Shark movies have had a very special place in Hollywood history for almost half a century now. The idea of being stuck at sea with nothing surrounding you but the waves and one or more very hungry great white sharks (genetic experimentation optional) is one of the most tried-and-true tropes of modern horror films.
Sadly with every popular trope comes a plethora of movies you probably don’t want to spend your time on. If you want to know which shark movies are worth watching the next time you feel like being scared of going out on the water, these are some nice suggestions that can fuel your nightmares.
Jaws
If you want to make a shark movie, this is going to be the one you want to emulate as much as possible. It’s hard to live up to the genius of Steven Spielberg, but the impact that this movie has had on cinema is undeniable. The build-up in this movie is pretty much perfect and it’s just a very cleverly made film.
Sharknado
I know what you’re thinking – Sharknado isn’t a good movie at all. You’re right, but Sharknado isn’t trying to be a good movie. It’s camp that uses that campness as its main selling point, and the only thing it wants to do is entertain. And boy does it entertain.
Deep Blue Sea
This movie is what you get when you take the director of Die Hard 2 and let him make a shark movie. The cast is filled to the brim with star power, the movie entertains you every minute of the way and it’s honestly a good guilty pleasure for everyone that wants to watch a not so obvious shark movie.
Jaws 2
Despite all the issues behind the screens (a director got fired, actor didn’t want to do the sequel initially), this movie ended up being almost up to par with the first one. Sadly every sequel or spin-off that came behind this one was a weak imitation of the magic the first two movies had, so you can stop your trip down Jaws history with this one.
The Meg
Jason Statham and sharks didn’t seem like it’d be a good match, but it ended up being a sort of modern, Hollywood-ified version of the classic shark movies we all love. It’s still a Jason Statham film, so prepare to get a lot of one-liners and silly action scenes thrown at your face. But it sort of works. Sort of.
The Shallows
While this movie is objectively nothing special, it is a good case study in what you have to do to make a shark movie profitable. Despite having a very small budget for a somewhat recent movie (only $17 million dollars), it ended up making almost $120 million at the box office! Nothing wrong with this one.
