DANGEROUS ANIMALS (2025)

Genre: Thriller
Director: Sean Bryne
Cast: Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 June 2025

Synopsis: When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer is abducted by a serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.

Movie Review:

Shark, Alligator, or Snake? Take Your Pick.

Hollywood loves reminding us that apex predators are not to be messed with, delivering at least one or two nail-biting thrillers each year featuring helpless humans pitted against terrifying creatures.

In Dangerous Animals, however, a serial killer is thrown into the mix to spice things up. For once, sharks aren’t the primary villains here. That title belongs to Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney), the captain of a tourist boat offering up-close shark encounters.

Enter Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), an American drifter who crosses paths with Tucker after a one-night stand with a handsome young real estate agent, Moses (Josh Heuston). In hindsight, she probably should’ve stayed for the pancakes.

If you’ve seen enough survival horror, you’ll likely predict how Dangerous Animals unfolds. Zephyr wakes up on Tucker’s boat, only to witness another tourist being torn apart by sharks, all filmed gleefully by Tucker himself. He’s not just a serial killer; he’s a shark enthusiast with a sadistic streak. What follows is a tense, gruesome fight for survival as Zephyr refuses to be his next victim, finding inventive ways to fight back.

For the most part, Dangerous Animals works, though it relies on some convenient plotting. What are the odds of a one-night stand turning into a full-on rescue mission? Yet, director Sean Byrne knows how to keep things engaging, even if the story occasionally drifts into repetitive territory despite its lean runtime.

The violence here is unflinching but playfully gruesome, more slasher fun than shark terror. If you’re expecting another Jaws, adjust your expectations: this film’s true horror lies not with the sharks, but with the humans. That’s exactly what the title is hinting at.

Jai Courtney is the heart and soul of the movie, embodying the deranged Tucker with unsettling conviction. He’s never been the most memorable actor until now. Without veering into Nicolas Cage-style camp, Courtney makes Tucker’s twisted malevolence compelling to watch.

Meanwhile, Hassie Harrison earns her place as horror’s next scream queen. Let’s hope she had a bottle of Pei Pa Koa nearby because she spends much of the film screaming her lungs out. Bruised, battered and nearly shark food, Harrison’s performance alone is worth the price of admission.

For a modestly budgeted film, Dangerous Animals impresses with its underwater cinematography and surprisingly solid visual effects. Familiar? Predictable? Sure. But packed with enough tension and gleeful trashiness to keep genre fans entertained. Just don’t get too hung up on the sharks.

Movie Rating:

(Sadistic humans are scarier than sharks)

Review by Linus Tee