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There are few human obsessions that match our all-consuming fascination with sharks. They’re one of the rare animals with a national commemorative anniversary — or “holiday” depending on how invested you are in Shark Week — and their almost mythic-like status among the animal kingdom has provided endless fodder for film.
Sharks’ boneless cartilage frame places them in the classification of “elasmobranch” fish, grouping them with rays, sawfish, and skates. While it’s widely known that sharks are not as interested in feasting on human flesh as sci-fi, adventure, and horror movies portray them to be, most people would prefer not to take their chances getting close enough to confirm. With movies dating back as far as Jerry Hopper’s 1956 “The Sharkfighters” (and possibly sooner), filmmakers have made shark movies for nearly seven decades and they’ll likely continue that track record for as long as sharks are around. (Editor’s note: Sharks are definitely going to outlive film directors.)
Discovery helped progress the cultural phenomenon with Shark Week’s debut in 1988, making it one of TV’s longest-running programming events. Featuring stories from attack survivors, the show highlights the times surfing, scuba diving, and other deep-sea activities went wrong. While most shark movies capture the haunting killer instinct of the species, other animated films add personality and a sense of light-heartedness to their characters. DreamWorks and Disney each reimagined the diet of great whites, who live respectfully among other sea creatures. With “Meg 2: The Trench” opening in theaters next month, starring Jason Statham, it’s one of the more anticipated shark movies in recent memory.
Read on for a list of the most notable shark movies with the biggest cult followings in chronological order.
“Jaws” (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s work on “Jaws” laid groundbreaking foundation for shark movies, while scaring the hell out of ’70s beachgoers. Authenticity was essential for the director who chose to film in the middle of the Atlantic rather than in a studio lot’s controlled, more practical environment. Although the shots were more believable than they would have been on a set, it cost the film crew a lot more time as the untamed waters proved to be an obstacle for production, soaking equipment and rocking cameras around. The mechanical sharks built for “Jaws” were damaged during filming, limiting their screen time. That would become a successful trademark of the film; by not seeing the monster as often, the fear and suspense grew.
“It was my good luck and I think it’s the audience’s good luck, too, because it’s a scarier movie without seeing so much of the shark,” Spielberg said.
“Jaws 2” (1978)
The second movie in the four-part “Jaws” franchise was no less troubled in its production than the original. It struggled with similar issues that Spielberg did years prior, which is presumably why the director turned down a sequel offering. However, despite the filming difficulties and replacing the director in the middle of production, “Jaws 2” was a box office hit making it one of the top 10 highest grossing movies of the year. It’s a lesser movie that amps up the bloodshed with six human killings: the most of any movie in the franchise (not including animal deaths).
“Deep Blue Sea” (1999)
Samuel L. Jackson had “had it” with these sharks in this underwater laboratory years before his beef with snakes on planes. His character Russel Franklin holds partial responsibility for the mania — funding research in Mako sharks to be applied in humans. After one of them escapes and attacks a nearby boat, Franklin is sent to inspect Aquatica: the experimental facility where the genetically engineered sharks have an increased brain capacity, making them smarter and much more deadly.
“Finding Nemo (2003)”
An animated great white with an Australian accent who pledges to be a “nice shark” and not a “mindless eating machine” is a bit less terrifying than some of the other cold-blooded killers on this list. That is until Bruce’s killer instincts kick in and his three-week hiatus from eating fish is almost cut short when he smells blood in the water. Luckily for Nemo and Dory, Bruce’s less carnivorous associates Anchor and Chum hold him back while the two manage an escape.
“Open Water” (2003)
Even before the monster is presented to the audience, the premise of “Open Water” leaves viewers antsy with anticipation. After a group of scuba divers are left stranded in the middle of the ocean when their tour boat forgets about them, the fear of danger slowly eats away at the vacationers before sharks try the same.
“Shark Tale” (2004)
Dreamworks did not let up with the big-name actors for this admittedly middling (maybe lower-middling) animated comedy about shark mobsters. Career-long movie mafiosos voiced characters, with talent including Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, and multiple “Sopranos” stars. The shark spoof follows a group of great whites who run the metropolitan underwater city, Southside Reef. When one of the sharks, Lenny, comes out as a vegetarian to his father and mob boss, Don Lino, the dad orders his other son to show Lenny the ropes and make him hunt his first meal.
“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004)
Wes Anderson, Bill Murray, and other A-list stars team up to make an action and adventure comedy that’s radically different from most of the other titles on this list. “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” flips the roles of hunter and hunted when oceanographer Steve Zissou sets out with his team of divers and cameramen to kill the jaguar shark that ate his partner Esteban. Putting his scientific professionalism to the side, Zissou is gleefully intent on revenge.
“The Reef” (2010)
If you’re gonna sail through shark-infested waters to Indonesia with a group of friends, a reliable captain is non-negotiable. The group of scuba divers in “The Reef” aren’t so sensible, boarding a poorly manned sailboat that capsizes and leaves them stranded in open water. With no sign of land beyond the miles of water, half the group swims aimlessly towards where they hope is solid ground while the others take their chances standing on the sinking boat. The movie is based on the life events disaster survivor Ray Boundy, who lived through similar events in 1983.
“Sharknado” (2013)
Staying out of the water is the most effective way to avoid a shark encounter, but when a hurricane floods the city, making land and aerial attacks possible, fighting off the monsters could be incessant. This B-list Syfy movie gained enough of a cult following to garner six additional shark cyclones films. Although producers made no attempt to cover up the obviously animated CGI sharks that ravage the city, “Sharknado” has killing scenes that are epic on all fronts. From diving into the mouth of a great white with a chainsaw and coming out the other end to being crushed by the Hollywood sign, these heroes experience plenty of gore.
“The Shallows” (2016)
Surfing and shark encounters go hand in hand in thriller films. “The Shallows” centers on medical student Nancy Adams and a trip to Mexico that brings her fist to fin with a great white. Most of the movie takes place in the water, 200 yards from shore after an attack leaves Nancy bloody and wounded. She paddles around from rock to buoy to floating whale carcass, avoiding the circling shark in the water.
“The Meg” (2018)
If there’s one kick-ass action movie brawler you’d want on your side to fight off a 75-foot aquatic killing machine, it’s Jason Statham. In the box office hit “The Meg,” Statham’s rescue diving character, Jonas Taylor, descends to the deepest parts of the ocean floor to save survivors stuck in the Mariana Trench. There, they’re trapped and tormented by the believed-to-be-extinct megalodon. Loosely based on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel, “The Meg” could have been made by Disney, which bought the film rights shortly after the book was published. But ultimately, it was Warner Bros. that stepped in to make the movie more than 20 years later.
“The Suicide Squad” (2021)
It’s only appropriate for an animated shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone to have a power-lifting build. Although Nanaue is a character of few words, his wide shoulders, massive arms, crushing jaw, and webbed hands make him an unstoppable force, even able to shake off gunfire with ease. Also known as the Shark King, the humanoid great white is the son of a Shark God with the mutant ability to take the form of both a human and sea creature. A native to the Big Island of Hawaii, Nanaue is an enforcer for The Suicide Squad (you know, the better one directed by James Gunn) swallowing enemies whole.
