Best Shark Movies Of The Decade (2010-2019)
Naturally, the 25 foot shadow of Jaws looms large over any shark film, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy another shark film just because it isn’t Jaws. There's plenty of room in the ocean.
You’d also be forgiven for thinking that shark films have been few and far between...or should we say fin on the ground? But, if you check out the years of release below then you can see that sharks have been consistently swimming back and forth across screens throughout the whole last ten years.
And, by and large, that can only be a good thing. We go swimming with shark cinema in chronological order.
THE REEF (2010)
Based on a horrific true story in Australia in the early 1980s, it was one of the key shark attack stories I read growing up. Here it is switched from a tiger shark to a great white.
It's a low budget affair, but like Jaws allows time to establish and grow to like the characters.
It also features protagonists 'all at sea' on a boat. With an eye more towards realism, than gore shots, the attacks may be swift, but then what would you expect from a great white. They leave a lasting impact.
ROSS: Great start for the shark movies of 2010’s. A simple, yet plausible scenario nicely sets up the opportunity for some great shark set pieces and character development so when the crew do perish, you care - something lacking in recent shark movies. 3/5
DEAN: Many have cited similarities to Open Water, but this is by far the greater film. And for me, is in the top three best shark films. Unlike Jaws, the shark featured is 100% real, even when you see it in the same shots as the actors.
At times The Reef is intensely scary and makes you want to pick your feet up off the floor for safety. It's a streamlined film, but is more brutally tense with it. 4/5
DID YOU KNOW? The movie is based on true events that happened during the 1980s off the coast of Townsville in far northern Queensland, Australia.
SHARK NIGHT 3D (2011)
In the first shark film released since Jaws 3D, this follows a bunch of teens on vacation who are attacked by bull sharks in a lake. It could have easily been called Sharks on a Lake as it was helmed by the same person who brought us Snakes on a Plane.
From David R. Ellis, the director of Final Destination 2, the one with the log truck accident intro, you'd think that there would be some fun inventiveness in a shark picture from the same (city) hands.
ROSS: The classic teen slasher flick is given the 3D shark treatment. Stunning location and some great underwater photography give way to dispensable and forgettable characters who are put in place to be eaten in some pretty ridiculous ways - remember the guy hanging from the tree? 1/5
DEAN: Unfortunately, this film lacks any real bite. It's not even fun in a Piranha 3D reboot way, not really going for either campy fun or more serious thrills, falling - nay sinking - somewhere in between. Shark Night, more like the morning couldn't come soon enough. 1/5
DID YOU KNOW? The first shark movie released in 3D ever since Jaws 3-D (1983) 28 years prior.
BAIT (2012)
A freak tsunami traps shoppers at a coastal Australian supermarket inside the building - along with a 12 foot Great White shark.
ROSS: Some great stuff in Bait. The sharks look really good and the cinematography and production design really brings the premise to life. As with most shark movies, characters feel like they have been woven around the ways they will get eaten although the cast do well with the script they have. 3.5/5
DEAN: It's a confined thriller, and is the best sharks submerged in supermarket thriller you are ever likely to see. This is one to check out - supermarket pun intended. It owes much to Deep Blue Sea, by way of The Mist. With some inventive scenes, it's far more fun than the Piranha remake, or Sharknado, as it takes itself seriously. Your belief is suspended. 4/5
DID YOU KNOW? Three animatronic sharks were used for filming. Although director Kimble Rendall wanted to entirely avoid using computer-generated imagery, the budget necessitated its use in some scenes.
DARK TIDE (2012)
A professional diver tutor returns to deep waters after 1 year, following an almost fatal encounter with a great white shark. The nightmare from the deep is still lurking - more carnivorous and hungry than ever.
ROSS: Looking at the calibre of the people involved, i had high hopes for this. The opportunity for a character driven peice with a strong female lead was severely wasted. Most disappointing shark movie of the decade. 2/5
DEAN: You know what, I wasn't expecting great things from this shark thriller starring Halle Berry, but there were some really good, edge of your seat and visually impressive moments. At times it looks gorgeous. The piece as a whole doesn't really hold together, but those flourishes are certainly worth a visit, for the most part we are given a more realistic shark movie. It's sort of the Cliffhanger of shark films, with a great opening sequence that pretty much haunts the rest of the film. 2/5
DID YOU KNOW? Director John Stockwell says the sharks in this movie were much more skittish and lethal, as compared to the tame ones he had while filming "Into the Blue.”
SHARKNADO (2013)
When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.
ROSS: I love Sharknado! It is what is and does not hold back taking its audience on it’s unique, crazy, implausible but most importantly FUN ride. Great to see SyFy had the nuts to invest in even more outlandish sequels in would could have otherwise been a one-hit-wonder. 3/5
DEAN: There are those that like cheap 'n' cheesy shark films like House Shark, Shark Exorcist, Ghost Shark and Raiders of the Lost Shark. Personally, never been a fan. And although Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus kicked off the craze, it was the phenomenal success of Sharknado and its numerous sequels that cemented its sub-genre position. I just prefer my shark films less silly and more serious. They've certainly made an impact, and hopefully acted as a bridge to more serious shark films for some. Some would say they helped shark films tread water when there was no real audience out there. There has always been an audience, just not the right film. For me, Sharknado is more just a funnel of hot air. 1/5
DID YOU KNOW? Homage to Jaws , when the shark is on the Santa Monica pier and attempts to attack, they shove an air tank into its mouth to blow it up. That's how the shark in Jaws (1975) was finally killed.
THE SHALLOWS (2016)
The best shark film since Jaws? That's what many critics were saying of this Blake Lively thriller. And it is extremely lively, as Nancy, a surfer is attacked by great white. She must then use her wits and a little luck to get the 200 yards, back to shore, although time and tide are against her. With the use of a buoy an integral part of the conclusion, it's like a huge doff of the cap to the opening scene of Jaws. It's certainly a tense ride, and for me is the decades second best shark film.
ROSS: Most thrilling and well-constructed shark movie since Jaws. Great CGI and blended use of real shark footage, the filmmakers really took care to create a great homage to Jaws - keeping the shark out of sight early on, investing in character to heighten the sense of jeopardy capped off with a genuinely exhilarating finale. 4/5
DEAN: I always thought it would have been cool to have it be part of the Jaws family. Nancy could have been a grown up Thea, with her dad on the phone being Mike Brody. And instead of mourning the loss of her mum, she could have been mourning the loss of her grandma, Ellen Brody. The Shallows is an effective survival thriller, think of it as Duel with a shark. 4/5
DID YOU KNOW? Blake Lively revealed in an interview that she is terrified of sharks in real life and that she never saw Jaws (1975).
OPEN WATER 3: CAGE DIVE (2016)
Three friends filming an audition tape for an extreme reality show take part in shark cage diving, only to be left in great white infested waters, turning their recording into life and death.
ROSS: Seems that there have been a load of shark-situation based scripts floating around this past decade and this was one of the better ones. Technically well made with a story that taps into the current trend of reality celebrity, I would have preferred to see something closer in story to the original Open Water. 2/5
DEAN: I'm not a huge fan of found footage films, but is worked for this instalment which was engaging enough. Given its title you'd think it was more akin to 47 Meters Down but it actually probably owes more to The Shallows and Capsized: Blood in the Water, as they spend part of the film in an inflatable life raft. Suffice to say, they could have done with a bigger boat, but it does deliver a few nice jump moments. 2.5/5
DID YOU KNOW? Originally shot as 'Into The Deep' this was released as part of the Open Water franchise.
47 METERS DOWN (2017)
Two sisters vacationing in Mexico are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean. With less than an hour of oxygen left and great white sharks circling nearby, they must fight to survive.
ROSS: Great idea done well. Taking the Hooper cage scene from Jaws to it’s logical, feature-length conclusion, the sense of isolation and danger is done well with some great jump-shocks along the way. A little more investment in character would have paid dividends to the film’s climax. 3/5
DEAN: You want cage divers in peril, you got it. This is more like an extended Hooper in the cage scene from Jaws, so that's a big thumbs up. I kind of saw where it was going, but still enjoyed the set up and execution. You really do almost end up holding your own breath at times and it's a wonderful premise. 3.5/5
THE MEG (2018)
A group of scientists exploring the Marianas Trench encounter the largest marine predator that has ever existed - the Megalodon.
ROSS: This felt like a blending together of Jurassic Park taking place in the setting of Deep Blue. No real attempt is made to be like / learn from the Jaws model (which isn’t a bad thing), this was played firmly with tongue-in-cheek. Statham was an inspired choice for the lead, completely aware of the cliche lead hero he’s playing in a preposterous story. The tone and direction make for an easily accessible family movie setting things up nicely for what will likely be the dominant shark movie franchise of the next few years. 3/5
DEAN: THE MEG IS MONSTER FUN. It owes more to the likes of Jurassic Park, Godzilla and Deep Blue Sea - with a dash of Jaws 3D to boot - than a certain film based on a Peter Benchley novel. Don’t believe those saying it is an abomination of a movie, it certainly isn’t that. It’s a helluva rollercoaster ride of a summer film that delivers the odd jump moment, intentional laugh out loud funny moments and exciting scenes aplenty. It’s as much fun as you’d expect from a film about a giant prehistoric rampaging shark. Just don’t take it too seriously, I mean how could you? And it’s nice to see it all realised with a big budget rather than the likes of Mega Shark or Shark Attack 3: Megalodon. It’s a B-movie with a budget and isn’t afraid to wear that on its chest like a giant tracking beacon. 3.5/5
There are couple of nods to Jaws, how could you not? Alex Kintner and Pippet - am guessing the screenwriters weren’t being doubly ironic by calling the dog Pippin as people often get it wrong as that - take a bow. These are more loving winks for the audience, but it certainly doesn’t ruin your viewing experience if you spot them or not.
DID YOU KNOW? In real life, Jason Statham is an expert swimmer. In the 1990 Commonwealth Games, he represented England in diving.
CAPSIZED: BLOOD IN THE WATER (2019)
After a yacht bound for Florida capsizes during an unexpected storm, its crew is left to drift for days in the chilling waters off the Atlantic where they become prey to a group of tiger sharks.
ROSS: Based on true events, this could have been a great character study/ survival thriller. While technically well executed, it’s a little disappointing that many of the key events in the move were fabricated or super embellished to create the drama. 2/5
DEAN: This is The Discovery Channel's first foray into film for Shark Week, and its a pretty effective one.
There’s just something about it being based on actual events that raises the tension setting, and although these are actors pretending to flail or be dragged under the water, you know they are are playing people who actually were. And I guess that has always been one of the things about the USS Indianapolis speech, it’s grounded in reality. 2.5/5
And like in those circumstances, surviving the sinking is just the beginning as they face injury, the inflatable boat constantly being bumped by tiger sharks and dehydration after a huge number of days drifting at sea. It really is pretty relentless and unforgiving, and just when you think things can’t get any worse...they do.
It’s a well-made TV movie, the only thing that I really felt was not necessary was the flitting back and forth to the coastguard, certainly in later scenes at sea, as it took you out of the moment and that boat.
Some will no doubt think that its low on blood, but it isn’t that sort of shark film. I found it more gripping than the also based on a true story Open Water, but less so than The Reef.
DID YOU KNOW? According to Josh Duhamel on Shark After Dark (2013), filming concluded just 6 weeks prior to the movie airing.
So where will the next decade in shark movies take us? Jaws the film turns 45 in 2020, so expect sharks and shark films to continue to be big on the radar and sonar. Just not on electric toothbrushes.
Talking of big on the radar, we know that The Meg 2 is in the works, which no doubt Jason Statham will be returning to. Smaller in size, but still no doubt packing a punch is the tantalisingly titled Great White.
Less whooping is probably required for the mooted Deep Blue Sea 3.
Naturally, there will continue to be chatter around a Jaws remake, prequel or sequel. Why? Because deep down people still want something else from the Jaws universe. Those who say no are in denial.
You might not like it, but after all these years you know you’d be at least curious. Or what about a film version of The Shark Is Broken, Ian Shaw’s Edinburgh Fringe success about the production woes of the making of the Steven Spielberg classic? Being the son of Robert Shaw, it’s the nearest we’d ever get to seeing Quint back on the big screen. Cinema may not beckon for that shark tale, but hopefully we will get to see it go on some sort of tour.