- Director : Kiah Roache-Turner
- Actors : Joel Nankervis, Mark Coles Smith, Maximillian Johnson, Sam Delich
- Language : English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), English (Stereo)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Product Dimensions : 5.3 x 0.5 x 6.8 inches; 3.04 ounces
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray, Subtitled
- Run time : 1 hour and 27 minutes
- Release date : December 9, 2025
Beast of War
is not the first war film to contain sequences depicting sharks preying on soldiers
who have been made vulnerable by the atrocities of war, but it is the first one
I have seen to put this scenario front and center. While other war films focus
on the conflict between countries with sharks serving as one of many obstacles
needing to be overcome, Beast of War flips this formula to instead include
other elements of war as the sub-plot to the terrifying creature attacks. Simply
put, Beast of War is a horror movie set during the war, rather than a war movie
about the horrors of battle.
Each audience
member’s opinion of Beast of War is likely to depend on how much enjoyability
is taken from horror tropes, specifically within the creature-feature
sub-genre. Despite an element of seriousness given the fact that the narrative
is based on a true story, Australian director Kiah Roache-Turner relies heavily
on his experience with the horror genre, containing the basic formula of a
creature slowly picking off survivors one-by-one. Although the creature is
intended to be more grounded in reality than the giant spider from Roache-Turner’s
previous film, Sting (2024). The use of a large mechanical shark also
brings to mind one of the greatest creature-feature horror movies of all time,
though it never manages to come close to matching the thrills of Spielberg’s
iconic film.
Despite having a
clear focus on the underwater predators, Beast of War takes its time to
establish characters with a first act centered on basic training. The
protagonist is Aboriginal soldier Leo (Mark Cole Smith), who manages to build a
friendship with Will
(Joel Nankervis) after a particularly grueling training exercise. Leo is less
successful at winning over the prejudicial
Des Kelly (Sam Delich), a classic white character serving as
villain until the arrival of the shark. Once the soldiers’ boat is destroyed while
crossing the Timor Sea, they are stranded together in shark-infested waters
with a handful of others survivors.
Seemingly learning
lessons from Jaws, Beast of War uses shots of its shark
sparingly, and utilizes a mechanical shark when we do see the predator. Despite
the scope being somewhat large, Roache-Turner keeps the proceedings fairly
intimate with the use of fog and lighting. We get the sense that these men are
lost in the vastness of the ocean, despite rarely showing the audience how vast
it really is. A large portion of the film takes place on a small raft used by
the survivors as the shark circles around them. At times the respect given to
the material given its true origins seems to be at odds with the campy thrills
often associated with horror, watering down the experience of each genre
combined in this hybrid.
The Blu-ray
release of Beast of War does allow audiences to fully appreciate the
effort that went into the stylized look of the movie, though it has nothing in
terms of special features beyond optional subtitles and a theatrical trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 1/10
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