‘Dangerous Animals’ (review)

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the cinematic water, there is a new shark flick promising to be more terrifying than the last, but as is often the case, the horrors of the sea tend to arrive dead in the water.  However, unlike most horror fare involving the concept of getting dismembered by sharks, Dangerous Animals does not seek to demonize the much-maligned apex predators of the sea.

Instead, the threat is here posed by Jai Courtney’s Tucker, a serial killer whose shtick is kidnapping tourists by way of his shark experience business in order to feed them to the ocean’s most iconic predators, getting his kicks from filming his victims in distress as the sharks simply follow their instincts.

When he abducts American surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), however, Tucker gets more than he bargained for, as the strong-willed loner is not about to give up without a fight, pinning the two against each other in a head-to-head battle of wills, wit and brute force, giving the sharks a run for their money with the intense underpinnings of the age-old conflict of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

Harrison makes for a compelling heroine, conveying her rebellious will to live well, and joining the roster of contemporary final girls who are tough, capable and overwhelmingly make good decisions, albeit this archetype leaves little room for Harrison to play with in comparison to the boundless lunacy Courtney taps into.

The film offers a decent amount of suspense mixed with restrained bursts of gore, and save for one bit of body horror that has the potential to churn stomachs, Dangerous Animals is far from as gory as one may expect, especially considering what the filmmakers could have gotten away with in a post-Terrifier horror landscape.

As well as many of the film’s set pieces work as vignettes showcasing competent filmmaking and acting, the film as a whole unfortunately suffers from uneven pacing due to its editing, which leaves a lot to be desired for a thriller with a modest runtime of 93 minutes.

Needless meandering between anything of narrative interest puts the film at risk of squandering its more interesting elements, however the film’s stronger components fortunately carry enough weight to save the film from completely wasting its potential.

Imperfect with contrasting bouts of being engaging and disengaging, Dangerous Animals is unlikely to become a new classic as a horror-thriller in general or sharksploitation in particular, but it is nonetheless leagues above the vast majority of shark-themed films, and if you are looking for a disposable thriller with a mild gross-out factor, you could certainly do much worse than being lured in by this bit of shark bait.

Verdict: 6 out of 10.