IMDb.com
By Keith Walther
With Shark Week fast approaching, it’s time to get in the spirit with a new movie involving one of the most fearsome creatures on Earth. However, “Dangerous Animals” is more than your basic shark flick, more than an oceanic killing machine with a taste for human blood. This new thriller couples these prehistoric predators with a serial killer, and the resulting gripping tension will have that adrenaline pumping.
Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is an American living out of her van in Australia, enjoying her free-spirited, independent lifestyle and surfing the waves every chance she gets. A chance encounter with a local guy named Moses (Josh Heuston) opens her eyes to the possibility of love. Unfortunately, love is not on the menu for Zephyr, but she is.
After being abducted by Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney), a serial killer obsessed with sharks, Zephyr quickly understands her dire situation. Tucker intends to film her as he feeds her to the sharks. Unaccepting of this gruesome fate, Zephyr refuses to give up the fight, seeking any means of escape even though she’s trapped on a boat far from shore.
Horror director Sean Byrne has only achieved a modicum of success in the film festival circuit, never getting that big distribution deal, hence commercial success, despite critical appeal. “Dangerous Animals,” on the other hand, gets the wide theatrical release it emphatically deserves. Ever since “Jaws” debuted in 1975, there have been a nauseating amount of shark related horror films, some decent, but most are nothing more than chum. While they all focus on the shark being the antagonist, the Australian born director takes a different approach, making the antagonist a psychotic serial killer who uses sharks to perform his kills. This raises the level of terror and suspense, because not only does the audience have to fear those gaping maws of razor sharp teeth below the surface, but they also have to fear the murderer on the surface.
While Byrne does use CGI to show more complex shark behavior, he also uses real shark footage to enhance the realism. Using sound effects, gore, and terror inducing closeups, Byrne creates an exhilarating ride from start to finish. Even though viewers know what’s coming, he’s still able to generate surprise with his methodology. The typical give-and-take/cat-and-mouse routine never gets old because of how effectively he integrates it. He also manufactures some memorable scenes like the visceral self-surgery scene that can only be watched between the fingers of your covering hand or the disturbing dance scene reminiscent of “Silence of the Lambs.”
The two leads bring this tension-building thriller to life with their intense performances. Jai Courtney, also from Australia, provides a spine-tingling, riveting performance, brilliantly alternating between that charismatically inviting side to a calm and cold demeanor to a completely unhinged madman, much like a shark. Hassie Harrison of “Yellowstone” fame is the real shocker. She exudes inner strength, perseverance, and confidence that make her character worth watching and worth cheering. In many ways, her performance draws comparisons to Jennifer Lawrence, especially when Lawrence played Katniss in “The Hunger Games” films. Outside of these two, the rest of the cast is subpar, but thankfully they don’t have that much screen time.
Hold tight to your Vegemite and look at the size of those teeth! This movie is one of those understated surprises that will make you happy you took the chance on it. Go ahead and take the plunge with “Dangerous Animals,” and enjoy the hour and a half of armrest gripping thrills.
This movie earns
