Dangerous Animals

Dangerous Animals is a scrappy Australian horror-thriller that's pure fun, proving a tiny budget can deliver big thrills. This indie gem keeps you hooked with raw energy and a cast of unknowns who bring real heart, making you root for them. Clocking in at a tight 90 minutes, it's lean, mean, and never drags.

Smart pacing and a chilling atmosphere pull you right in. It shows what a small, passionate team can do, making Hollywood's bloated blockbusters look foolish.

Compare that to those $200 mill+ Hollywood flops packed with A-listers and CGI, lazy scripts, and overblown visuals that prioritize flash over story (yes, I'm looking at you, Jurassic World: Rebirth).

Dangerous Animals crafts a gripping experience with minimal resources. It's a thrilling reminder that you don't need big budgets to make something truly entertaining.

Australia's known for its deadly wildlife, but Dangerous Animals asks-what if the most dangerous predator was serial killer steve irwin? This sunlit survival horror follows Zephyr, an American surfer abducted by a shark-obsessed madman (a delightfully unhinged Jai Courtney) who feeds tourists to great whites as eco-reparations. It's a wild premise, but the relentless tension, grounded action, and unexpectedly emotional beats make it work. With beautiful real shark footage, clever set-ups and payoffs, and one of the gnarliest self-surgery scenes i've seen in a while, the film manages to be scary, ridiculous, and empowering all at once. A brutal, blood-soaked ride that somehow still finds time for a killer dance scene and a touch of heart.

I saw this film tonight as a mystery movie at Odeon and I gotta say it was better than expected. I saw the trailer before and it peaked my interest but it was more of a I'll wait til it's on demand to watch. I'm glad I did get to see it though. It was tense, Jai Courtney's character was brilliant and the lead I hadn't seen before but she did a great job. It's not the shark horror you'd expect and as someone who likes the original movie "Deep Blue Sea" (still one of the best shark movies) this one is a good little switch off from the real world that may be a little slow but it's still a fun ride.

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)

Directed by Sean Byrne in his third feature film and written by Nick Lepard, Dangerous Animals takes us on a twisted journey through the lives of a shark-obsessed serial killer.

Its protagonist, Zephyr, played by the beautiful Hassie Harrison, finds herself trapped by the sadistic and unhinged Tucker, played by the fantastic Jai Courtney, who gives us a new villain to remember with a totally unhinged and extravagant performance by the Australian actor.

The film is a horror thriller that holds up quite well in its 93-minute running time. Its director knows how to immerse himself in the story without going too far, so that you, the viewer, are fully immersed in the madness surrounding the villain in question. The setting, featuring the idyllic Australian locations, is accompanied by impeccable photography by Shelley Farthing-Dawe.

The film's cleverness lies in making us care about Tucker's victims. Its script is clever enough to give us, amidst all this madness involving sharks and a serial killer, a sense of humanity within its victim characters, allowing us to connect with both Zephyr and Moses, played by Josh Heuston. This pair's excellent work allows us to care about what happens to them, thereby making the suspense that the film offers so well from all angles even more effective.

Of course, it's a film with its flaws and some more or less questionable decisions, but they don't stop us from having an extraordinary time watching this shark thriller. It's a sickening journey thanks to the brilliance of its villain and memorable scenes that define Tucker's character, but it has the absolute intelligence to not ridicule a character, but rather give us absolute solidity in a completely unhinged character.

For genre fans, this is a good and highly recommended bet. It delivers on its promise, has hilarious moments, and a villain who makes a statement. For those less inclined to gore, this film will be a bit uncomfortable, and for those expecting something a lot crazier, this isn't the case, as the film is quite restrained in what it wants and needs to tell us.

A rewarding film from Australia that is worth a try.