Dangerous Animals

7.5/10 STARS - Dangerous Animals was Regal's Monday mystery movie on May 26. It's about a serial killer who has an obsession with sharks. The opening scene sets up his character, giving us a little hint about why he is the way he is. Jai Courtney's performance in this scene and the entire moving was chilling in its convincing nature. When the switch flipped, revealing him to not be the easygoing, friendly shark tour guide he seemed to be, it was shocking in its swiftness. We are then introduced to the main character in the story, Zephyr, who is a loner living the van life and surfing every chance she can. She meets Moses, and there's an instant attraction between them but she takes off for an early-morning surf and that's when she gets taken (another scene that was startling when the moment happened, even though you KNEW it was coming). The rest of the movie is basically a survival tale and it flowed well. Dangerous Animals is only about an hour and a half, yet it felt SO much longer. I don't say that as a criticism, but to underscore its effectiveness in making the story SO intense that it feels longer than it really is (like my experience with Warfare). As the movie plays out, we find out more about both Zephyr and her captor and the things that make them similar to one another. Yet at the same time, what separates them. Despite some writing issues that happen in various parts (a character not seizing the upper hand fully when they have the chance, characters being able to bounce back too quickly after an significant injury, and sharks conveniently not attacking in certain moments), Dangerous Animals was a solid horror/thriller/suspense movie with an interesting premise and standout performances, especially by Jai Courtney. Video review will be available on my YouTube channel.

Couldn't take my eyes off the screen! Drama, action, psychologically thrilling, this movie delivers it all. The pacing was great too, it pulls off the perfect balance for a thriller. It draws you in throughout the entirety of the movie without having too much going on at any given time. I loved the ending too, there's so many twists that you just genuinely aren't expecting to happen. I'll definitely be rewatching after it comes out on streaming services & I can't wait to watch it again. This movie is a definite underdog coming up that deserves to be a blockbuster, absolutely great movie & worth the watch!

I saw an early screening of Dangerous Animals without watching a trailer or knowing anything about it. When it started, it felt like it was going to be one of those super low-budget movies that feels so limited and never reaches the heights afforded by bigger budget movies. Luckily I was wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for the entire runtime. The horror/thriller elements are done well. You can feel the tension and savor the suspense. Several moments made my jaw drop.

I've been a Jai Courtney hater for a while after his roles in Terminator 5, Die Hard 5 and Suicide Squad. But I LOVE his performance in this movie. Not only is it the best acting I've seen from him, he is legitimately scary as this character.

Overall I had a great time with this movie and would recommend it to any genre fans. And it's more enjoyable the less you know going in.

(1 viewing, early screening 6/3/2025)

Saw this at an unknown screening and when it announced the movie, everybody groaned. But that opening scene blew everyone away and hooked them in, such a good opener for a movie.

Went into this knowing absolutely nothing, and was pleasantly surprised. A really exhilarating film that mixes 10 Cloverfield Lane with Nicholas Cage's The Surfer, and I have to say it was a very fun watch. The main girls acting wasn't amazing but it was definitely believable, even if her character was a bit 1 noted. Where this definitely shines is the kidnapper, he does an amazing and terrifying job.

Definitely not a masterpiece but I really enjoyed it.

I was not familiar with any of the 3 leads and found them all to be excellent. Hassie Harrison seems like a young slightly prettier Jennifer Lawrence and that is a huge compliment. Jai Courtney was terrific as the villain He delivered some great speeches and in one scene channeled his inner Buffalo Bill to great success. Josh Heuston was also new to me and he had great charm and elicited tons of empathy in his role. About 15 minutes in I was thinking, "OK, now what are they going to do with this setup." It seemed like it would be claustrophobic and limited with where it could go. Was I ever wrong. Kudos to Sean Byrne for a great script and solid direction that really kept he tension high. Most of you are going to see this when it lands on Shudder. I think it is not going to be as great as on a bigger screen for sure. I would have rated this higher, but an 8 and up film is somewhat exceptional. Comes very close, but I think I will have forgotten the film in a year or two and that kept my score a 7. Try to catch it at your theater if you can.