“Harmful Animals,” the brand new horror movie out of Australia, begins with a cheekily enjoyable chilly open. A pair of vacationers determine they need to swim with sharks (dangerous thought, proper off the bat) so they search out a sketchy wanting attraction run by Tucker, a boisterously bearded Jai Courtney.
Director Sean Byrne has a blast taking part in round with Tucker’s misleading good nature, utilizing fast cuts to up the strain. To relax one among his nervous clients this intensely jolly boat captain launches right into a rendition of “Child Shark.”
However shortly you uncover that regardless of the sing-along Tucker has no redeeming qualities, and because the film digs into his darkish facet it turns into a repetitive throwback torture porn that lurches towards an inevitable conclusion. Tucker, a serial killer, has a artistic method of killing his victims, however that’s about as intelligent because the movie will get.
One of many causes “Harmful Animals” feels so stale is that after that enjoyable little intro, it turns its consideration away from Tucker and Courtney’s gonzo efficiency. As an alternative, Byrne introduces us to our heroine, the hilariously named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) an American surfer, who’s a proud loner. After stealing a pint of ice cream from a fuel station she meets the lovable realtor Moses (Josh Heuston). He wants a leap for his automotive. She’s reluctant to assist out anybody, even a hunk, however they bond over a mutual affection for Creedence Clearwater Revival.
They’ve intercourse in her van, however within the morning whereas he’s making pancakes she’s off to catch the following wave. It’s an unlucky choice as a result of whereas she’s getting her board prepared, Tucker is mendacity in wait to kidnap her. He transports her to the underbelly of his boat the place he handcuffs her to the mattress alongside the prettily naive vacationer (Ella Newton) from that preliminary tour.
So what does Tucker plan to do with these women? Properly, let’s simply say our man has one thing of a shark fetish. He makes use of these sizzling babes as bait, dangling them above the open water whereas he lures sharks in with chum. Then he movies their deaths on a DVR digicam and lovingly adorns the ensuing tapes with locks of the lifeless women’ hair.
Why does Tucker do that? There’s a obscure backstory involving his personal brush with a shark at a younger age, however nothing that convinces you it’s price ladies in peril for simply over 90 minutes. Tucker is only a misogynist, and despite the fact that it’s not a spoiler to say he in the end will get what’s coming to him, it’s nonetheless exhausting to look at him enact his twisted schemes.
That’s a disgrace as a result of Courtney, finest recognized for failed franchise entries together with “Terminator Genisys,” is having a good time right here. Slotted into American blockbusters like “Divergent” and “Suicide Squad,” he has been an unremarkable presence, however there’s a wildman character actor lingering underneath his bulk, and he thrives when being requested to smile maniacally or dance round drunkenly.
Even supposing Tucker is a murderous villain, he’s rather more enjoyable to look at than Zephyr, who’s framed as a rote badass woman with a mysterious previous. Like Tucker, she additionally will get shades of a historical past that do little to deepen her character. She’s a foster child who fled to Australia as a result of the ocean is the one place the place she’s felt at residence. Though Moses is straight away enamored along with her cool lady vibes, she’s immune to letting anybody get too shut.
Harrison confidently adopts the take-no-prisoners physicality that makes Zephyr a worthy foe for Tucker, however her line readings are bland, doing nothing to enliven the essential script by Nick Lepard. And each time it looks like she might need figured a method out of her conundrum, Tucker seems out of nowhere like a maritime Michael Myers to set her again.
“Harmful Animals” has a retro nastiness to it. Often, it’s pleasingly gross. (Zephyr finds a ugly method out of her handcuffs.) Principally, nevertheless, it simply feels passé to be topic to Tucker’s hatred of ladies, particularly since there’s no nice motive his animosity is directed to that gender over some other. It’s not like he’s form to the lads that fall into his lure, he simply apparently doesn’t get the identical pleasure out of turning them into shark meals. Zephyr’s girlboss angle doesn’t offset any of the sadism.
Within the daytime sequences, Byrne ups the ante by highlighting the solar soaked panorama, the intense orange of Tucker’s vessel pairing vibrantly with the blues that surrounds it. However an excessive amount of of the motion is confined to Zephyr’s dingy jail that appears like one thing out of “Noticed.” And when the sharks do get entangled they’re so clearly CGI the fear is skinny.
Talking of these sharks: A lot of Tucker’s motivation may be present in his monologuing concerning the hierarchy of the ocean. Nonetheless, one can’t assist however really feel that these creatures may simply need to be left alone as an alternative of roped into his video games. Identical to there’s one thing merciless about the best way “Harmful Animals” treats ladies, there’s additionally one thing inconsiderate about the best way it deploys its undersea threats. Positive, they’re not in the end the dangerous guys, however haven’t they suffered sufficient dangerous press over time?
Grade: C
“Harmful Animals” had its world premiere at Administrators’ Fortnight through the 2025 Cannes Movie Pageant. IFC and Shudder launch the movie within the U.S. on June 6.
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