There are tons of shark movies out there. For some reason, Hollywood likes using these aquatic creatures in their films. Often, to scare us. Being killed by a shark is a rare occurrence.
However, who does not like a good scare now and then? Well, don’t you worry. We got you. Today, we will show you our list of what we deem are the 20 best shark movies out there!
Without further delay, let us dive right into this shark-infested waters!
1. Jaws (1975)
English 2h 4m IMDb
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Let us set the scene with Jaws.
Our first shark film is a thriller based on a book bearing the same name. Interestingly, it came out only a year after the novel.
This film is about a great white shark that resides along the beach of Amity Island. The film starts by sending an ominous message to the viewers, letting the audience know there is trouble. However, it does not reveal its face immediately. Slowly but surely, the film gains momentum and sets the tone for the chase and the thrill.
2. Jaws 2 (1978)
English 2h 4m IMDb
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Next up, we have Jaws 2.
As you might have already guessed, this one is a sequel to the film above. However, while the first installment had Steven Spielberg as its director, our next movie had Jeannot Szwarc. However, it is still about a great white shark.
The film is still about a great white shark, but a different one this time. This one quickly gets the viewers’ hearts pounding before sailing on calm waters, only to get the audiences’ adrenaline pumping again. If you liked the thrill and the chase in the first installment, give this one a try.
3. The Shallows (2016)
English Spanish 1h 26m IMDb
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Stars: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo
Over here, we have The Shallows.
This one is a survival film. It centers on Nancy Adams as she fights to survive a great white shark. The film starts off calm, like a sailboat sailing on calm waters. However, it quickly takes the viewers to stormy seas.
After learning a bit about Nancy, the audience immediately sees her in a different light. From a medical student struggling with the loss of her mother, she becomes a surfer struggling to survive and fight off a beast from the sea.
4. Soul Surfer (2011)
English Spanish 1h 26m IMDb
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Stars: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo
Up next, we have Soul Surfer.
This one is a biographical film.
This movie takes inspiration from the autobiography of Bethany Hamilton. It focuses on a young surfer and the aftermath of a shark attack where she lost her left arm. The shark is not often present in the film. However, it is unlikely the viewers will forget about it, as the absence of Bethany’s left arm stands as a constant reminder of its presence.
If you want to sail on calm waters for a change, you might want to give this movie a shot.
5. The Meg (2018)
English Mandarin Thai Japanese 1h 53m IMDb
Our next film is a science fiction film. It takes inspiration from a book by Steve Alten. The film centers on a megalodon shark and a group of scientists as they deal with the supposedly already extinct creature. As you might already know, dealing with an ordinary 5 to 7 feet shark is already hard. As you might imagine, dealing with a long-thought extinct 75 feet shark would be much harder!
If you liked this one, you might want to watch out for its sequel coming out in 2023.
6. Open Water (2003)
English 1h 19m IMDb
Director: Chris Kentis
Stars: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel TravisSaul Stein
Next up, let us talk about Open Water.
This one is a horror film. Inspiration for the film can be traced back to the disappearance of the Lonergan couple.
The story follows Daniel Kintner and Susan Watkins, a couple who went on a scuba-diving vacation. A lovely start. What could go wrong? Many things. Calm waters soon turn into stormy waters when the two are accidentally left behind with pretty much nothing to fend for themselves. As if that is not enough, the couple finds themselves surrounded by sharks.
7. The Reef (2010)
English 1h 34m IMDb
Director: Andrew Traucki
Stars: Damian Walshe-Howling, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering
Up next, we have The Reef. This one is a horror film. It focuses on a group of five people trying to deliver a yacht to Indonesia. It should have been smooth sailing. However, when they hit the reef, the yacht overturns.
Left with the choice to stay on the boat or swim to a supposedly nearby island, most of the group decided to take the risk and swim for it. Soon after, the group finds a shark stalking them. The ending of this film will have you wondering if the group made the right choice or not.
8. 47 Meters Down (2017)
English Spanish 1h 29m IMDb
Director: Johannes Roberts
Stars: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine
This one is a survival film. It follows two sisters as they go shark watching from a diving cage. However, this film quickly shifts gears, and the horrors swiftly submerge.
The cable holding the diving cage snaps, and the sisters drop – as you might have guessed it – 47 meters below. All sorts of trouble and terror – literally and figuratively – surround the siblings as they try to survive and get back to the surface.
If you liked this one, you might also want to check out its sequel, which came out in 2019.
9. Kon-Tiki (2012)
Danish German Norwegian English French Swedish Spanish 1h 58m IMDb
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Stars: Pål Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo, Gustaf Skarsgård
Kon-Tiki is a historical film. As you might have already guessed, it is about the expedition that bears the same name. This film might not be as focused on sharks or shark-infested waters as many of the films we have discussed above. However, these aquatic creatures still play an important antagonistic role in this movie. This film will literally alternate between calm waters and stormy seas.
If you want to add some variety to your shark film movie marathon, this is a film you might want to consider.
10. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
English Spanish 1h 45m IMDb
Director: Renny Harlin
Stars: Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson
Here, we have an oldie but goodie.
Deep Blue Sea is a horror film. It centers on the happenings in an underwater facility where sharks are the research subjects. After an attempt to prove the research is working, catastrophe ensues.
The genetically engineered sharks cause trouble after trouble sending the facility into deadly chaos. It could already be hard to evade an ordinary shark. However, trying to escape a smart shark? Well, you can imagine how that could go.
If you enjoyed this one, you might want to check its second and third films released in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
11. Sharkwater (2006)
English 1h 29m IMDb
Director: Rob Stewart
Stars: Rob Stewart, Paul Watson, Erich Ritter
Most of the films we have discussed up to now do a great job of entertaining and giving the audience a fright. However, remember, mostly they are works of fiction. They often do not paint sharks in a good light. However, they are neither the best source of shark knowledge. If you want to know more about sharks, this next film might be for you.
Sharkwaters is a documentary that aims to shed light on the real nature of sharks, while also letting the viewers in on who the real bad guys are.
12. Bait 3D (2012)
English 1h 38m IMDb
Director: Kimble Rendall
Stars: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Adrian Pang
Next up, we have a 3D film. Let us talk about Bait next.
Bait is a disaster film. The story centers on the happenings in a grocery store that has been flooded due to a tsunami.
The film starts off by introducing the group whose lives the audience will be following throughout the film. However, the tides quickly rise, literally and figuratively, as a tsunami floods a store and brings more than just water but a few sharks too!
13. Shark Tale (2004)
English 1h 30m IMDb
Directors: Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letterman
Stars: Will Smith(voice), Robert De Niro(voice), Renée Zellweger(voice)
So far, most of the films we have shown you are not the best choices to watch with very young audiences. However, we do not want to leave the little ones out of all the fun of course! Our next film is something the little one can enjoy. Let us talk about Shark Tale!
This film is an animated comedy. The story follows a fish named Oscar, who supposedly killed a violent shark, and Lenny, the tender brother of the said shark. Do you want an all’s well that ends well ending? This one is undoubtedly a film to consider.
14. Finding Nemo (2003)
English 1h 40m IMDb
Directors: Andrew StantonLee Unkrich
Stars: Albert Brooks(voice), Ellen DeGeneres(voice), Alexander Gould(voice)
Over here, we have another film the little ones can enjoy. Let us talk about Finding Nemo.
The film centers on a clownfish named Marlin, a royal blue tang named Dory, and another clownfish named Nemo. While a shark does not exactly make it to three main roles, who could ever forget the leader of the FFS (Fish-Friendly Sharks) support group? The grey great white shark – Bruce!
This lovable shark plays a big part in this film. If you want to start introducing sharks to your little one without frightening the kid, you might want to consider this film.
15. Into the Blue (2005)
English 1h 50m IMDb
Director: John Stockwell
Stars: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan
Over here, we have an action-thriller. Let us talk about Into the Blue.
Are you up for a little treasure hunt? If so, you might want to give this one a shot. This film centers on a man named Jared as he discovers different kinds of hidden treasures. However, along with these treasures, he also finds himself faced with some sharks and a couple of bad guys.
As a bonus, this film stars the late Paul Walker. If you miss seeing the man in action, this is undoubtedly a film to consider on this list.
16. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
English Japanese IMDb
Our next one is a war film. The story focuses on a true story that happened in the Second World War. While delivering parts to be used for the war, a US vessel is bombed by the enemy. The bombing causes many men to immediately lose their lives, while others were left out in shark-infested waters trying to survive while waiting for help.
The film also talked about the unfair conviction of Captain Charles McVay by Ernest King and the US Navy court-martials.
17. Blue Water White Death (1971)
English 1h 39m IMDb
Directors: Peter Gimbel, James Lipscomb
Stars: Tom Chapin, Phil Clarkson, Stuart Cody
Did you like the documentary we showed you above? Well, we have another one for you.
As you might have already noticed, the great white shark is usually the shark of choice for thrillers, horrors, or survival films featuring these creatures. If you want to know more about these aquatic creatures, you might want to try this film out. These guys are more than film threats and antagonists, after all!
18. The Shark Hunter (1979)
Italian 1h 32m IMDb
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Stars: Franco Nero, Werner Pochath, Jorge Luke
Next up, let us talk about The Shark Hunter.
This one is an adventure film. The story follows a man named Mike Di Donato, a mysterious man who has a talent for hunting sharks. Though his past is a murky area, he has been able to live a quiet life on an island. However, things take a turn for our lead when a treasure hunt arises when peculiar men appear on the island.
19. Shark Night (2011)
English 1h 30m IMDb
Director: David R. Ellis
Stars: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack
Next, let us talk about Shark Night.
This one is a horror film. The story follows a group of friends as they enjoy a weekend at a lake house. Things quickly turn for the worse as they find a shark living in its waters. Unfortunately for the group, that is not the only thing that will surprise them and the audience. All we can say is do not trust sharks and strangers.
20. Sharknado (2013)
English 1h 26m IMDb
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Stars: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, John Heard
Finally, we come to our last film. Let us talk about Sharknado.
This one is a comedy and disaster film. The story follows the happenings in Los Angeles as tornadoes lift sharks off of the ocean and throw them on every corner of the city.
If you want to add some laughs and gags to your shark film movie night, you might want to consider adding this one to the list.
Final Words
And cut! That is a wrap, people and sharks.
Today, we showed you our list of the 16 best shark movies. As you have seen, there is a shark film for everybody. Whether you want something thrilling, educational, or even funny, there is something for you! We hope we got to help you today with your movie matters. If you have more, feel free to check out our other discussions!
