“Dangerous Animals,” the new Australian horror film, kicks off with a cheeky and funny opening. A pair of tourists decide to swim with sharks (a bad idea, right from the start), so they seek out a suspicious-looking attraction run by Tucker, a snarky-bearded Jai Courtney.
Director Sean Byrne has fun playing on Tucker's deceptive kindness, using quick cuts to heighten the tension. To calm one of his nervous customers, this intensely cheerful boat captain launches into a sing-along of “Baby Shark.”
Director: Sean Byrne
Writer: Nick Lepard
Stars: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston
But you soon discover that, despite his sing-along, Tucker has no redeeming qualities, and as the film delves deeper into his dark side, it becomes a repetitive torture pornography that lurches toward an inevitable conclusion. Tucker, a serial killer, has a creative way of killing his victims, but that's about as inventive as the film gets.
One of the reasons "Dangerous Animals" is so boring is that, after that funny introduction, it diverts attention from Tucker and Courtney's gonzo performance. Instead, Byrne introduces us to our heroine, the amusingly named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), an American surfer proud of her solitude. After stealing a quart of ice cream at a gas station, she meets the attractive real estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston). He needs help with his car. She's reluctant to help anyone, not even a man, but they bond over their mutual affection for Creedence Clearwater Revival.
They have sex in her van, but in the morning, while he's making pancakes, she heads out to catch the next wave. It's an unfortunate decision, because while she's preparing her board, Tucker stalks her to kidnap her. He transports her to the bottom of his boat, where he handcuffs her to the bed next to the rather naive tourist (Ella Newton) from that initial excursion.
What does Tucker plan to do with these women? Well, let's just say our man has some kind of shark fetish. He uses these attractive girls as bait, dangling them through the water while luring the sharks with bait. He then records their deaths with a DVR and lovingly embellishes the resulting tapes with strands of the dead girls' hair.
Why does Tucker do this? There's a vague backstory about his own early encounter with a shark, but nothing that convinces you that watching women in danger for just over 90 minutes is worth your time. Tucker is simply a misogynist, and while it's not a spoiler to say he eventually gets what he deserves, it's still exhausting to watch him carry out his twisted plans. "Dangerous Animals," the new Australian horror film, gets off to a cheeky, funny start. A pair of tourists decide to swim with sharks (a bad idea, right from the start), so they seek out a suspicious-looking attraction run by Tucker, a snarky-bearded Jai Courtney.
Director Sean Byrne has fun playing with Tucker's deceptive kindness, using quick cuts to heighten the tension. To calm one of his nervous customers, this intensely cheerful sea captain launches into a sing-song "Baby Shark."
But you soon discover that, despite his sing-along, Tucker has no redeeming qualities, and as the film delves deeper into his dark side, it becomes a repetitive torture pornography that lurches toward an inevitable conclusion. Tucker, a serial killer, has a creative way of killing his victims, but that's about as inventive as the film gets.
One of the reasons "Dangerous Animals" is so boring is that, after that funny introduction, it diverts attention from Tucker and Courtney's gonzo performance. Instead, Byrne introduces us to our heroine, the amusingly named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), an American surfer proud of her solitude. After stealing a pint of ice cream at a gas station, she meets the attractive real estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston). He needs help with his car. She's reluctant to help anyone, not even a man, but the two connect over their mutual affection for Creedence Clearwater Revival.
They have sex in his truck, but in the morning, while he's making pancakes, she heads out to catch the next wave. It's an unfortunate decision, because while she's preparing her board, Tucker stalks her to kidnap her. He transports her to the bottom of his boat, where he handcuffs her to the bed next to the rather naive tourist (Ella Newton) from that initial excursion.
In the daytime sequences, Byrne ups the ante by highlighting the sun-drenched landscape, where the bright orange of Tucker's boat blends vibrantly with the surrounding blues. But much of the action is concentrated in Zephyr's grim prison, which looks like something out of "Saw." And when sharks do intervene, they're so obviously computer-generated that the terror is lacking.
Speaking of sharks: Much of Tucker's motivation lies in his monologue about the ocean's hierarchy. Still, you can't help but think that these creatures would simply prefer to be left alone rather than be caught up in their games. Just as there's something cruel about the way "Dangerous Animals" treats women, there's also something thoughtless about the way it deploys its underwater threats. Sure, they're not ultimately the bad guys, but haven't they suffered enough bad press over the years?
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