Dangerous Animals Review

Jaws meets Saw

As an American, I had conjured up stupid expectations that Australia is synonymous with death. From box jellyfish to blue-ringed octopus to bulldog ants and, of course, the iconic great white shark. Now that I've grown older and traveled around the world meeting Australians, I feel like such a fool to have had those preconceived notions. It's a very safe country, and also that they don't drink Fosters, which bummed me out. Sean Byrne's Dangerous Animals has unlocked brand new fears within my heart with a tight and bloody delicious film. It is an entirely unhinged thrill ride at sea that features sick kills and a hulking performance by Jai Courtney, who's in complete sicko mode. Mashing the serial killer genre with sharks was a combo I didn't know I needed, and I was floored by how well they executed this with sharp direction; what an absolute summer horror treat!

Dangerous Animals is a fitting descriptor for the film's antagonist, Tucker, who is as deadly as any creature in the Australian wilderness. Dangerous Animals tells the story of Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), an American surfer drifter abducted one night by Tucker (Jai Courtney). Tucker lures tourists and drifters back to his shark tour boat in Australia, where he confines them to the bottom of his ship. He eventually drugs them and feeds them to sharks for his entertainment while another captive watches. Tucker films all of this and keeps a catalog for his enjoyment. Zephyr must find a way off this ship before she becomes chum.

Jai Courtney is a beast in Dangerous Animals. He's having a blast with this role where he gets to be this insane serial killer comparing himself to sharks and giving shark facts while he slowly lowers helpless tourists into open water. What I love so much about his performance is not just the physical presence that's so intimidating, but he pulls back the rage, and it's so much scarier when he is doing this reserved psycho. You can almost feel the insecurity oozing off him as he tries to be this machismo alpha of the sea, but can't handle just an ounce of pushback. It's great. You combine that with Byrne's exhilarating direction. It's a horror match made in heaven. Several sequences are included on the ship and in open water. You are never confused about where you are, and you have a great layout of your surroundings.

There are some wild and new ways to kill some people in this that all feel unbelievably satisfying. When taking a genre of shark movies and trying to innovate on something like that, but not wear out your stay, is so cool—a tight 90 minutes of seeing limbs ripped off by sharks and from other people's rocks. You sometimes almost forget about the sharks' dangers when the movie focuses on the capture side with Zephyr and company and becomes an escape movie, if anything. Zephyr can hold her own with Tucker, and seeing her outsmart or best, this just sea lord demon becomes a fantastic cat-and-mouse chase. The film is sleek, with excellent cinematography that pops with red lights in the night sequences, during which many shark-feeding scenes occur. It also helps cover up any poor CGI, which is so smart.

Issues with the film might be the love interest between Zephyr and Moses (Josh Heuston), another captive who tried to rescue Zephyr, who is weak. I found their scenes charming, but I have no real emotional moment of note. The film found itself from its sick opening, with Tucker luring out tourists to their deaths and giving us even more Jai Courtney to chew up some scenes, which would have been nice. However, the film's ending includes a 'double fake-out' that felt unnecessary and detracted from the overall impact. The film could have ended on a meaner note, but it still works.

Dangerous Animals is bloody prestige B-movie goodness and a great concept that executes on all cylinders—wonderful shocks and an entertaining Jai Courtney performance. I wish for even more of him! It's a film that knows exactly who it is and is so refreshing. It is a delicious horror feast for anyone craving a little time in the ocean this summer. It rethought my travel plans to Australia, I tell ya!

Final Score: 7.5/10

Written by Kevin J. Pettit