Movie Review: Dangerous Animals

Given how many horror movies about sharks have come out since Jaws in 1975, you might not think there was anywhere original left for this very specific subgenre to go. At least not without becoming patently ridiculous, and honestly even then the Sharknado franchise may have already gotten there. You would be wrong however, as Aussie director Sean Byrne and debut screenwriter Nick Lepard have found a new angle of attack, and it’s surprisingly effective.

Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is a free spirit, roaming the Australian countryside and living out of a van. While she does appear to be running from something dark in her past, she seems content enough with her nomadic but lonely lifestyle, until she meets Moses (Josh Heuston). His wealthier lifestyle would indicate that the pair aren’t the most compatible, but they are both instantly drawn together and wind up having a romantic night. Nevertheless, she sneaks out to go surfing before he wakes up in the morning, though not without leaving a note hinting at where she might be.

When she arrives at the beach the sun still hasn’t come up and no one is around, except for Bruce (Jai Courtney), a suspicious man who unfortunately for her turns out to be a serial killer who takes his victims onto his boat and then kills them using sharks, videorecording the violence.

Moses turns up at the beach and sees her van, but Zephyr is nowhere to be found. He tries to get the Police involved, but her transient lifestyle makes them reluctant to help. Still, he knows something is wrong and tries to find her, while she is beginning the fight of her life at sea, trying to avoid becoming a sadistic murderer’s next victim.

I don’t know that Bruce’s plan of suspending his prey into chum-filled water would actually work as a method of murder, though I don’t know that it wouldn’t either, and it seems frighteningly believable in the context of the movie. Byrne’s excellent debut The Loved Ones has already proved that he knows how to generate suspense, and he uses his skills to milk this situation for all it’s worth.

The actual story arc may be fairly rote, and sharks are hardly a novel threat, but combining the two works wonders to elevate this into one of the most frightening movies of the year. The are a few moments that border on becoming too silly to take seriously, but Byrne always manages to pull things back. With great performances from our three leads (Courtney is a terrifyingly convincing psycho), some uniquely scary set pieces, and relentless pacing, the filmmakers have crafted the best shark movie to hit screens in 50 years. ★★★★