Courtesy of IFC Movies/Shudder
No summer time film season is ever full and not using a ridiculous shark thriller, and this 12 months’s entry is “Harmful Animals,” a sun-baked slice of absurdity that’s equal components gory and goofy. The twist? It’s not simply the sharks you need to concern. There’s additionally a serial killer within the combine: a wildly unhinged, bulked-up Jai Courtney, who’s clearly having the time of his life feeding unsuspecting victims to the ocean’s deadliest predators and recording the entire thing.
Courtney performs Bruce Tucker, a deranged Australian boat captain who survived a brush with dying as a baby after being swallowed by an amazing white. Now, years later, he runs a shady vacationer expedition, luring thrill-seekers into the deep below the pretense of swimming with sharks. Spoiler: they by no means come again. Decked out in sun-bleached tank tops and a manic glint in his eye, Courtney delivers a number of deranged monologues—on aquatic ecosystems, mosquitos, and every little thing in between—as he preps his victims for the chum bucket.
However Tucker might have met his match in Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a resourceful survivor with a hardened edge because of a tough upbringing within the foster care system. She’s not simply one other simple goal, and her fierce survival instincts spark a twisted admiration in Tucker. Sure, there are sharks within the water, however the true rigidity comes from the psychological chess match unfolding between the 2 leads.
Director Sean Byrnes and author Nick Lepard lace the movie with playful nods to “Level Break,” “Hannibal,” and, in fact, “Jaws”—plus a hilariously creepy rendition of “Child Shark” that you just gained’t quickly overlook. “Harmful Animals” is lean, imply, and dumb in all the correct methods. Positive, the characters make bone-headed selections that may have you ever yelling on the display, and the escape-capture-repeat cycle will get a bit of tiring, however the movie stays buoyant because of its off-kilter vitality and some well-timed twists.
It’s a breezy, blood-soaked summer time trip greatest loved with an ice-cold Corona and nil expectations. And if nothing else, it confirms what we’ve all suspected: Jai Courtney deserves to chop free extra typically.
DANGEROUS ANIMALS is now enjoying in theaters.