Beast of War – Movie Review | Fantastic Fest (3/5)

BEAST OF WAR is a new shark thriller set during WWII and inspired by real events. A powerful and entertaining survival movie. Even the scenes with the shark worked surprisingly well. Screening at Fantastic Fest. Read our full Beast of War movie review here!

BEAST OF WAR is a shark movie getting its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest. I am a sucker for shark survival stories, and this one is set during WWII. It’s even inspired by true events, though I’m not sure to what extent.

In any case, this is part war thriller and part shark horror. Combined, these two make for a very powerful story with a character-driven plot that worked better than I dared hope. The runtime is just shy of an hour and a half.

Continue reading our Beast of War movie review below.

Heading for battle, struggling to survive

With Beast of War, we begin with a war movie. A troop of Australian soldiers is getting ready to deploy, which means we get a quick introduction to key characters before the shark story ever begins.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, their boat is sunk very soon after they take off. It happens while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, and they are left with a little makeshift raft and not much else.

If this wasn’t bad enough, soon they will realize that a shark is just waiting for them to get careless. Also, the few survivors are not the best of friends. They may be on the same side in World War II, but they don’t care much for each other.

When it comes to the shark, we see it enough, but not so much that excessive CGI is needed. I mean, special effects obviously come into play, but not in ways that go too far.

Don’t let the somewhat wild poster fool you. This shark thriller is very elegant in its portrayal of the shark overall.

Survivors versus heroes

The main issue between the characters can be found in their primary drive; For some, it’s all about survival, while others believe in fighting as a team. The latter is ready to be heroes for the greater good, while the former will sacrifice anyone.

Needless to say, but I’ll point this out in any case, you don’t want to be in the middle of a shark-infested ocean, struggling to survive on a small makeshift raft with the “me first” type.

Fortunately, every one of the surviving soldiers can see the point of working together. Yes, even the one who worries most (or solely) about his own survival.

Also, the characters are all nuanced and fleshed out enough that you can relate to them. Whether it’s the hero archetype or the soldier who will do anything to survive.

You cannot fault someone for their instinct… but you can choose not to trust them.

Beast of War is screening at Fantastic Fest 2025

Kiah Roache-Turner is the writer and director of Beast of War. The same filmmaker also wrote and directed the 2024 horror movie (with comedy and sci-fi elements) titled Sting. I highly recommend checking out that one as well.

Of course, if you can make a powerful movie about one dangerous animal (and it is dangerous in Sting), then you can make one about a much larger killer. And yet, the two are very different, as comedy is not part of this 2025 war movie.

What both movies have in common is wonderful casting. For Beast of War, I have to highlight Mark Coles Smith (Apple Cider Vinegar), Joel Nankervis, Sam Delich (Christmas Bloody Christmas), Lee Tiger Halley, Sam Parsonson (Sweet River), and Maximillian Johnson (Fear Below).

Beast of War is getting its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest. It will also be out in Theaters and On Digital from October 10, 2025.

Details

Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
Writer: Kiah Roache-Turner
Cast: Mark Coles Smith, Joel Nankervis, Sam Delich, Lee Tiger Halley, Sam Parsonson, Maximillian Johnson, Tristan McKinnon, Aswan Reid