ship’s captain, Tucker (Jai Courtney), there is a drumbeat of terror as the sharks swim around the cage. We are conditioned because this is a shark movie to expect bloodshed within the first few moments, and that is the case—however, we learn quickly that the real danger is not circling the cage but on the boat. This time, man is the real killer.
As we approach 50 years since Jaws‘ release, it is remarkable how ‘shark films’ have failed to make waves, let alone a splash on the movie screen. This is a testament to that film’s enduring power in the subgenre, but it also shows that one good bite does not always deserve another.
Shark movies are unique because, automatically, for better or worse, they are inevitably compared to Jaws. There have been pale imitations, passable entries, and out-of-the-box creations. Yet, a shark premise runs shallow in a world defined by Jaws. So what choice is there but to make a man even more deadly than the shark? Enter Dangerous Animals. It’s a sufficiently fine B-movie, with an unhinged performance, but ultimately lacking much of a bite.
The story follows Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a rebellious surfer who falls into Tucker’s clutches. Now, he holds on to his boat and heads out to see if she can escape before he feeds her to the sharks. In addition, her friend Moses (Josh Heuston) is searching for her and ultimately finds himself tangled in the serial killer’s net.
The movie sticks to the simple premise of a shark-obsessed serial killer. Save for a bit of backstory for Tucker and some exposition on Zephyr, the story commits to being a straightforward survival thriller. Dangerous Animals falls into the waters of being a B-movie, but an entertaining one. As a result, despite the simplistic nature, there is not a vast ocean of story to tell here. Ultimately, it feels like we are merely treading water throughout most of the runtime.
Right off the boat, this film attempts to clear up the misconception that sharks are uncontrollable monsters. The most dangerous thing here is not in the water but on the ship. Dangerous Animals takes a shark movie’s trappings while rolling into a serial killer exploit. Tucker is diabolical, a serial killer obsessed with sharks after surviving an encounter with one as a child. As an adult, he feeds unsuspecting captives aboard his boat to the sharks.
Genre fans will no doubt relish a few moments of gore and splatter that surprisingly do not come from the sharks. If anything, the sharks take more of a backseat in this picture, save for the crowd-cheering moment at the end. Outside of the premise of feeding victims to sharks, the movie is more of a run-of-the-mill serial killer survival hunt, which offers nothing more than the usual slop from this subgenre.
This is a frustrating film in many ways because the premise is clever, but the movie never gives up enough to sink in our teeth. It is surface-level, and there is no reason for a deep-dive psychological thriller for a B-movie. But even as a standard creature feature, this film left me more seasick than widely entertained.
The characters are nothing but sketches. The tension is quick, but there is a redundancy. Being trapped on a boat leaves little room to propel the narrative forward. Several baffling story decisions and false ends dry up any adrenaline rush. This may be too harsh on the film, but it feels like a shark movie needs to fish or cut bait in a post-Jaws world.
While mostly a forgettable sea excursion, what is noteworthy here is the performance by Jai Courtney. He works with the thin material and blurbs of exposition to deliver a truly maniacal ship captain. He hammers it up in a way that serves the story and allows him to make a lot of waves. It is easily the most three-dimensional performance in the film. Courtney is channeling a murderous Quint with a dash of Ahab.
Dangerous Animals is passable, but it feels like playing in a pool instead of swimming in the ocean. If you haven’t experienced the latter, then the former is perfectly acceptable. But once you’ve gone out into the deep blue sea, there is no going back.
Dangerous Animals will debut exclusively in theaters on June 6, 2025, courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder.
Dangerous Animals is passable, but it feels like playing in a pool instead of swimming in the ocean. If you haven't experienced the latter, then the former is perfectly acceptable. But once you've gone out into the deep blue sea, there is no going back.
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GVN Rating
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Anora.
