Every film needs an antagonist to create new hype and to include twists and turns in the movie. The antagonist needn’t necessarily be a human all the time. It can either be a ghost, one’s imagination, aliens, rats, or even a shark. Yes, you read that right. It can even be a shark.
Do you ever wonder why we are naturally attracted more to movies that include sharks? There are records that even an average film with the presence of a shark received an enormous welcome from people. The audience, even more, loves these limbs-less antagonists.
Why Do We Love Shark Movies?
Deep down, we all know that the plot of shark movies will always be similar. These movies are far from reality; they hunt down and kill people, and intelligent people survive. But why do these movies still carry us away?
Sharks can do even more than a human antagonist. These intelligent animals never fail to bring us to the edge of our seats. Even though every movie follows a similar path, the thrill created differs.
In this article, we will see about the 20 best shark movies of all time.
20. Jaws the Revenge (1987)
- Director: Joseph Sargent
- Writer: Michael de Guzman
- Cast: Michael Caine, Lorraine Gary, Lance, Mario, Karen
- IMDb rating: 3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 0%
- Platforms available: YouTube, Apple TV
Jaws the Revenge was the worst addition to the Jaws franchise. This time the story revolves around Ellen Brody. Ellen is convinced that the monster has returned to take its Revenge. The movie was advertised as “This time, it’s personal” since the creature comes back to kill the people.
However, Ellen and a few others explode the creature and return to safety. With this, the Jaws franchise came to an end. Even though the Jaws franchise had good stories, it couldn’t stand up to the Jaws made by Steven.
In addition to the list of 20 movies, I also provide an additional film released in 1981. Enzo and the cast directed the great white had James Franciscus and Vic Morrow as leads. James and Vic attempt to save hundreds of swimmers from the monster. This movie is also a good watch.
19. Shark Night (2011)
- Director: David R. Ellis
- Writer: Will Hayes, Jesse Studenberg
- Cast: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Donal Logue, Joshua Leonard
- IMDb rating: 4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 18%
- Platforms available: Amazon Prime Video
Shark Night is a movie about seven college students (Malik, Maya, Beth, Blake, Sara, Dennis, and Nick) going to the nearby lake. Unaware of the shark’s presence, they dive into the water. Later, they spot a shark.
The monstrous creature kills the students, leaving only a few survivors. Nick and Sara fight back against the monster and kills it. They reach the shore after a spine-thrilling experience. Shark Night received negative comments despite the use of 3-d technology in the movie.
18. Dark Tide (2012)
- Director: John Stockwell
- Writer: Amy Sorlie
- Cast: Halle Berry, Olivier, Ralph Brown
- IMDb rating: 4.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 0%
- Platforms available: Plex, Pluto, and Crackle
Dark Tide was classified to be one of the most disastrous films. The film is about Kate, a shark expert. Her business seems to stumble after the monster attacks her partner.
She is scared to go into the waters. She has haunting dreams from the incident. However, when she is financially stable, she is forced to take up her profession again as she feels it is worth diving back into the waters.
17. Ghost Shark (2013)
- Director: Griff Furst
- Writer: Griff Furst, Eric Forsberg
- Cast: Mackenzie Roseman, Dave, Davis
- IMDb rating: 3.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 29%
- Platforms available: Vudu
The movie with a shark eating the catch of a fisherman and his daughter. Agitated by this behavior, the duo mercilessly kills the shark. The shark’s corpse hits the deep sea, and this shark now becomes a ghost to hunt down the killers. The ghost shark kills many people without reason.
Later, a group identifies the reason and sets the ghost to rest. This film was criticized for being one of the worst and didn’t connect well with the audience.
16. Jaws – 3 (1983)
- Director: Joe Alves
- Writer: Guerdon Trueblood
- Cast: Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson, Louis Gossett Jr.
- IMDb rating: 3.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 11%
- Platforms available: Amazon Prime Video
Jaws 3 is the final franchise of the Jaws films. This was one of the movies that used 3-d technology to keep the audience entertained throughout the film. However, Jaws received a lot of negative reviews.
Jaws movie is about Kay, a senior marine biologist responsible for opening an underwater park tunnel. A shark attacks Overman, a mechanic; Soon, Kay discovers more than one shark. Before any other disaster, the team hunts down the sharks and kills them.
15. Sharktopus Vs. Whalewolf (2015)
- Director: Kevin O’Neill
- Writer: Matt Yamashita
- Cast: Akari Endo, Casper Van Dien, Catherine Oxenberg
- IMDb rating: 3.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 35%
- Platforms available: Roku Channel
This movie is the final franchise to the Sharktopus movie. The shark opus is still alive, and two men try to capture the heart of the sharktopus. Meanwhile, another scientist tries to create a new creature and makes a dangerous whale wolf. Later, these two creatures end up fighting each other.
14. Sharktopus (2010)
- Director: Declan O’Brien
- Writer: Chandler
- Cast: Eric Roberts, Liv Boughn, Kerem Bursin, Sara Malakul Lane
- IMDb rating: 3.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 57%
- Platforms available: Vudu
Sharktopus seems to be a different kind of shark movie. Geneticist Sands and his daughter created a new species of shark with tentacles named S-11. S-11 soon escapes into the waters, and a crew of members is assigned to catch the shark.
The shark kills a few members of the team. Later in the movie, Andy kills the shark, and the remaining survivors safely head back to the shore.
13. Deep Blue Sea- 2 (2018)
- Director: Darin Scott
- Writer: Jessica Scott, Eric Patterson
- Cast: Danielle Savre, Michael Beach, Kim Syster, Nathan Lynn
- IMDb rating: 3.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 0%
- Platforms available: YouTube, Apple TV
The deep blue sea is a stand-alone sequel to the prior shark movie. Shark conversationalist Misty is invited to the research center as the team feels that one of the sharks behaves strangely. Misty identifies the shark to be pregnant.
Elsewhere, another shark damages the boat causing trouble to the wet lab. Soon the pregnant shark gives birth to shark pups. Now we have a bunch of sharks trying to hunt and kill people. The survivors, including Misty, try to explode the place and escape, but later, it is revealed that the mother and a few of her baby sharks have run into the waters.
12. 47 Meters Down Uncaged (2019)
- Director: Johannes Roberts
- Writer: Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera
- Cast: Brianne Tju, Corinne Foxx, Sistine Stallone, John Corbett
- IMDb rating: 5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 45%
- Platforms available: Amazon Prime Video
Forty-seven meters down uncaged is yet another thriller shark movie. The story is about Mia and Shasha, who go on a ride into the water with their friends separately.
They are soon in trouble as they see a shark chase them deep into the waters. Things turn for the worse as more sharks soon surround them. The movie gives you thrills throughout the course. The film ends as both sisters are saved.
11.Open Water 2- Adrift (2006)
- Director: Hans Horn
- Writer: Koji Suzuki
- Cast: Susan May Pratt, Eric Dane, Richard Speight Jr., Cameron Richardson
- IMDb rating: 5.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 45%
- Platforms available: Amazon Prime Video
This movie has no connection to open water which was released earlier. Owing to the positive response, this movie adopted the same name.
A group of friends go on a trip in the boat and later find themselves stranded in the water. When they try to escape the water, one of them stabs themselves. Owing to the fear of sharks, they try as much as possible to survive.
10. The Meg (2018)
- Director: Jon Turteltob
- Writer: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber
- Cast: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose
- IMDb rating: 5.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 45%
- Platforms available: Netflix, amazon prime video, YouTube
Distributed by Warner Bros, this shark film explores the deepest point of the Mariana Trench. A crew uses a submersible to explore but is soon attacked by a creature, which is revealed to be an octopus. Soon, a monster shark arrives and kills the octopus and later follows the crew.
The research crew tries to spot the sharks to kill them, but it escapes to the bay. Later, they chase and kill the creature. However, some believed that two sharks might have escaped the trench.
9. Bait (2012)
- Director: Kimble Rendall
- Writer: Russell Mulcahy and John Kim
- Cast: Zavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Adrian Pang, Alex Russell
- IMDb rating: 5.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 46%
- Platforms available: Amazon Prime Video
Bait is a thriller shark movie. The movie focuses on a set of people stuck in a mall during the tsunami. While trying to escape, the team spots a shark, which thrills their spine. To additional trouble, another shark enters the mall as well. The movie depicts how wisely the people try to kill and escape the sharks.
8. In The Deep – 47 Meters Down (2017)
- Director: Johannes Roberts
- Writer: Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera
- Cast: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Chris Johnson, Matthew Modine
- IMDb rating: 5.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 53%
- Platforms available: Hulu
Forty-seven meters down was one of the best shark movies. The film is about two sisters, Lisa and Kate, who explore the ocean in a diving cage. The cable gets cut off, and the sisters sink 47 meters into the sea. Soon they are surrounded by sharks, and the struggle now becomes real. Being dark underneath, the sisters often feel shark flicks and are scared to death. One of the sharks kills Kate, and Lisa keeps hallucinating about her escape.
Forty-seven meters down was awarded as the best horror film, and owing to the response, the movie had a franchise named 47 meters down uncaged.
7. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Director: Renny Harlin
- Writer: Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers
- Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane, Jackson Burrows, LL Cool J
- IMDb rating: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 59%
- Platforms available: Netflix
The deep blue sea is the best shark film and pop culture to a typical shark movie. Doctors Susan and Jim research the sharks by holding them as captives. The intelligent sharks manage to escape when the research building goes down.
The intelligent sharks now seek Revenge and hunt the team down. The group fights until the last shark is killed. The entire movie course keeps you on the edge of your seats. In the end, two survivors are waiting to be rescued.
6. Jaws 2 (1978)
- Director: Jeannot Szwarc
- Writer: Jeannot Szwarc and Carl Gottlieb
- Cast: Roy, Loraine, Donna, Ann
- IMDb rating: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 61%
- Platforms available: Amazon prime video, Apple TV
Jaws 2 is a sequel to the film Jaws made in 1975. The film did not receive a massive response like the first Jaws, but also it doesn’t seem to be a bad watch.
Jaws 2 begins with two scuba divers being killed in the beginning. The police chief, Brody, suspects the presence of a great white shark, which is true. The killer shark continues to kill people until it finally gets electrocuted.
5. Open Water (2003)
- Director: Chris Kentis
- Writer: Chris Kentis
- Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Michael, Laura
- IMDb rating: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 71%
- Platforms available: Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV
Open Water film is originally based on a true story. A young couple goes on a vacation and joins a scuba diving team. The team leaves for the ocean, unaware of the danger waiting.
While the couple is still exploring the ocean floor, the yacht leaves them behind. Soon they find that sharks surround them, and the couple is left alone among the killer creatures.
4. The Shallows (2016)
- Director: Jaume Collet- Serra
- Writer: Anthony Jaswinski
- Cast: Blake Lively, Oscar, Sedona, Deigo
- IMDb rating: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 78%
- Platforms available: YouTube, Apple TV
The shallows take place in the ocean, and it is a fantastic watch. Shallows are about a young girl, Nancy ( Blake Lively), who goes surfing in the sea. Little did she know about the danger that awaited in the ocean. After spotting a great white shark, she uses her intelligence to survive the shark attacks. Shallows received many positive comments and were claimed to be one of the best shark movies.
Blake Lively received appreciation for her performance, and it was also claimed to be one of the best movies of her acting career. Owing to the response, shallows also came up with a sequel to this movie. “The Shallows” was also one of the low-budget shark movies.
3. Shark Attack (1999)
- Director: Bob Misiorowski
- Writer: Scott, William Hooke
- Cast: Casper, Jenny, Bentley, Ernie
- IMDb rating: 3.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 73%
- Platforms available: Roku Channel
Shark Attack was yet another good film. The film is about a marine biologist who wants to know about the mysterious death of his friend. On arriving at a village, he discovers that there have been similar shark attacks. The biologist and his friends only meet to unveil a shocking truth.
2. The Reef (2010)
- Director: Andrew Traucki
- Writer: Andrew Traucki
- Cast: Damian, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley
- IMDb rating: 5.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 80%
- Platforms available: Prime Video
The Reef is yet another quality watch owing to its unique storyline. The Reef is about a group of friends on a trip to Indonesia. The yacht they are in gets destroyed due to waves, and the friends are left alone on the Reef waiting for help.
Swimming to the nearby island, they discover a great white shark heading to kill their friends. Except for one, everyone else gets killed by the shark, and the lone survivor finds her way back home from the Reef with all the thrills she experienced on the trip with her friends. The Reef was also one of the low-budget shark films.
1. Jaws (1975)
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writer: Peter Benchley
- Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard, Lorraine Gary
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
- Platforms available: Amazon prime video, YouTube, Apple TV
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was the first-ever shark movie. Jaws author Peter Benchley wrote the script so well that the first-ever shark film was a massive success. The story takes place on Amity Island. It all starts when they witness a white killer shark at the beach.
This action gathers a team together to track and hunt down the shark. Jaws also used actual shark footage to give a feel of reality to the audience.
Jaws were the first of its kind theatrical release and received positive reviews. The film’s box office collection was around $7 million in a week.
Conclusion
Many shark movies might come and go, but Steven’s film remains the best. The audience is always fascinated by these movies. Hence, the creators continue to give such films with the new storyline while maintaining the logic. Shark movies have become a genre and will which will a long time.
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