The more fins change, the more they stay the same. Intentionally or not, Steven Spielberg created the modern Hollywood blockbuster in June 1975 when his stressful creature feature Jaws became a phenomenon. Five decades on and generations of cinemagoers have been conditioned to both fear sharks – the perfect dead-eyed symbol of a voracious horror lurking unseen below the surface – and to anticipate thrilling cinematic entertainment in the summer months.
A 50th anniversary Jaws Ultra-HD 4K Blu-ray is out in July, a three-disc set laden with featurettes and making-of docs in which Spielberg repeatedly explains that making the film was an absolute nightmare because the mechanical shark kept breaking down. But those words of warning have long gone unheeded.
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Jaws has inspired dozens, if not hundreds, of killer shark movies looking to tap into our primeval fears, from thrifty nerve-shredders like 2003’s Open Water – shot on immersive digital video and co-starring real sharks – to mega-budget spectacles like 2018’s The Meg, in which Jason Statham takes on a gigantic dino-shark.
Among all these Jaws pseudo-sequels, homages, cash-ins and rip-offs, the Aussie-set thriller Dangerous Animals – which recently debuted at Cannes – manages to carve out its own nasty niche. It does revolve around an uncouth, obsessive boat captain who previously survived a shark encounter and has the jagged white scar tissue to prove it.
But unlike Robert Shaw’s pickled skipper Quint from Jaws, Tucker (Jai Courtney) is not on a revenge mission. He runs cage diving tours off the coast of Queensland, tracking down sharks so tourists can get the thrill of seeing them up close but behind the safety of thick iron bars.