Maybe you’ve spotted a rogue fin moving menacingly in the distance, or noticed a whiff of blood in the water, or even heard the reliable DA-DUM of John Williams’ score—either way, Jaws is back to remind moviegoers why everyone was so afraid to go into the water 50 years ago.
The movie that practically invented the summer blockbuster is currently on re-release in a dazzling, 4K Ultra HD remastered edition, and has already added an extra $10 million to its once peerless box office haul. So, with Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece floating around the cultural conversation again, what better time to round up ten of the best selachimorpha-themed movies to sink your denticles into?
Our list includes family favourites, nail-biting thrillers, and one new release that deserves to be on your ship’s radar. All are available to stream on services like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere, so let’s dive in!
Dangerous Animals (2025)
If you like the scarier elements of Jaws and are interested in seeing a shark movie with a new approach, Dangerous Animalsis one you won’t want to miss. Speaking to JustWatch recently, director Sean Byrne described it as a slasher movie: “The sharks are Captain Tucker’s weapon in the same way that the knife is Michael Myers’,” Byrne explained, “or the razor gloves that Freddy uses.”
Dangerous Animals stars Hassie Harrison as Zephyr, a surfer who gets kidnapped by Jai Courtney’s sadistic Captain Tucker and must find a way to escape before getting turned into shark chum. The movie has been delighting film festival audiences since its midnight screening in Cannes. It comes to MGM+ this weekend—be sure to seek it out.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
One of the many legacies left by Jurassic Park was the late ‘90s scramble in Hollywood to find the next BIG thing to put on screen. Emboldened by the possibilities of CGI, studios were soon treating audiences to Anaconda (giant snakes), Lake Placid (giant alligators), Eight-Legged Freaks (giant spiders) and, best of all, Deep Blue Sea (giant sharks).
Of all the wacky ideas in those movies, Deep Blue Sea’s might be the best. The story follows a group of scientists who discover a cure for Alzheimer's in the brains of mako sharks, which leads to the hilarious decision to genetically engineer a bunch of sharks to have extra-large brains. We can also give some bonus Jurassic Park points here for casting Samuel L. Jackson, who gets arguably one of the most iconic send-offs in the history of the art form.
Jaws 2 (1978)
Jaws 2 suffers a bit from the Godfather 3 paradox—it’s much better than it was originally given credit for, but it also, unluckily, will never live up to the movie(s) that came before it. That said, if you watched Jaws and would like to dive back into that world, Jaws 2 is well worth checking out—not least for Roy Scheider reprising his role as Chief Brody and John Williams coming back on board for the score.
Spielberg chose not to get involved after the difficulties of making the first movie, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving this under-appreciated sequel a go!
Open Water (2003)
I can’t think of a more terrifying situation than the one in Open Water, a shark movie that feels more like found footage horror—think Jaws meets The Blair Witch Project, and you might have some idea.
Set in the Great Barrier Reef, lasting just 80 nail-biting minutes, and based loosely on actual events, Open Water follows a group of scuba divers who surface only to discover that their ship has left them behind. Of course, they’re not alone…
The Shallows (2016)
“In the shala-shalalos… in the shalalalalalaloesss,” or so Lady Gaga did not sing for this wonderfully gripping, high-concept movie from 2016. The Shallows is more or less a single-performance, single-location thriller: so if you like movies like Phone Booth or Buriedbut felt they needed more sharks, this is one you’ll be into—also shout out to the aforementioned Open Water, the movie that walked so this one could run.
The Shallows stars Blake Lively as a surfer who travels to a secluded beach, only to get injured and stranded on a rock offshore. Her only companion? You guessed it!
Sharknado (2013)
No shark movie list would be complete without at least a mention of Sharknado, a six-film phenomenon that revived an entire B-movie industry. If you believe that a shark movie’s quality is directly linked to how many sharks there are and how ridiculous they behave, this is definitely the one for you—for some idea of the tone, think movies like Piranha and Snakes on a Plane.
Sharknado focuses on, well, a tornado made of sharks. Need we say more?
Finding Nemo (2003)
If you only know more recent Pixar movies like Inside Out and Coco, it’s well worth going back for Finding Nemo—truly one of the best things the studio ever released. It’s also a movie for shark fans who need something that even the youngest members of the family can enjoy.
Now, Finding Nemo is a story about a clown fish named Marlin, but Barry Humphries’s Bruce—a reformed shark who holds a kind of AA meeting with his fellow sea-based carnivores—steals every moment that he’s on screen. Simply put, it’s some of the best shark representation in cinema.
The Reef (2010)
The Reef is another single-location shark movie in the lineage of Open Water and The Shallows—so if you liked those two movies, it’s one you’ll want to check out. The plot follows a group travelling by yacht to Indonesia who must find a way to survive after capsizing in shark-infested waters.
Based on the true story of Ray Boundy, who survived a similar incident in the early ‘80s, The Reef is a nail-biting survival movie that delights in finding interesting things to do within its own self-imposed narrative limitations.
Shark Tale (2004)
Here’s a pitch for a movie. It’s an animated thing about sharks, but it’s also kind of about the mafia. Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese will provide the voices, but also some members of The Sopranos. Will Smith will voice the hero, and Jack Black will be his sidekick. Detective Columbo will voice a different family boss, and Bob Marley’s son will voice a Jamaican jellyfish. Hans Zimmer will do the score, and Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot will appear as sharks for the closing credits number.
Oh, wait, that movie exists, and it’s called Shark Tale. Suffice to say, this one can be filed alongside Nemo as one for the whole family.
The Meg (2018)
In the end, there are movies and there are movies: some teach us about life; some make us laugh; some help us fall in love or offer comfort when love ends; and then there’s the kind where an actor like Jason Statham faces off against something gigantic like, say, a shark. That’s cinema, baby.
If, like us, you enjoy the less seriously-minded entries on this list, think Deep Blue Sea and Sharknado, The Meg is a movie you simply have to try—especially if you’re a fan of Jason Statham’s most Stathamy work, like The Beekeeper and Working Man.
