BEAST OF WAR (2025) Review.

"I'd rather drink me own piss than bloody Fosters"

What’s up everybody? It’s sure been awhile I know, but I saw something the other day that gave me some inspiration to dust off the old keyboard. And no, as you can tell by the title it’s not One Battle After Another, even though I enjoyed the hell out of that film and spoiler alert for my “Best Of 25” list- it’s gonna be right up there! It’s actually a small budget (approx 8 million) indie Australian genre mash-up about a demonic shark terrorizing a bunch of Australian WW2 soldiers stranded at sea.

Australian genre filmmaker Kia Roache-Turner.

I’ve enjoyed the handful of director Kiah Roache-Turner’s films, most notably Wyrmwood (2014), but this is a giant step up in my opinion. Especially from a technical perspective. And on that level, it’s probably the best horror film I’ve seen this year. The cinematography and sound design in particular stand out. It’s like a B movie with A movie arthouse aesthetics, and if it was released by the likes of Neon or A24 I feel like people would be all over it.

The majority of the film is shot on a sound stage, and Roache-Turner doesn’t care that you know that. In fact he leans into it and uses things like the unnatural stillness, limited space and silence to great effect. There’s a ongoing bit with an air raid siren that’s all sorts of terrifying. He and his team of cinematographers also use plenty of heightened lighting and unnatural colours which help to create tension and plenty of unease. It reminded me of the standout scenes from the made for Netflix horror film “His House (2020)” (also a strong recommendation). 

Kiah and his team really used the sound stage to great effect.

I mentioned earlier that Beast Of War is a genre mash-up, and the first act is basically an army training montage (think Full Metal Jacket with a tenth of the budget) where the main players are established. The characters are essentially a group of tropes, with the exception of our lead Leo played by major up and comer Mark Coles Smith. 

You would sure know Mark’s face, he’s had a bunch of smaller roles in local tv and film, and he really shines as a young Jay Swan (another great Indigenous character) in the underrated Mystery Road Origins. Anyway, it’s always good to see an Indigenous person cast in a role like this. His screen presence is undeniable, and he’s certainly destined for big things.

Mark Coles Smith is an Aussie actor on the up.

It is essentially a B movie, and as with most of the supporting characters, the story is also fairly thin. Leo conveniently witnesses his brother get taken by a shark as a youngster. And this sparks a bit of PTSD, but also a kind of vendetta towards the shark, which feels like a weird but welcomed nod to Jaws 4 haha. 

In terms of other supporting players, there’s an antagonist character that’s just a little bit on the nose for me. I didn’t have an issue with all the racist quips (would’ve been worse!), he was just a little too one dimensional and “mustache twirly” for my liking. But hey, it’s a horror film, and these tropey types are pretty much just fodder for our main villain and arguably the star of the show- the shark!

One of the toughest shark designs you'll ever see!

This is one gnarly shark design. So much so, that it basically looks like a monster and/or demon. One hundred percent practical, the animatronic beast has one of the toughest designs I’ve ever seen. Dead eyed, thick, muscular, powerful and relentless in attack. Make no mistake, this is what makes this film stand out amongst other shark films. 

With the exception of Jaws, most shark films feel like animal attack films. Beast Of War feels like a baddass monster flick, with the shark tearing through soldiers like a super natural beast. 

There’s plenty of practical gore as well, and they don’t shy away from showing people getting eaten or limbs being torn off. In fact there were one or two gore gags that even had a seasoned horror vet like myself a little squeamish. 

High level arthouse cinematography coupled with B movie gore. My type of film!

The tough as shark design, use of artificial light/colour and the interesting use of the sound stage makes for a great atmosphere and overall sense of dread. I don’t know if it’s all the edibles I took beforehand, but the last two acts of the film felt like a nightmarish, surrealist fever dream. It’s a true underrated gem and I implore people to try and catch it in cinemas as some of the technical aspects may be lost on VOD. 

One last thing. This is the second shark related horror film to come out of Australia this year. The other being the super solid Dangerous Animals by Sean Byrne. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Australia might actually be champions of this sub genre. Yep, I’ve put it out there, so it’s now cannon haha. Thanks for reading!

Three and a half out of five torn off limbs.