10. Anaconda (1997)
With its many scenes involving an animal attacking a ragtag group on a ship, Anaconda clearly owes a debt to Jaws. Nevertheless, with its corny characters and shoddy late ’90s CGI, Anaconda feels right now much less like a Jaws knockoff and extra like a forerunner to Sharknado and the growth of lazy Syfy and Redbox horror films that adopted.
No matter its influences and legacy, there’s no denying that Anaconda is, itself, a fairly enjoyable film. Large snakes make for good film monsters, and the particular results have change into dated in a manner that feels charming. Furthermore, Anaconda boasts a enjoyably unlikely forged, together with Eric Stoltz as a scientist, Owen Wilson and Ice Dice as members of a documentary crew, and Jon Voight as what is perhaps probably the most unhinged character of his profession, second solely to his crossbow fanatic from Megalopolis.
9. The Shallows (2016)
The Shallows isn’t the highest-ranking shark assault film on this checklist nevertheless it’s positively probably the most horrifying shark assault thriller since Jaws. That’s excessive reward, certainly, however The Shallows advantages from a lean and imply premise and clear route by Jaume Collet-Serra, who has made some strong fashionable thrillers. The Shallows focuses virtually fully on med scholar Nancy Adams (Blake Full of life), who will get caught removed from shore after the tide is available in and is hunted by a shark.
Loads of the pleasure of The Shallows comes from seeing how Collet-Serra and screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski keep away from the issues that plague lots of the films on this checklist. Adams is an extremely competent character, and we pull for her even after the error that leaves her stranded. Furthermore, The Shallows completely balances thrill sequences with character moments, making for one of many extra well-rounded creature options of the previous decade.
8. Razorback (1984)
Jaws, after all, has a unbelievable opening scene, an exciting sequence during which the shark kills a drunken skinny dipper. Of the flicks on this checklist, solely Razorback comes near matching the unique’s energy, and it does so as a result of director Russell Mulcahy, who would make Highlander subsequent, goes for shiny absurdity. Within the Razorback‘s first three minutes, a hulking wild boar smashes by way of the agricultural residence of an aged man within the Australian outback, carrying away his younger grandson. Over the sounds of a synth rating, the previous man stumbles away from his now-burning home, screaming up into the sky.
Sadly, the remainder of Razorback can not high that second. Mulcahy directs the image with plenty of shiny fashion, whereas retaining the grit of the Australian New Wave motion. However price range restrictions maintain the titular beast from actually wanting as cool as one would hope, and the film’s loud, loopy tone can’t depend on Jaws-like energy of suggestion.