Back in 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws inadvertently created a subgenre of horror movies that would see hundreds of killer animal movies being released over the following 50 years. While many shark movies end up sinking into the depths under the weight of their own cheesiness and bad special effects, every now and then a modestly budgeted film comes from nowhere to capture audiences attention. Right now, among the superhero movies and big American blockbusters dominating streaming, a ferocious Australian shark thriller set in World War II is taking a bite out of the HBO Max global chart, taking the number 2 spot just behind the year’s Supergirl which continues to hold onto the top spot. Beast of War is a little-known creature feature that has been discovered by audiences around the world on the back of some high praise from critics, although those looking for it in the US will have to tune into AMC+ to find it.
Unlike many schlocky CGI-heavy shark movies of the last couple of decades – including the likes of many Sharknado sequels and 2024’s Netflix smash Under Paris – Beast of War has attracted a lot of critical praise for its tension, brutal action scenes, and for delivering a genuinely terrifying movie for horror fans. On Rotten Tomatoes the film carries an impressive 90% critics’ approval, with the consensus, “Honing its bite with sharp acting and compelling character dynamics, Beast of War utilizes historical events as good chum for sophisticated genre filmmaking.” While this praise certainly will not have hurt the movie’s appeal, most people tend to find such obscure and non-mainstream releases when they are promoted on a streamer’s new release banner. It seems that the striking poster of stranded WWII soldiers drifting in shark infested waters has done all the heavy lifting to pull in viewers this time around.
Beast of War tells the story of a group of young, freshly trained soldiers who find themselves stranded at sea after their ship is destroyed. Being lost at sea in enemy waters becomes the least of the group’s worries when they discover that they are also being hunted by a fearsome great white shark. Pulling from several genres, the film’s short 87-minute runtime helps make this a tight-paced survival horror that is just the right length, and works on the principle that less is more. Just like Spielberg’s Jaws, Beast of War delivers its visceral shark attack moments through the use of practical effects, avoiding the common “cheap” look that CGI-fest shark movies find unavoidable. Yet for all the praised leveled at the film by critics, its audience score is languishing at a much less thrilling 55% from over 100 reviews.
So what are critics seeing that audiences aren’t? Well, those who like Beast of War really love it, with the positive reviews mostly praising it as one of the “best shark movies of the decade” and a film that “hooks you from the start and clings on with big teeth.” In direct contrast, others were quick to dismiss the movie for its “terrible dialogue” from characters that “sound like they just walked out of the pub,” and “stupid” set pieces that were “written by someone who knows nothing about sharks.” Obviously, even though this is based on a true story – although based loosely on it by its own admission – not many people go into any kind of shark attack movie expecting complete realism, because how this story really played out would not make the same kind of over-dramatic and horrific movie. In the end, if you like your shark movies bloodthirsty, tense and action-packed, then Beast of War is one to check out when you can, if not, then there are plenty of other things out there to watch.
Are you someone who loves a violent shark movie, or has the genre been done too many times now to be exciting anymore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
