Over the years, the horror genre has been filled with many ridiculous plots that have succeeded due to smart filmmaking. When developed correctly, a B-movie narrative will leave viewers grinning with delight as they embark on a fun adventure. Directed by Sean Byrne, Dangerous Animals is a hilariously thrilling experience. Propelled by the incredible Jai Courtney, this film is utterly absurd but exceptionally captivating.
Abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer, a young woman must use everything at her disposal to escape before it is too late. The film stars Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston and Jai Courtney.
Dangerous Animals is a film that lives and dies at the mercy of Jai Courtney’s murderous performance. If this role hadn’t worked, the entire picture would have failed. Thankfully, Courtney is a total scene-stealer, and every second he is not on screen will have you wishing for his return. Extremely funny and often frightening, the movie’s villain breathes life into a narrative that may not have worked if approached differently.
The film is at its best when it leans into its oddball nature. If you decide that this is the type of flick that you’d like to watch, you are going to want to see as many ritualistic shark kills as possible. Smartly, there is enough of that to fulfil your desire, even if the first act struggles to find its footing.
Following a fantastic pre-title card opening, Dangerous Animals takes a left turn as it attempts to build the story’s heroes. While this is admirable, its attempt is so poor that you might be left wondering if the film’s core romance is a meta-joke of some sort. Due to this, it is unfortunate that the movie’s only good performance is the aforementioned one by Jai Courtney.
The kind of film that would have thrived in the horror section of a Blockbuster VHS store, Dangerous Animals is a sublime release that harkens back to an almost forgotten era of B-movie cinema. If you love sharks, are fond of serial killers, and adore tongue-in-cheek horror, you should be running (or swimming) to catch this film in theatres or on VOD.