the meg | Sharksploitation

If there were a “Big 4” of Shark Movies, which ones would rise to the top?

There are so many out there to choose from (as can be seen on this list). Sharks have made quite a splash on the big screen throughout the history of film. There are a wide range of Shark flicks floating around out there… Some are insanely ridiculous, bloody, and cheesy – while others are serious, dark, and suspenseful… others are comical and downright absurd. There’s a different flavor of Sharksploitation film out there for every shark fanatic or film buff, but…

Which shark films are the best according to the internet? I posed this very question recently in several online groups, with memberships in the tens of thousands, to see what true fans had to say. Here are the results:

Coming in at #4: The Shallows.

The Shallows is a 2016 American survival horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, written by Anthony Jaswinski and starring Blake Lively. In the film, a surfer gets stranded 200 yards (180 m) from shore, and must use her wits and determination to survive a great white shark attack.

#3: Deep Blue Sea.

Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 American science fiction horror film directed by Renny Harlin. It stars Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, and rapper LL Cool J. Set in an isolated underwater facility, the film follows a team of scientists and their research on mako sharks to help fight Alzheimer’s disease. The situation plunges into chaos when multiple genetically engineered sharks go on a rampage and flood the facility.

#2 is Jaws 2… how fitting.

Jaws 2 is a 1978 American horror film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, and the second installment in the Jaws franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody, with Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton reprising their respective roles as Martin’s wife Ellen Brody and mayor Larry Vaughn. It also stars Joseph Mascolo, Jeffrey Kramer, Collin Wilcox, Ann Dusenberry, Mark Gruner, Susan French, Barry Coe, Donna Wilkes, and Gary Springer. The plot concerns Chief Brody suspecting another great white shark is terrorizing the fictional sea side resort of Amity Island, following a series of incidents and disappearances, and his suspicions are eventually proven true.

And the Number 1 Spot goes to: Jaws! Of course! We all saw this coming. And it’s just the undeniable truth. Jaws is the king of all shark movies. Period.

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel of the same name. In the film, a man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town, prompting police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw). Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays Brody’s wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.