Dangerous Animals (2025)
When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed 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.
If it’s summer, it’s time for shark movies!
2025 brings a new film called Dangerous Animals, set in Australia, adding to the long list and the latest in a line of killer shark movies.
This movie is good and worth the 1 hour and 38-minute runtime, just for the concept that could have been executed much better.
Sean Byrne directs this new addition to the Shark Summer movies. The aquatic horror film follows Zephyr, played by Hassie Harrison, a rebellious surfer, who finds herself caught in the clutches of a shark-obsessed killer Bruce Tucker, played by Jai Courtney, from The Suicide Squad as Captain Boomerang; Is captured on his extreme adventure boat — which is run down and in need of cleaning in every way, and looks shady to begin with — Zephyr must determine how to escape before she becomes a part of his ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.
Bruce Tucker uses his adventure boat to take unsuspecting tourists to experience cage diving with sharks. The film opens with unsuspecting travelers from a hostel hiring Courtney's shark-diving boat. Even though he instantly identifies himself as shady, he first asks them if anyone knows where they are. After their cage dive and helping the girl conquer her fear, they come back, and the guy is soon dead, thrown into the waters, and the girl becomes Bruce's prisoner.
We then cut to tomboy American drifter Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) and local real estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston). They are stereotypical opposites; she is cynical and a free spirit, and he is romantic and stable. They quickly bond over a love of surfing and end up having a one-night stand in an unbelievably sexy scene that makes you think it's an ‘80s teen soap. Before the night is over, Zephyr bails at the first opportunity, but Moses is love-struck. The majority of the film becomes a series of near escapes and last-minute interventions as predator and prey engage in a fight to the death.
Every time Jai Courtney is on screen, the film is great, and truly the only thing good about this movie; Whether he is singing Baby Shark” or going off about his admiration of sharks, it's a captivating performance. He is the semi-charismatic but annoying guy down the pub who talks too much. He has a lumbering physicality and a glint of joy in his eyes that really show how much he enjoys turning people into shark bait.
The movie takes a noticeable dive to Davy Jones’ Locker when he isn't around because the dialogue, meant to bring out the other characters and make you root for them, is so bad that it's almost funny. Within five minutes of waking up, chained to a bed, and having been drugged, Zephyr and Heather talk about their future instead of how to free themselves from mortal danger.
My Opinion of this movie is :
This film would have certainly been better without a male love interest, as Hassie Harrison gives an outstanding performance, and the battle of wills between her and Courtney is a great, dynamic. As it is, having her find that extra bit of hope because the man she met a few hours ago is in danger is a bit demeaning.
There are only two decent moments to hang on to in this cast-astrophic fail: Zephyr gnawing through her own thumb to escape some handcuffs, and
This movie is well-shot and shark-focused, with a character who acts as a great villain. However, it’s a massive letdown because the script fails to make you care about the relationships it wants you to invest in.
