Sean Byrne is Rewriting the Legacy of Jaws with a Focus on Conservation

Fifty years since Jaws hit our screens, it seems that a new predator is on our waters, and it’s not a Great White this time. Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals isn’t just another shark movie. Instead, it shifts the focus to who the real monster is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzncv0ISaE

Our Fascination with the Deep Sea

Over the years, it’s safe to say that audiences have had a fascination with the undersea world. Movies like The Abyss, The Meg, and Sharktopus have all offered a new way to experience the depths. VR has helped transform how we experience environments that we may never actually enter physically, tapping into the same allure that makes underwater movies so special. There are even podcasts, like Shark Stories, which follow conservationists and filmmakers, that focus on underwater exploration. 

In iGaming, the undersea world is also a prominent theme. The Big Bass franchise has over 30 games, which include the Big Bass Return to the Races slot. Titles like this offer a fresh take on the undersea world, by presenting bright and vivid graphics and a charismatic fisherman character that widely contrasts the horror lens that’s often used with the theme. By combining the slot with a horse racing theme, it becomes more diverse and unique, which is a similar approach to what Byrne is taking with his new movie.

With Sean Byrne's latest movie Dangerous Animals, he hopes to shift the narrative to show the real monster of the depths, framing the shark as a misunderstood creature within the marine ecosystem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR2btzjmmuc

Sean Byrne Hopes to Reframe the Way We See Sharks

Spielberg himself has even talked about his regret regarding the perception of sharks as a result of his movie.  For that reason, Dangerous Animals doesn't feel like it’s out to rival Jaws; it’s about reframing cultural dialogue. 

The movie is set on the Australian Gold Coast and follows a surfer who is trying to outrun her past. A shark-obsessed killer, played by Jai Courtney, weaponises sharks to get the result they need. As sharks kill for survival, and the killer does so for entertainment, the distinction is reframed, as the film takes decades of cinema and essentially flips the narrative. 

The director also chose to blend animation with real shark footage, which helps to preserve natural shark behaviour. The intention is to show sharks as being apex predators, and by taking note of Jaws and its cinematic brilliance, it’s clear that in Jaws, the shark was never the villain. People wading into their waters, disrupting their ecosystem, and posing a threat was the real underlying issue, and this is something that Spielberg is very happy to have made known.

Whether Sean Byrne’s new movie is able to hold a torch to Jaws is yet to be seen, but the approach that Spielberg took with Jaws was certainly unique and innovative for its time. Byrne looks to be following in the same footsteps, but turning the tide, showing the importance of protecting these magnificent creatures, while putting a lens on conservation.