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Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
7 best shark thrillers like 'Jaws' to sink your teeth into
Fifty years ago, a great white shark terrorized the residents of Amity Island in "Jaws," Steven Spielberg's masterpiece about three men and their pursuit of the titular terror became one of the most influential movies in cinematic history. 'Jaws' reshaped Hollywood, as the high-concept premise and ingenious marketing created the template for summer blockbusters going forward. Because 'Jaws' is a landmark movie, it completely ruined the shark thriller genre. Every killer shark movie will always be compared to 'Jaws.' It's an unfair standard, but one that will always be implemented. The seven shark thrillers on this list are not in the same ballpark as 'Jaws." However, they all have enough redeeming qualities to warrant a stream. Action hero Jason Statham fears no man. The Englishman has made a career as the cunning, tough guy who loves to fight. After defeating every man in his path, Statham went to the sea for a new challenge in 'The Meg.' Years after a devastating mission, rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) is recruited by a research facility to rescue a crew on a submersible stuck at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Not even Jonas could have predicted what's waiting for him in the trench — a 75-foot giant shark known as the Megalodon (Meg for short). Lo and behold, the Meg escapes to the surface and wreaks havoc. 'The Meg' combines the spirit of a B-movie with the budget of a blockbuster and gets an amusing and ridiculous creature feature. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Rent/buy on Amazon or Apple If you're not an experienced diver, just admit it! The situation in '47 Meters Down' could have been avoided had sisters Kate (Claire Holt) and Lisa (Mandy Moore) told the truth. Instead, they let the captain drop them in a shark cage in the ocean. The line attached at the top of the cage breaks, sending the sisters straight to the ocean floor, 47 meters below the surface. With their oxygen supply dwindling and sharks circling nearby, the sisters must work together to stay alive long enough to be rescued. While not the best B-movie, '47 Meters Down' features several effective jump scares, and it successfully positions the sharks as ruthless killing machines that the audience will fear. Watch on Prime Video In the '90s, creature features carried the attitude that the more ridiculous, the better. 'Deep Blue Sea' was unapologetic about going over the top. One killer shark? No, thank you. Try three genetically engineered monsters that are faster, stronger and more violent than the average mako shark. Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) believes the brain tissue from these sharks can cure Alzheimer's disease. But she didn't account for the sharks outsmarting humans and using their island research facility as a hunting ground. Some of the kills are laughable, but director Renny Harlin smartly embraced the film's excessive and crafted delightful popcorn entertainment. Most importantly, always remember that the perfect omelette is made with two eggs, not three. Rent/buy on Amazon or Apple How could a shark find its way into the Seine? Don't sharks survive in salt water as opposed to freshwater? These questions posed in 'Under Paris' can be answered with two words: climate change. After a mako shark named Lilith kills her entire research team, Sophia Assalas (Bérénice Bejo) abandons the ocean to work in the confines of an aquarium in Paris. Somehow, Lilith makes her way into the Seine River. The shark can quickly adapt to new surroundings, a necessary mutation she learned due to the effects of climate change. With a triathlon scheduled for the Seine, Sophia must stop Lilith from transforming the river into a bloodbath. Watch on Netflix 'Open Water' might feature a relationship, but make no mistake — this is not a date movie. Also, if you've ever wanted to go scuba diving, then don't watch 'Open Water.' But if you're interested in an atmospheric horror, then give this independent thriller a shot. Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) embark on a scuba diving trip, believing it will help repair their relationship. The trip becomes a nightmare when the boat mistakenly leaves the couple stranded in the middle of the ocean. Oh, and sharks are lurking beneath the water. Again, it's a great horror movie that's bad to watch as a couple. Watch on Tubi B-movie veteran Jaume Collet-Serra was the perfect choice to direct 'The Shallows.' Collet-Serra's affinity for gritty violence paired perfectly with a shark attack story. Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) is a medical student still grieving the loss of her mother. Nancy visits a secluded beach in Mexico for some surfing and relaxation. On her last wave of the day, a great white shark bites Nancy's leg, forcing her to stay on an isolated rock 200 yards away from shore. Time is ticking because the tide will eventually submerge the rock. Lively goes full action heroine and battles the shark in this terrific survival thriller. Watch on Starz The latest entry on the list is a film that's currently in theaters from Shudder and IFC. If 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'Jaws' had a baby, it would be 'Dangerous Animals.' Director Sean Byrne made a shark thriller where the real monster is on the boat. Tucker (Jai Courtney) runs a cage diving business. As you find out, it's a front for his real passion — feeding tourists to sharks and filming their deaths. Tucker meets his match in Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a rebellious surfer he kidnaps who won't go down without a fight. Backed by an insane performance from Courtney and a star-making turn from Harrison, 'Dangerous Animals' is a sharp genre thriller that will gain an even bigger following once it hits streaming.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Movie Industry's First Summer Blockbuster Turns 50
The summer of 1975 was a terrifying one if you were trying to enjoy a beach vacation — and it's all Stephen Spielberg's fault. The movie Jaws is turning 50 this year, and there are huge celebrations ahead, according to Variety. The film will air on NBC on June 20 with a three-hour special, including "a new, special introduction." At the ballpark, baseball fans will also see "custom scoreboard content, exclusive fan giveaways, and more" at home games for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies between June 20 and 22. If that's not enough, Peacock subscribers will have the opportunity to view shark-themed content from June 15 to July 14. Movies like Piranha, 47 Meters Down, Night Swim, and Captain Phillips were curated for the special collection. Of course, there will be plenty of merchandise available to consumers including a 50th anniversary edition of Jaws on 4K, Blu-ray, and digital beginning June 17 with a Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Story documentary included. Fans can also expect toys, T-shirts, and collectibles out at retail. Jaws is considered the movie industry's first summer blockbuster and stayed at the top of the box office for most of the summer of 1975, per NBC. It held the record for the "highest-grossing movie of all time" for two years until Star Wars took the top position. It was a troubled shoot due to the difficulties of filming in the open waters and the budget quickly skyrocketed. Producer David Brown explained in the 2004 book, Movie Moguls Speak: Interviews with Top Film Producers, that the initial budget "was $4 million and the picture wound up costing $9 million." The mechanical shark also kept breaking down, but Spielberg and stars Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw meticulously planned out the characters to give it a realistic feel, per Mental Floss. In the end, the technical problems led to a career-defining film for Spielberg. 'I had no choice but to figure out how to tell the story without the shark,' Spielberg told CBS News in 2015. 'So, I just went back to Alfred Hitchcock: 'What would Hitchcock do in a situation like this?' ... It's what we don't see which is truly frightening.'The Movie Industry's First Summer Blockbuster Turns 50 first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
