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 near-mythical status in the animal kingdom provided endless fodder for the film.
The structure of the boneless cartilage of sharks places them in the “elasmobranch” fish classification, grouping them with rays, sawfishes, and skates. While it’s common knowledge that sharks aren’t as interested in feasting on human flesh as sci-fi, adventure, and horror movies portray them, most people would rather not take the risk of getting close enough to confirm. With films dating back to Jerry Hopper’s 1956 “The Sharkfighters” (and possibly earlier), filmmakers have been making shark movies for nearly seven decades and will likely continue that track record as long as there are sharks. (Editor’s note: The sharks will definitely outlive the filmmakers.)
The discovery helped advance the cultural phenomenon with the debut of Shark Week in 1988, making it one of the longest running TV programming events. Featuring stories from survivors of the attack, the show highlights times when surfing, scuba diving, and other deep-sea pursuits went awry. While most shark movies capture the haunting killer instinct of the species, other animated films add personality and a sense of lightheartedness to their characters. DreamWorks and Disney reinvented the diet of great whites, who live respectfully among other sea creatures. With “Meg 2: The Trench” set to hit theaters next month, starring Jason Stathamis one of the most anticipated shark movies in recent memory.
Read on for a list of the top shark movies with the biggest cult followings in chronological order.
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“Jaws” (1975)
Image credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection
Steven Spielberg’s work in “Jaws” laid the groundbreaking foundation for shark movies, scaring the shit out of 1970s beachgoers. Authenticity was essential for the director who chose to shoot in the mid-Atlantic rather than the controlled, more hands-on environment of a studio. While the shoot was more believable than it would have been on a set, it cost the film crew significantly more time as the wild waters proved to be a hindrance to the production, wetting equipment and rocking cameras. The mechanical sharks built for “Jaws” were damaged during filming, limiting their screen time. It would become a successful trademark of the film; not seeing the monster that often, the fear and suspense grew.
“It was my luck and I think it’s the audience’s luck too, because it’s a scarier movie without seeing so much of the shark,” Spielberg said.
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“Jaws 2” (1978)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy of Everett Collection
The second film in the four-part series “Jaws” was no less troubled in its production than the original. It struggled with similar issues that Spielberg did years earlier, which is presumably why the director turned down a sequel offer. However, despite shooting difficulties and a director replacement in the middle of production, “Jaws 2” was a box office success, making it one of the 10 highest-grossing films of the year. It’s a minor film that amps up the bloodshed with six human kills – the most of any film in the franchise (excluding animal deaths).
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“Deep Blue Sea” (1999)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
Samuel L. Jackson had “had it in” with these sharks in this underwater laboratory years before his falling out with snakes on planes. He’s character Russel Franklin is partially responsible for the craze, funding research on Mako sharks to apply to humans. After one of them escapes and attacks a nearby boat, Franklin is sent to inspect Aquatica: the experimental facility where genetically engineered sharks have increased brain capacity, making them smarter and far more deadly.
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“Finding Nemo (2003)”
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An animated great white man with an Aussie accent who pledges to be a “good shark” and not a “mindless eating machine” is a little less terrifying than some of the other cold-blooded killers on this list. That is until Bruce’s killer instinct kicks in and his three-week break from eating fish is nearly 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 to escape.
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“Open Water” (2003)
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Even before the monster is introduced to audiences, the premise of “Open Water” leaves viewers eager with anticipation. After a group of divers are stranded in the middle of the ocean when their tourist boat forgets about them, fear of danger slowly eats away at the vacationers before the sharks feel the same.
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“The Story of the Shark” (2004)
Image Credit: ©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection
Dreamworks didn’t give up on famous actors for this middling (possibly middling) animated comedy about shark mobsters. Long-running movie mobsters have voiced characters, with talent including Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, and several “Sopranos” stars. The shark parody follows a group of great whites who run the metropolitan underwater city, Southside Reef. When one of the sharks, Lenny, declares his vegetarianism to his father and mob boss, Don Lino, his father orders his other son to show Lenny his ropes and have him hunt his first meal.
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“Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004)
Image Credit: ©Touchstone Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Wes Anderson, Bill Murray and other A-list stars come together to make an action-adventure comedy that’s radically different from most of the other titles on this list. “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” reverses the roles of hunter and hunted as oceanographer Steve Zissou sets out with his team of divers and cameramen to kill the jaguar shark that ate his partner Esteban. Putting aside his scientific professionalism, Zissou is gleefully bent on revenge.
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“The Cliff” (2010)
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If you’ll be cruising through shark-infested waters to Indonesia with a group of friends, a reliable captain is non-negotiable. The group of divers in “The Reef” are not so sensible, boarding a poorly equipped sailboat that capsizes and leaves them stranded out in the open water. With no sign of land beyond miles of water, half the group swim aimlessly to where they hope is solid ground while the others take their chances by standing in the sinking boat. The film is based on life event disaster survivor Ray Boundy, who experienced similar events in 1983.
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“Sharks” (2013)
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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 air attacks possible, fighting the monsters could be relentless. This Syfy B-movie garnered enough cult following to garner six more shark cyclone movies. While the producers made no attempt to cover up the obviously animated CGI sharks ravaging the city, ‘Sharknado’ has epic kill scenes on all fronts. From diving into the mouth of a great white with a chainsaw and coming out the other side to being crushed by the Hollywood sign, these heroes experience a lot of gore.
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“The Depths” (2016)
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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 leads her to collide with a great white shark. Most of the film takes place in the water, 200m from shore, after a seizure leaves Nancy bloodied and injured. She paddles from the rock to the buoy to the floating whale carcass, avoiding the shark circling in the water.
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“The I” (2018)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
If there’s one action movie brawler you’d want on your side to battle a 75-foot aquatic killing machine, it’s Jason Statham. In the box office hit “The Meg,” Statham’s character Jonas Taylor descends to the deepest parts of the ocean floor to rescue survivors stranded in the Mariana Trench. There, they are trapped and tormented by the megalodon which is believed to be extinct. Loosely based on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel, “The Meg” could have been made by Disney, who bought the film rights shortly after the book’s publication. But ultimately, it was Warner Bros. who stepped in to make the film more than 20 years later.
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“The Suicide Squad” (2021)
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It’s fitting that an animated shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone has a powerlifting build. Though Nanaue is a character of few words, his broad shoulders, massive arms, crushing jaw, and webbed hands make him an unstoppable force, even able to shrug 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 human and sea creature. Hailing from the Big Island of Hawaii, Nanaue is a performer on The Suicide Squad (you know, the best one directed by James Gunn) who swallows enemies whole.
