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Top 10 Shark Movies

The best shark movies had us avoiding the ocean for years to come.

By WatchMojoPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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We’re going to need a bigger boat. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 shark movies.

For this list, we’re looking at films that feature at least one shark in a prominent role or scene. Films like Orca: The Killer Whale, which were inspired by shark movies but don’t feature any of the sea creatures, need not apply.

With legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman working behind the scenes, this SyFy original film was bound to be a good time. Featuring a U.S. Navy-commissioned experiment in genetic splicing, the titular half shark, half octopus was designed to be a weapon. Shockingly, the beast escapes and terrorizes beach goers, which allows for epic gore and scantily clad victims. Leave your brain at the door and have a fun time.

After a supermarket and the adjoined parking structure are flooded in this 3D horror thriller, a group of survivors realize they are not alone. Hunted by two sharks, the small group must work together to survive the deadly creatures and each other. Featuring dynamic effects and gruesome deaths, the Australian-Singaporean flick gives shark movie lovers exactly what they are looking for.

And now for a change of pace… while it may not be the first to come to mind when you think shark movies, Shark Tale has its merits as a film set under the sea. Produced by DreamWorks, the computer-animated comedy features the voice talents of Hollywood stars like Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, and more. This story of a bluestreak cleaner wrasse that gets wrapped up in the dealings of a criminal shark organization was also a box-office winner during its first three weekends in theaters, with tons of pop culture references and the ability to successful appeal to both children and adults.

Picking up four years after the events of the original, this horror thriller chronicles Chief Brody’s children’s fight to survive the second shark to terrorize the small town of Amity Island. The boys join a small group of teens on a series of boats in the water, when a shark begins to pick them off one at a time. Featuring one of the most unique helicopter scenes of all time, Jaws 2 was a box office hit and a sequel that’s not to be missed.

Based on the follow up novel published by Jaws author Peter Benchley, this project was accompanied by huge expectations. And the underwater sequences featuring many deadly predators lived up to many of them. Under attack by morays, things are getting tense but it is not until a shark shows up to hunt Nick Nolte’s protagonist that things get really scary in The Deep.

There are not many made-for-TV movies that manage to become water cooler talk, but Sharknado certainly pulled off that feat. Combine a completely silly plot, actors who have become walking punch lines, and a script that takes itself far too seriously, and the end results are one of a kind. A tornado infested with sharks that is coming to kill you and everyone you love: What’s not to love about that?

Five people on a yacht are sailing to Indonesia when they strike a reef and capsize. Soon, they realize they have no way to signal for help and if they are going to live, they have no choice but to swim for land. Buoyed by magnificent shark effects and the fact that anyone can be devoured at any second as they float across the ocean, shark fans should not miss The Reef—after all, it’s a killer good time.

When scientists modify several great whites in an attempt to enlarge their brains so they can harvest chemicals from them, things go horribly awry. In this sci-fi horror, the altered sharks are both massive and have intelligence on par with humans, and as a result, they are able to devise ways to escape their captors and eat a few tasty humans on the way. Watching a normal sharkhunt people is cool, but watching giant ones, who are outwitting them at every turn, is just plain awesome.

This psychological horror is loosely based on the true story of a scuba diving couple that is forgotten by their group and abandoned in the middle of the ocean. Before long, they both receive bites on their legs from sharks and are bleeding out. Shot on digital video to give it a more realistic feel, Open Water’s filmmakers managed to make the drama almost impossible not to relate to, as the horror the couple was undoubtedly feeling really came through.

Before we take a bite out of our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

  • Shark Night (2011)
  • Red Water (2003)
  • 12 Days of Terror (2004)
  • Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012)

There’s a good reason that for years after its release, some viewers were afraid to go in the water. Steven Spielberg uses the thriller’s mechanical shark sparingly, instead using the score, film angles, and the acting chops of his cast to raise the tension until it is nearly unbearable. By the time we actually see the shark attack, it seems there’s no way anyone could avoid dying at the massive creature’s hand. Critically lauded and a box office smash, Jaws is without a doubt the ultimate shark movie.

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