Beast of War is a gripping action-horror film that mourns the wastefulness of World War II and celebrates the raw bravery and camaraderie required to survive it.
An eclectic group of Australian soldiers fresh from boot camp are left clinging to wreckage in the Timor Sea after their boat is sunk by Japanese planes. Injured, dehydrated, and divided by racism, the prospect of survival is bleak. However, there is an even greater danger lurking beneath the waves in the ominous shape of a savage shark that will stop at nothing to eat them.
Kiah Roache-Turner’s masterclass in immersive terror is the best killer shark film in years. In choosing to stage it as a wartime fable, he has risked trivialising the ultimate sacrifice of young men willing to fight for freedom as popcorn entertainment. Yet, with deft dialogue, authentic character arcs, and erudite world building, he has crafted a rip-roaring tribute to the power of fellowship.
That being said, a shark attack movie is only as good as the shark itself, and this particular Beast of War is stunningly realised in all its sneaky savagery. Its presence is often depicted by subtle means, none more so than the ingenious nod to Tick-Tock the Crocodile from Peter Pan, but numerous scenes of chomping mayhem are both realistic and spectacularly gory.
The shark is an animatronic creation designed and puppeteered by the team at Formation Effects. Undeterred by the famous clusterfucks that dogged Spielberg’s mechanical Jaws, named Bruce after his divorce lawyer, they built a terrifying fish that has a truly tangible screen presence.
With only minimal tweaking from CGI, it’s a convincing apex predator that never draws the eye away from the film’s meticulous emotional and physical structure, nor its fastidious attention to continuity.
By jettisoning overblown set pieces for claustrophobic fog-scapes and tight camera work, the budget has been channelled into unbelievably tense sequences of malevolent stalking. It will do no favours at all for viewers already terrified of a toothy demise.
To achieve the astonishingly naturalistic setting, the crew needed a vast water tank. With existing facilities in Malta occupied by the Jurassic Park franchise, they built their own in Queensland, the largest in the Western Hemisphere—a controlled nautical environment that allowed for tidal manipulation and the projection of weather changes.
Although thematically dark and often intensely violent, Beast of War has heart and undercurrents of indigenous spirituality that underpin its B-movie credentials. Intended as a microcosm of young male insecurities under severe pressure, there are also surprising moments of gallows humour deflecting the grim suffering. Look out for the graphic piss drinking scene that encapsulates the rivalry, banter, and peer pressure of masculine power struggles while provoking an irony-induced smile.
With its committed and talented cast, painstaking staging, and a steely determination to follow through on an ambitious premise, Beast of War is elevated far above the feeding frenzy of cheap and cheesy killer fish flicks that prowl the cinematic waters looking to devour hapless genre fans.
A highly recommended creature feature that surpasses expectations and commands enough emotional intelligence to add heart and soul to the sinew-tearing of a savage shark movie.
★★★★★
European Premiere At Grimmfest on 9th of October/Lee Tiger Halley, Mark Coles Smith, Lauren Grimson / Dir: Kiah Roache-Turner / 15 / Signature Entertainment UK
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