Dangerous Animals Review
For every horror fan, Jaws undoubtedly changed the game when it came to making a creature feature-horror slasher for theaters. The Steven Spielberg classic ushered in a new age of aquatic-based monster movies ranging from memorable flicks like The Shallows to insane ones like The Meg. If there’s one thing that these films have in common, it’s that the shark was the main thing to fight against. But what happens when you put a sinister torturer with a masochistic addiction on a boat with the sharks? You get Dangerous Animals, an intense and wild cat-and-mouse slasher that’ll keep you gripped until the end.
Dangerous Animals sees the lone wolf Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) making ends meet until she comes across real estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston), a kind and compassionate guy. Moses’ push on Zephyr to embrace her own calling incidentally leads her across Tucker (Jai Courtney), a suspicious figure who operates his own shark diving experience. However, when Zephyr uncovers the truth about Tucker’s true plans, she must do what she can to escape this deadly situation before she becomes shark bait.
If there’s one thing to appreciate about Dangerous Animals, it’s how it approaches the ideas of independence and opening up to others. There’s a clear sense of maturity that director Sean Byrne and writer Nick Lepard infuse into Zephyr’s development throughout the film. She’s not too overly reliant on others, as shown initially with her interactions with Moses and the girl she’s trapped with later on. However, Zephyr also proves herself capable, showcasing her wits and strengths both physically and mentally in a way that really makes you root for her.
The ways Zephyr seeks to overcome Tucker’s trappings, especially as she’s stuck in this metallic chamber, allows her to become a complex character. She’s never too timid to stand up for herself, but she also doesn’t fall into the pit of being a “first kill” character. Harrison’s performance, and her works with the film’s stunts, helps round out Zephyr’s character.
On the other hand, Jai Courtney’s Tucker is a deviously despicable madman who you both want to laugh at and despise at the same time. Tucker is about as disgusting of a villain as you expect as he manipulates cute couples into satiating his “hunger” of torture porn. Furthermore, the film shows that he’s done this more than once, collecting his victims’ hair as a reminder of his actions.
The worst part is that Courtney is legitimately funny as Tucker, consistently joking about being this killer without any remorse about his actions. He even throws a few meta jokes here and there about genres and shark-related puns, which make you wonder if you actually want to laugh with him or at him. Fortunately, there’s one particular sequence where Courtney gets into this euphoric, drunken dance that suggests the latter.
Oppositely, Heuston’s Moses doesn’t get as much action until the tail end of Dangerous Animals. However, the film puts him in this position of being the investigator, trying to find clues to Zephyr’s whereabouts. While it’s not much to go off of, at least Heuston makes the most of what he can with the first act, giving viewers some touching moments to counteract the tension.
Speaking on the tension, Dangerous Animals likes to keep viewers on their toes through all the action and stunts. Harrison and Courtney put in the work when they’re on the boat and in the water, with some of these sequences being the most thrilling underwater scenes I’ve watched yet. Although, the more intense scenes come when Tucker plays around when his victim is lowered into the shark-filled depths.
These scenes, which occur from time to time, make you realize that Tucker is essentially this Two Face-esque madman. While it mostly works in making him a compelling threat, you might find yourself looking away sometimes because you can’t help but feel like it’s too harsh. Given how Tucker’s motivation is to be the “alpha shark who lives on his own”, the film’s way of making him evil evil can be a little much. Fortunately, the ending rectifies this in perhaps the only way it can: in epic fashion.
Dangerous Animals is a wild and brutal horror slasher in the best way possible with Hassie Harrison and Jai Courtney’s good performances, claustrophobic cat-and-mouse chases, and gory kills. Given everything this film presents, it’s certainly not for the faint-of-heart horror movie fans. However, for slasher fans who want everything from a shark-based horror movie, then this film is definitely for you.
Dangerous Animals releases in theaters on June 6.
Rating: ★★★½
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.