The 15 Best Shark Movies: ‘Jaws,’ ‘Open Water,’ and More

‘Batman: The Movie’ (1966)

Holy sardine, ‘Batman: The Movie!’ The theatrical debut of everybody’s favorite caped crusader isn’t exactly crawling in sharks and sea creatures. But its opening sequence perfectly exemplifies the gleefully silly and self-aware campiness that makes the Adam West NBC TV series such a kitsch classic. Mounting a rescue mission aboard a yacht, West’s stoic Batman ends up with a shark chomping on his leg. Luckily, he came prepared with his trusty shark repellant bat-spray, which causes the sea creature to explode in the water. As far as the history of shark attack scenes in film, Batman’s brush with a great white isn’t exactly as expertly staged as ‘Jaws,’ but the low quality and absurdity of the entire encounter is entirely what makes it so charming. —WC

‘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 Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D’ (2005)

Robert Rodriguez’s garish follow-up to his successful ‘Spy Kids’ franchise received negative reviews at the time, and it’s hard to say that the action-adventure’s ludicrous storyline about a child entering his dream world to save reality exactly works. But it’s a nostalgic favorite for those who grew up with it, and part of what makes it so lovable despite its flaws is how much of it clearly sprang from a child’s imagination (Rodriguez based the concept on ideas from his of kids). Case in point is one of the titular heroes, Taylor Lautner’s brash and temperamental Sharkboy. He’s a boy who was raised by shark! and effectively became part shark because of it! Does it make sense? Not really, but still, Lautner’s Power Rangers-esque shark uniform and mouth full of triangular fangs can certainly inspire a sense of childish glee. —WC

‘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. 

’47 Meters Down’ (2017)

Johannes Roberts’ ’47 Meters Down’ is a classic survival film about getting trapped between a rock and a hard place — in this case, the ‘rock’ being a shark and the ‘hard place’ being a diving cage that gets detached from its cable and sends its tourists several meters down into the ocean. The poor saps in this dire situation are sisters Lisa and Kate (played by Mandy Moore and Claire Holt), and Roberts effectively tracks the duo’s desperation to escape the hell that their Mexican vacation has become — one where the circling sharks are the least of their worries when they have to contend with a rapidly diminishing oxygen supply. It’s one of the few shark films where the elements of the ocean on a whole are just as horrifying as the great white killers. —WC

‘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.