The Stream: There are not enough sharks and the CGI is sometimes questionable.

The Big Screen: Jai Courtney and Hassie Harrison are giving it their all.

The Final Bill: An engaging thriller that shies away from the blood and gore suggested by the premise.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Sean Byrne
Writers: Nick Lepard
Stars: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston, Ella Newton
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: R for strong bloody violent content/grisly images, sexuality, language and brief drug use.
Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
Production Companies: IFC Films, LD Entertainment, Brouhaha Entertainment, Range Media Partners, Oddfellows Entertainment
Platform: In theaters June 6, 2025
Notable Trailers: Weapons, Megan 2.0, House of Eden, 28 Years Later

Hey, Streamers! Here’s a random thriller I caught up with in the theater. In Dangerous Animals, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is an American surfer alone in Australia who has a meet-cute with an Aussie realtor, Moses (Josh Heuston). While Moses is smitten by Zephyr and wants to extend their romance, she’s much more comfortable on her own. After a passionate night together, Zephyr leaves Moses for an early morning surf and gets abducted by Tucker (Jai Courtney), a boat captain who’s also a shark-obsessed serial killer. Moses is the only one who suspects foul play when Zephyr goes missing. Shark-infested waters and other hijinks from Down Under ensue.

Dangerous Animals is an entertaining thriller because of the cast involved and the tension built by their characters. Jai Courtney is reveling in playing this nefarious boat captain. He is pretty scary and a memorable villain. You will want to follow his every move. Hassie Harrison, who looks like a younger Jennifer Lawrence, had great spunk as Zephyr. She has a tenacity that’s required for this character to do the extreme things that she does. As potential victims in these kinds of movies go, Zephyr is pretty smart and resourceful. The interplay between Jai and Hassie keep the tension high and engaging.

The problem with this movie is that there is a promise of a serial killer and shark attacks that the film doesn’t deliver. Unfortunately, there are too few interactions with sharks in this movie for those to be a highlight. It may sound morbid, but there are too few victims as well. The movie starts with a bang, and that grabs your attention, but it doesn’t maintain that energy. We came here for the kill scenes and sharks, and we barely get any. Also, there is some questionable CGI in the movie. Nevertheless, you will squirm when the sharks do come sniffing around the chummy waters. Lastly, there is one gruesome scene involving teeth that I dare you to watch – you won’t see it coming.

Ultimately, Dangerous Animals is a decent thriller involving serial killers and shark attacks. The cast, especially Jai Courtney and Hassie Harrison, keep you entertained and engaged as the tension between the characters build. Although the promise of sharks doesn’t really pan out, what is there is good enough for some scares, but you’ll probably appreciate it most streaming with friends on a random Saturday night.