Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Fin-ish her!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 23, 2025

Australian writer-director Sean Byrne has carved out a small but consistently decent filmography during the last two decades, as both 2009's The Loved Ones and 2015's The Devil's Candy impressed me for different reasons. His latest film Dangerous Animals delegates writing duties to first-timer Nick Lepard (who also penned the recent Keeper, helmed by Osgood Perkins) and feels much more accessible and straightforward than either of his earlier films. A tense game of cat-and-mouse between a shark-loving serial killer and a young woman who refuses to be eaten, Dangerous Animals "understands the assignment" and will almost certainly appeal to fans of scrappy, close-quarters thrillers.

Tucker (Jai Courtney, Terminator Genisys) is the sole owner and operator of "Tucker's Experience", an Australian boat tour that attracts tourists and drifters hoping to get up close and personal with sharks off the Gold Coast. But there's a dark secret lurking underneath his sales pitch: Tuck lures his gullible customers out to sea before either (a) killing the men outright, or (b) taking the women prisoner and recording them being fed to hungry sharks so he can add another videotape to his ever-growing collection. His latest targets are young Greg and Heather (Liam Greinke & Ella Newton) and, needless to say, it's not long before one is buried at sea and the other lies handcuffed in a cargo hold.

Tucker isn't happy with just one captive so he eventually snares Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a drifting surfer with an unusual amount of spunk who recently hooked up with local hunk Moses (Josh Heuston), the last person to see her before the kidnapping. Now trapped in Tucker's rusty old fishing boat with nothing more than grit and determination, Zephyr isn't the type to wait for a rescue... but she might get one anyway, since Moses' last text went unanswered. She'll try just about anything to escape in the meantime, with or without help from fellow inmate Heather, but rough and rugged Tucker has loads of experience in the whole "killing" department and she's 130 pounds soaking wet.

Dangerous Animals doesn't demand much of its audience except for enduring a few bloody and shocking encounters, accepting a few horror tropes and plot holes at face value, and ignoring a little bit of dodgy CGI. This is about as simple a story as it gets with clearly defined roles, no extraneous backstory, and almost zero character development... yet it still plays pretty damn well, mostly because of Jai Courtney's terrific turn as Tucker but also due to Zephyr's character and the way their increasingly hostile encounters play out in an extremely tight environment that offers few breathers along the way. There are at least three other characters that make their way into the story in various degrees but it's really a one-vs.-one affair most of the time, which is somehow enough to satisfactorily fill most of Dangerous Animals' 98-minute runtime. Needless to say, I had a surprising amount of fun with this one -- and yes, "fun" is the right word because it frequently flirts with pitch-black comedy -- and, while it's too early to tell if Dangerous Animals will hold up to multiple viewings, I've got a feeling this film's reputation and following will only grow with time.

For now, those who aren't Shudder subscribers -- or, of course, just want to own a physical copy -- will have to make do with this Amazon exclusive Steelbook edition that includes a 4K and Blu-ray copy and that's it. A cheaper standard edition would be much more ideal for newcomers... but at least the UHD disc offers HDR10 and Dolby Vision, which can't be said for the streaming version and is a rarity for IFC home video releases to begin with.

Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray disc which, as of this review, is not sold separately.

Dangerous Animals was shot with the ALEXA Mini LF at 4.5K resolution and completed with a 4K DCP... so whether you watch it in its native format on the UHD disc (2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision) or downscaled on the Blu-ray (1080p/SDR), you'll be treated to a very nice presentation indeed. This is an attractively-shot film with bold lighting and well-rendered contrast levels that give its various settings distinctly different appearances: cool blue during the nighttime, rusty green in the cargo hold where Zephyr and a few others are trapped, and warm amber during scenes shot in more comfortable incandescent light. Fine details uniformly strong in optimal conditions, though it's worth nothing that black levels seem to be consistently tamped down and rarely reach beyond a deep gray. This appears to be an intentional decision and no obvious signs of crush, banding, or other compression artifacts are noticeable on either format, with both running at a supportive bit rate and the UHD disc sporadically peaking in the mid- 90Mpbs range.

The HDR layer isn't necessarily transformative and, when disabled, actually deepens black levels at the expense of shadow detail so I greatly prefer its benefits, which are of course present whether you enable Dolby Vision or not. In any case, its most obvious strengths include better-defined colors and more evident mid-range details adjacent to the deeper shadows, which again aren't night-and-day but evident on the right setup. For that reason, the Blu-ray's 1080p transfer will be perfectly acceptably for small to medium-sized displays, whereas the UHD will clearly come out ahead on larger screens and projectors. Aside from a handful of slightly dodgy special effects and consistent flickering during the end credits (both formats), Dangerous Animals appears to sport a consistently impressive and visually seamless home video presentation that punches above the weight class of its presumably modest budget.

Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix likewise plays a bit better than expected with a consistently striking presentation that comes alive during critical moments, convincingly selling the claustrophobic atmosphere of being stuck inside a commercial fishing ship in the middle of the ocean. Heavy creaks, dripping water, clanking pipes and more all help to maintain the illusion, while other support arrives via imposing echoes and the often tense original score by composer Michael Yezerski, who's mostly worked on documentaries and short films but recently contributed music to this year's Ice Road: Vengeance starring Liam Neeson. Any way you slice it, this is a frequently active and engaging presentation that, like the film itself, clearly "understood the assignment" and is best enjoyed at full volume. I'm actually surprised that a Dolby Atmos mix isn't offered... but then again, no logo was present during the end credits so this is likely its native format. Either way, this 5.1 mix's high score is still well-earned: it's a really great effort overall.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature.

Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in matte-finish Steelbook packaging with striking poster-themed cover artwork, depicting Tucker's fishing vessel carving a shark fin-shaped trail of blood in its wake. The back cover dives underwater, showing "Tuck" grinning menacingly at us from outside a shark-proof cage, while the interior spread offers a more traditional splash image of the ship at sea. Both discs sit on overlapping hubs, and also hiding inside are a promotional insert and a sticker for "Tucker's Experience" boat tours. This is a nice packaging design, all things considered... but again, no standard version exists as of this review, so Steelbook haters are kind of stuck for the time being.

Sadly, no extras are included, not even the modest ones on Veritgo's UK release. Bummer!

Dangerous Animals 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sean Byrne's Dangerous Animals is an enjoyable and extremely tense little thriller that's well worth your time and attention; it doesn't aim particularly high, but still hits the mark and that's what counts. IFC's 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook edition is an Amazon exclusive for now, and as of this review there's no word of a lower-priced option, whether that would be a standard combo pack or a Blu-ray-only version. The A/V merits are strong enough... but a lack of bonus features may limit the appeal of this one, so I'd only heartily recommended it to established fans only.