Animales Peligrosos

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 was not familiar with any of the 3 leads and found them all to be excellent. Hassie Harrison seems like a young slightly prettier Jennifer Lawrence and that is a huge compliment. Jai Courtney was terrific as the villain He delivered some great speeches and in one scene channeled his inner Buffalo Bill to great success. Josh Heuston was also new to me and he had great charm and elicited tons of empathy in his role. About 15 minutes in I was thinking, "OK, now what are they going to do with this setup." It seemed like it would be claustrophobic and limited with where it could go. Was I ever wrong. Kudos to Sean Byrne for a great script and solid direction that really kept he tension high. Most of you are going to see this when it lands on Shudder. I think it is not going to be as great as on a bigger screen for sure. I would have rated this higher, but an 8 and up film is somewhat exceptional. Comes very close, but I think I will have forgotten the film in a year or two and that kept my score a 7. Try to catch it at your theater if you can.

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.

Excellent indie thriller with jai Courtney giving a fine performance as our truely dangerous animal.

All the thrills and horror on the boat keep you guessing and cringing with terror as this film rolls on.with stunning cinematography and breathtaking violence to hold you till the end.

All the cast did a fine job and the script holds up better than most in these type of movies.

Oh and the sharks do make an appearance and yes truely terrifying beasts of the sea, but the real animal is jai Cortney.

Filmed on the gold coast and qld this local film will not do tourism any favours. But hey I don't think it will stop them neither.

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)