Since the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws in 1975, it could be argued that shark horror films have managed to carve themselves deep into the genre thanks to the initial terror of that utter classic. Fifty years since the film’s release, there is more variety to shark films than ever, with The Meg franchise and Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Shallows (2016) being recent examples of silly and more serious leanings of the killer shark concept.
Enter Director Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals (2025), which combines the various elements of the subgenre in a familiar yet amusing manner. The film feels no need to take itself seriously and revels in every minute of it. A blend of a great performance from Jai Courtney and a thriller handling past and present influences with care will make for some of the most grody, blood-soaked fun you can have at the movies this summer.
Dangerous Animals follows Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a lone and free-spirited surfer who wants to escape the troubles of her tough past. After forming a romantic bond with Moses (Josh Heuston), Zephyr is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer known as Tucker (Courtney), who relishes in the pure torture that he rains upon his victims. Now trapped on his boat, Zephyr must figure out a way to escape before he feeds her to the sharks as a brand new meal.
From the get-go, the film sets a humorous tone mixed with mainly one location setpieces, showing how self-aware it is. What mainly helps the film land this tone is the anchor of a performance from Jai Courtney, who is clearly having a blast with this material.
His lines never rise above B-movie grade, but he makes the most of every silly moment, whether it’s through his own dance number or even a scene of singing the Baby Shark song. It’s just the right amount of absurdity that never goes too far in either direction. Courtney is also able to handle this madness with the flick’s more thrilling points, seeing him as a fun antagonist to watch, but one that’s still extremely sadistic, which he balances wonderfully.
Tucker even has a decent amount of shade to him, even in the guise of silliness. He essentially worships sharks as the gods of the world food chain, as he views every person he meets in relation to a fish metaphor or pun. Sure, it is still a little dumb while watching all this unfold, but it makes watching him as a serial killer far more fascinating and keeps you invested through the film’s more clichéd beats.
Hassie Harrison also brings a great amount of physicality to the role of Zephyr. She confidently takes on the harder, more serious beats of the film, with a commitment that enhances the thriller aspect of the story. It’s incredibly easy to root for her character to seize the upper hand against Tucker through every spectacle.
I was particularly impressed with the technical expertise showcased in the film, specifically the rendering of the sharks. The shots that take place below sea level are gorgeous, with stunning blocking when the sharks are in the frame despite budget limitations. A nice showcase of not needing a mega-budget to match larger ambitions.
Sure, Dangerous Animals isn’t going to reinvent the wheel for horror in any way, nor is it trying to, but it succeeds in delivering the thrills, kills, and silly fills you would want out of a shark thriller. The result is a blast of a genre film that is well worth its quick and painless 90-minute runtime off the deep end.
Review Courtesy of Joshua Mbonu
Feature Image Credit to IFC Films and Shudder via Bloody Disgusting