Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Jun 15, 2025
Jai Courtney has the time of his life playing a shark-obsessed psychopath that tortures his victims physically and mentally
Believe it or not, Sean Byrne’s ‘Dangerous Animals’ is the second film set in Australia to be released in the last two months that follows an American in the foreign land, with the Nicholas Cage led ‘The Surfer’ being the other. Both films follow their lead characters who find themselves to be in danger from a local that absolutely despises tourism, and if they were made just to keep Americans like myself out of their proud country, then it is absolutely working.
Within the first five minutes of ‘Dangerous Animals’, as the scruffy and scarred Tucker (Jai Courtney), captain of the tourist attraction Tucker’s Experience, starts singing “Baby Shark” to a couple of frightened tourists, Heather (Ella Newton) and Greg (Liam Greinke), getting ready to do a cage dive off the extremely suspicious looking boat, citing the song as an “Ancient Relaxation Practice” to them, you know exactly what type of movie you are about to get into. Sharks circle the waters like, well sharks circling the waters, frightening the pair as they are stuck in a metal cage. That’s not what, or who, they should be afraid of, however; immediately after ascending to the surface and stepping back on board, Tucker shanks Greg in the chest twice with a box cutter before pushing his body into the waters as Ella screams in horror, much to Tucker’s twisted delight.
We find ourselves out on the ocean in a completely different set of circumstances as the opening credits roll, focusing on the rebellious Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) as she surfs to upbeat music just before stealing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that’s concealed in a slushie cup from a Wawa-like store (something that’s completely justifiable if it’s The Tonight Dough). Here she meets Moses (Josh Heuston), a real estate agent that is dressed like a Mormon getting ready to spread the word of Joseph Smith, something that Zephyr can’t help but mention after he convinces her to give him a ride back to his mother’s Volvo that needs a jumpstart. Some back and forth banter about Creedence Clearwater Revival, sounding a little bit like podcasters giving their thoughts about something and thinking they are objectively right, led to one thing or another, and they sleep together in Zephyr’s van that is also her house… parked outside of Moses’ house. Why not just go inside?
Things start to get rocky for Zephyr from here on out, particularly after she packs up and pulls away from Moses’ house in the middle of the night unannounced, as he cooks food for her, deciding to go surfing down at the beach he recommended to her. Here she encounters Tucker, who is friendly towards her at first, until he puts one of those delivery bags with a smiley face over her head and stuffs her in a surfboard case. Totally normal behavior.
Zephyr wakes up with a piece of duct tape covering her mouth, one of her hands handcuffed to the bed, and a woman, who we know as Heather, lying in the bed next to her. They quickly exchange information about each other, trying to get out of the handcuffs with Heather’s bra wire, before Tucker comes in with food and water that is drugged, unbeknownst to the two of them. They wake up on the deck of the ship, not quite ready to face the horror that is about to transpire.
Jai Courtney’s turn as an overly obsessed serial killer in ‘Dangerous Animals’ is quite entertaining, despite him being a really, really awful person. Tucker is characterized like James Spader in ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’ if he wasn’t just an absolute freak with a digital camera but a murderer with one too.
His gaze is constantly drawn towards young females, and after kidnapping her, Tucker confesses to Zephyr that he’s watched her from afar as she surfed. This makes it seem like Byrne was self aware, playing into the stereotype of the “male gaze” in horror movies. Tucker records his victims leading up to the moments they are about to be viciously mauled by a shark, not taking his eye away from the view finder until they are torn to shreds.
As Zephyr is being hung overboard, a shark circling underneath them, Tucker whispers into Moses’s ear, “Deep down you really want to watch.” It feels as though this line directly addresses the audience and our obsession with violence in movies, especially graphic violence. We are trained to not flinch at the sight of it anymore, particularly in this day and age of social media, where it seems impossible to not violence of some sort while just scrolling.
One of the more interesting things about ‘Dangerous Animals’ is that it pretty much takes place on Tucker’s boat out in the middle of the ocean throughout the entire runtime, minus the setup and some scenes following Moses on his quest to find Zephyr. It works fascinatingly well, in part because the boat is quite elaborate with tight spaces and nowhere to go besides the shark-infested water. The tension is at an all time high in these confined spaces, and I can’t imagine it working any better if it strayed away from this formula.
Sharks and Horror
‘Dangerous Animals’ follows the tradition of a horror movie involving sharks being released every few years. Whether it’s a classic like ‘Jaws’, a disaster like ‘Sharknado’, or Jason Statham fighting a shark in ‘The Meg’, people will always be drawn to these kinds of movies. Audiences love to see predators facing off against predators. Humans against sharks. Recent ones may not be “good” movies compared to the masterpiece that is Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’, but they are a stupid, fun time at the theater, something that seems to have gone away. We need movies like these to give us a break from reality, a break from everyday life, even if they are imperfect.
By Aidan Reidy
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Limited Time Offer: Join for FREE today and get unlimited
The Hollywood Insider is against gossip and scandal, fully focused on substance & meaningful entertainment.
We choose quality over quantity, compassion over oppression, wisdom over intelligence.
Newsletter Subscription
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
