What if Jaws met Inglourious Basterds? Beast of War is exactly that. Loosely based on the true events of the sinking of the HMAS Armidale during World War II, with the added bite of a shark, this film is a fresh twist on the classic war film. It doesn’t hold back, throwing us in at the deep end.
From the start, we are brought into the lives of a group of young soldiers and subsequently into an absolute nightmare that they must survive. Writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner creates a tense and claustrophobic environment, using fog to distort and enclose the wider surroundings above and below our survivors. Executed beautifully, Beast of War lures us into a false sense of security, unaware of the horrors that are really lurking. Using practical gore throughout lands well, resulting in a hellish, bloody feeding frenzy.
But what about the shark? The choice to use an animatronic shark over CGI is a triumph; it makes the film feel more authentic and terrifying as we don’t see the shark until our characters do. Mark Coles Smith as Lee carries the film throughout – we empathise with him and cheer him on as our hero; it’s also always great to see First Nations people being cast in films that have an underlying story revolving around their history.
Ultimately, it blends the horrors of both war and the deep, with a fresh take on the animal attack trope. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel and it lacks scares, but it proves to be an enjoyable watch and really throws you into a world of tension. A great change of pace for a classic war film, as well as for a classic shark film.
BEAST OF WAR is available on digital HD October 10th and on DVD October 20th, distributed by Signature Entertainment.
