Y’know, that was the time I was most frightened, waitin’ for my turn. I’ll never put on a life jacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water, three hundred sixteen men come out, and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945.
Quint (Robert Shaw), ‘Jaws’ (1975)
Beast of War is essentially Quint’s monologue from Jaws turned into a feature-length film. Conceptually, it’s a great idea. However, the results are decidedly more mixed. Beast of War comes from the mind of Australian writer/director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood, Sting). Roache-Turner has a lot of experience directing low-budget horror and turning out fairly entertaining work, and Beast of War continues this trend. The film follows a group of Australian soldiers shipping out to the Pacific Theater, when their ship is destroyed. Stranded in the water, they must now deal with a hungry great white shark picking off the few survivors.
The film stars Mark Coles Smith (Koala Man), Sam Delich, Lee Tiger Halley, Joel Nankervis, Sam Parsonson, Maximillian Johnson, Tristan McKinnon, and Aswan Reid. Smith portrays the lead role as Leo, a First Nations Soldier, who has a history with sharks. The rest of the cast play the various white soldiers he’s stranded with.
Low Budget Charm and Jank
Beast of War is not an expensive film, and it clearly shows. This is both a blessing and a curse. In some instances, it shows how far one can stretch a budget. The film was shot almost entirely in a large tank, and quite often it looks great. But occasionally it’s quite obvious this is just a tank and not the middle of the ocean. This discrepancy is most obvious with the shark, which was an actual model they built. There are a few shots when the shark looks good, but every so often, it’ll linger on the shark for just a moment too long and the illusion falls. Even in the rare instance when they use visual effects for the shark instead of the practical model, it all falls apart.
It’s a film at war with itself, constantly trying to be more than the sum of its parts, and can never escape the gravity of its low budget. Depending on the viewer, you may find this to be charming and appreciable, or you may find it off-putting. For the most part, the film can work well within its bounds. In the few times where it doesn’t, it’s a reminder that filmmaking is a miracle, and any film existing is something to appreciate.
A Generic Script
The biggest element holding Beast of War from being something special is Roache-Turner’s script. It’s a shark movie, and outside of Jaws, this subgenre of film is not known for having great scripts. Therefore, it’s not a surprise when one falls flat, but this particular script is painfully generic. Characters do have arcs, but they are not very well done, and honestly it’s hard to tell most of the characters apart. Consequently, when one dies, it doesn’t feel impactful. Additionally, all the dialogue feels ripped out of other shark and survival films. It’s all perfunctory. It’s a shame because with a better script, this could be a truly enjoyable film. Instead, it comes off as something fun in bits and pieces.
It’s been touched on briefly, but Smith makes for a solid lead, and something to hold onto amidst this sea of so-so characters and effects. Without him, this film would be so much worse.
The Verdict on Beast of War
If you’re willing to overlook or embrace some of the jankier elements of Beast of War, then it can be a fun experience. However, even with that in mind, the script holds it back, making for an imperfect experience even for the biggest fans of the genre.
Score 2.5/5
Beast of War will be released in theaters and digitally on October 10th!
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