This year marks the 50th anniversary of the apex shark thriller “Jaws,” and if Steven Spielberg’s masterful classic made you too scared to go swimming in the ocean, wait until you’ve seen “Dangerous Animals.”
As if an oversized great white with razor-sharp teeth wasn’t scary enough, “Dangerous Animals” increases the fear factor by also throwing a deranged serial killer into the mix, and it’s just as unhinged as that sounds. This intense thriller is easily the best shark movie I’ve seen this year (though the competition isn’t fierce with Hulu’s “Into the Deep” a real stinker).
This Sean Byrne-directed survival thriller swam into theatres in early June, but it’s finally ready to swim into new waters as it’s now available to stream on premium video-on-demand via platforms like Amazon and Apple. And this taunt and tense thriller is definitely worth the rental fee.
You’ll come for the sharks, but trust me, you’ll stay for Jai Courtney's deliciously sinister performance. Here’s everything you need to know about “Dangerous Animals.”
What is ‘Dangerous Animals’ about?
Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is an American drifter and surf-obsessive currently trawling through Australia’s Gold Coast. After a romantic encounter with realtor Moses (John Heuston), Zephyr's commitment issues surface, and she flees the scene of their hookup.
Going for a nighttime surf to clear her head, she encounters Tucker (Jai Courtney), an initially friendly stranger whose horrific true intentions quickly come to light. Abducted by this deranged psychopath, Zephyr awakens handcuffed to a bed in the hull of Tucker’s boat.
Tucker soon reveals his sadistic ritual, which sees him kidnap victims and then feed them to a pack of hungry sharks while filming the brutal act on a battered old camera. With time ticking away before she becomes fish food herself, Zephyr desperately tries to escape.
‘Dangerous Animals’ plunges you into a sea of pure terror
“Dangerous Animals” sets out its stall extremely early. The opening sequence introduces us to Tucker, and from this very first appearance, it’s abundantly clear that he is somebody best avoided at all costs. It’s a shame his first on-screen victims don’t see that and pay the price.
I’ve been pretty critical of Jai Courtney’s work in awful movies like 2016’s “Suicide Squad” and “Terminator Genisys” in the past, but the Australian actor absolutely nails his part here. Tucker is the best part of the movie. He’s a terrifying presence, completely deranged and downright evil, but Courtney lights up the screen and creates a very memorable antagonist.
It’s a shame the same can’t be said for the hero of the piece, Zephyr. It’s not that Hassie Harrison does anything wrong, but the character’s arc of transition from a lone-wolf to somebody willing to accept help from others, in this case, Heuston’s Moses, is predictable.
But really, with a movie like “Dangerous Animals,” you’re not here for the character arcs; it’s all about the bloodshed, and this movie does not disappoint. Tucker’s cameracord is used quite creatively to give the movie almost a “snuff film” quality. This really adds to the sense of unease as we see the killer string up victims and plunge them into shark-infested waters.
Being attacked by sharks while going for a pleasant swim is one thing to be afraid of, but being tied up, hoisted into the air, and then slowly lowered into a circling pit of sharks is beyond nightmare-inducing, and “Dangerous Animals” isn’t shy about showing the horrific results of Tucker’s disturbing method of murder. Those easily frightened should steer clear.
Viewers looking for a watertight narrative should probably also give this one a miss. “Dangerous Animals” has a lot going for it, but it does see character turn off their common sense a little too often, and there are some story beats as flimsy as soggy cardboard. But, for me, these flaws never amounted to more than mere distractions to the real show stealer: Jai Courtney’s Tucker, and watching (sometimes through my fingers) his horrific actions.
You need to stream ‘Dangerous Animals’ now
On the surface, “Dangerous Animals” might have the appearance of a trashy gorefest, but there’s quite a bit more to this well-constructed horror-thriller than meets the eye. Director Sean Byrne does a great job contrasting the movie’s picturesque location of the Gold Coast with the murderous actions of its antagonist, and the sound design is seriously punchy.
For these reasons, and the others highlighted above, I’m not surprised to see that “Dangerous Animals” was a bit of a critical darling. Shark movies are often dismissed as “guilty pleasures” or just outright torn to shreds by critics, but not in this case. The movie holds a strong 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, enough for a ‘Certified Fresh’ badge.
“Stuffed to the gills with memorable shocks and a thrillingly unhinged heel turn by Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals will be irresistible chum for horror aficionados,” reads RT’s ‘Critics Consensus,’ and I’m glad to see Courtney’s work getting called out for praise.
So, if you thought ‘Jaws’ was too tame, or just want a reason to be absolutely terrified of ever going swimming in the ocean all over again, “Dangerous Animals” is a shark movie you don’t want to skip. Perhaps its biggest strength is that it makes its protagonist unsafe both in the water and on dry land, so there’s no escaping or moment to catch your breath.
“Dangerous Animals” isn’t the only new movie arriving on streaming this week. Here’s a guide to the best new releases across platforms. Plus, horror fans also won’t want to miss this new chiller starring Sally Hawkins from the directors behind 2023’s “Talk to Me.”
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