In Finding Nemo, Bruce the shark pledged that “fish are friends”. The same applies to sharks. Movies make monsters of them, and we would do well to remember that they are anything but.
With that in mind, we can suspend our disbelief and enjoy the sheer, bloody entertainment that shark movies provide. This Sunday night delivers just that in the form of The Meg, a prehistoric-shark-infested movie starring Jason Statham.
But first, let’s look at five famous shark movies that preceded it.
Jaws (1975)
Peter Benchley wrote the book on which this Steven Spielberg classic is based. The author would later come to regret the role his book, and its movie adaptation, played in demonising sharks. Consequently, Benchley dedicated his time to shark conservation to turn the tide on sharks’ bad name. There’s no denying what this movie did to sharks, but its efficacy rests not on the silly shark tale, but in the suspense and thrills delivered by a fine cast, a passionate director, and a now-instantly-recognisable theme tune.
MORE HERE: Top five Steven Spielberg movies.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
A silly plot paired with a host of stellar actors led to this highly entertaining underwater romp. The fishy stars are a horde of mako sharks whose brains have been genetically engineered, making them super smart and super deadly as they outwit a band of witless humans. Featuring OTT action, nail-biting suspense, LL Cool J with a chatty parrot, and Samuel L. Jackson as a rallying leader, you’ll find plenty to make you jump and LOL.
MORE HERE: Seven reasons Samuel L. Jackson is awesome.
Shark Tale (2004)
Finding Nemo gave us fun, friendly sharks in the form of Bruce, Chum, and Anchor. Following hot on its heels was this shark-centric animation, featuring a vegetarian great white called Lenny Lino, voiced by Jack Black. Playing his mob boss father is none other than the godfather himself, Robert De Niro riffing with his longtime directing collaborator Martin Scorsese as a loan shark pufferfish. With Will Smith in the lead role, supported by the likes of Renée Zellweger and Angelina Jolie, the laughs are guaranteed in this colourful frolic under the sea.
Sharknado (2013 – 2018)
Every well-rounded creature feature list has to include at least one B-movie entry. Deep Blue Sea doesn’t quite make the B-grade, although it tries really hard. Instead we have this shark-infested franchise that released its sixth (yes, you read that right, sixth) movie last year. A ridiculous movie featuring (you guessed it) sharks and tornados, and sharks in tornados, this movie takes B-grade OTT action and story to a whole new level. Its complete commitment to shlock is what makes them so fun! You never go in expecting anything serious, especially with sequels that have subtitles like Oh Hell No! and Global Swarming.
MORE HERE: When animals attack.
The Shallows (2016)
Taking us into the isolated realms of movies like The Reef and Open Water is this surfing-gone-wrong survival story. Starring Blake Lively, what sets her ocean horror apart from the others is that she’s all by her lonesome with safety literally within swimming-distance. Barring her way is a great white, leading to a tense, gripping thrill-fest made all the more terrifying by her isolation.
Meet the megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark trying to best Jason Statham and his crew, in The Meg, your Sunday night movie on 25 August at 20:05 on M-Net channel 101.