You’re gonna need a bigger screen. But that’s only if you want to take in the full awesome glory of earth’s bitiest avenger: the shark! It’s the only apex predator we humans have cleared time from our busy schedule to pay humble tribute to (we’ve certainly never heard of Sperm Whale Week), Rotten Tomatoes likewise took the time to put together our list of the best shark movies (and the worst) ever — all ranked by Tomatometer.
Our love/hate cinematic relationship with sharks began with directing legend Samuel Fuller and his aptly titled Shark! in 1969, a movie which effectively killed his career for a decade, until 1980’s The Big Red One. Here was a lesson most people would take wisdom from (sharks, even the ones you make up, are not to be trifled with), but it takes a certain cavalier breed to make it as a director, forging ahead where others spectacularly failed.
Enter Steven Spielberg. His 1975 masterpiece Jaws, infamous in almost destroying the young auteur mentally and professionally, would become the first-ever blockbuster. It buoyed the summer season out of the doldrums and turned it into a big-budget movie destination, while instilling a real fear of deep water for a whole generation. Recently, we’ve added forty new reviews and updated its Tomatometer score!
It’s been open season for shark movies in Hollywood ever since, and in the ensuing decades we’ve gotten camp classics (Sharknado), modern hits (TheShallows), the lovable (Deep Blue Sea), and the very much not-so (Ghost Shark).
And we’ve teamed up with Fandango at Home for a shark movie sale page!
Now that we’re all chums caught up on some fishy history, continue on to see every shark movie ever that chomped up a Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
Critics Consensus: Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg's Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.
Synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, [More]
Critics Consensus: A fascinating tribute to a pioneer as well as an engrossing act of environmental advocacy, Playing with Sharks makes up in enjoyment what it lacks in depth.
Synopsis: Photographer Valerie Taylor becomes a trailblazing advocate for the ocean's most maligned and misunderstood creatures. [More]
Critics Consensus: Stuffed to the gills with memorable shocks and a thrillingly unhinged heel turn by Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals will be irresistible chum for horror aficionados.
Synopsis: When Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must [More]
Critics Consensus: A well-crafted retelling of an epic true story, Kon Tiki is a throwback to old-school adventure filmmaking that's exciting and entertaining in spite of its by-the-book plotting.
Synopsis: Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) suspects that the South Sea Islands were originally colonized by South Americans. In [More]
Critics Consensus: Lean and solidly crafted, The Shallows transcends tired shark-attack tropes with nasty thrills and a powerful performance from Blake Lively.
Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for [More]
Critics Consensus: In addition to its breathtaking underwater photography, Sharkwater has a convincing, impassioned argument of how the plight of sharks affects everyone.
Synopsis: Arguing that sharks are misunderstood as dangerous creatures, biologist Rob Stewart travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and other [More]
Critics Consensus: Beautiful yet gut-wrenching, Sharkwater Extinction offers an eye-opening condemnation of an illegal trade -- and a poignant farewell to a talented filmmaker.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Rob Stewart travels across oceans to expose the illegal and violent underworld of shark finning. [More]
Synopsis: Oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau documents face-to-face encounters with a wide variety of the ocean's ultimate predators, including white, hammerhead and whale [More]
Critics Consensus: A low budget thriller with some intense moments.
Synopsis: Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) embark on a tropical vacation with their scuba-diving certifications in tow. During a [More]
Critics Consensus: Marrying environmental themes with bloody thrills, this Gallic entry into the shark attack canon ultimately lands on the right side of ridiculous fun.
Synopsis: To save Paris from a bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark [More]
Critics Consensus: The schlock factor for Sharknado 2: The Second One is not as entertaining as its predecessor's, though fans of the brand will likely enjoy it.
Synopsis: A freak weather system turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a Sharknado on the population and its [More]
Critics Consensus:Deep Blue Sea is no Jaws, but action fans seeking some toothy action can certainly do -- and almost certainly have done -- far worse for B-movie thrills.
Synopsis: On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a [More]
Critics Consensus:Jaws 2 never approaches the lingering thrills of its classic predecessor, but it's reasonably entertaining for a sequel that has no reason to exist.
Synopsis: Years after the shark attacks that left Amity Island reeling, Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) finds new trouble lurking in [More]
Critics Consensus:47 Meters Down doesn't take its terrifying premise quite as far as it should, but its toothy antagonists still offer a few thrills for less demanding genre enthusiasts.
Synopsis: Young sisters Kate and Lisa and travel to Mexico for a vacation filled with sun, fun and adventure. Lisa needs [More]
Critics Consensus:The Meg sets audiences up for a good old-fashioned B-movie creature feature, but lacks the genre thrills -- or the cheesy bite -- to make it worth diving in.
Synopsis: Previously thought to be extinct, a massive creature attacks a deep-sea submersible, leaving it disabled and trapping the crew at [More]
Critics Consensus:Bait isn't entirely lacking in the shark action department, but a silly story and thinly sketched characters may leave audiences bored between bloody attacks.
Synopsis: A freak tsunami traps a group of people in a submerged grocery store. As they try to escape, they are [More]
Critics Consensus:47 Meters Down: Uncaged may not be as ruthlessly efficient as its finned villains, but fans of shark peril thrillers should find it just chummy enough.
Synopsis: Four teenage divers discover that the sunken ruins of a Mayan city are also a hunting ground for deadly great [More]
Critics Consensus:Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! bites off more than it can chew, leaving viewers with an overlong mess that isn't even bad enough to be good.
Synopsis: When a mass of sharknadoes threatens Florida, chainsaw-wielding hero Fin must again risk his life to save his children on [More]
Critics Consensus: Taking a promising premise and driving it straight into the sea, No Way Up doesn't have enough fun with its nerve-shredding concept.
Synopsis: Ava (Sophie McIntosh), the daughter of the Governor of California, is hoping for a peaceful getaway with friends in the [More]
Critics Consensus: Derivative and full of pop culture in-jokes.
Synopsis: Underachiever Oscar (Will Smith) is a pint-sized fish with grand aspirations. When mob-connected great white shark Frankie (Michael Imperioli) is [More]
Critics Consensus: A small shark in a big pond of man-eating legends, The Black Demon bites off more than it can chew, leaving little carnage for the audience to feast on.
Synopsis: Josh Lucas (Ford v Ferrari, Yellowstone) stars in this edge-of-your-seat action thriller from the director of Rambo: Last Blood. Oilman [More]
Critics Consensus: It isn't without its fun moments, but Meg 2: The Trench suffers from a disjointed story that drifts for too long before finally delivering a few campy thrills.
Synopsis: Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in "Meg 2: The Trench," a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that [More]
Critics Consensus:Sharknado: The 4th Awakens loses the ridiculous charm of its predecessors, leaving only clumsy social commentary and monotonous schtick that's lost its bite.
Synopsis: Five years after the wave of sharknados that wracked the east coast, the heroes are living a quiet life in [More]
Critics Consensus: A cheese-soaked ocean thriller with no evident reason to exist, Jaws 3 bellows forth with a plaintive yet ultimately unheeded cry to put this franchise out of viewers' misery.
Synopsis: After a young great white shark finds its way into a sea-themed park managed by Calvin Bouchard (Louis Gossett Jr.), [More]
Geostorm: the disaster movie with the disaster to end all disasters, disaster for days, isn’t being screened in advance. Not a good sign! C’mon studios, can’t you see how nice critics are being to The Snowman? Well, if Geostorm somehow receives a particularly Rotten score, it won’t be without company as we’ll see in this week’s gallery of 24 disastrous disaster movies that got less than 50% on the Tomatometer!
Krakatoa, East of Java (1969, 0%)
Just how fast does this one go downhill? For starters, Krakatoa is located west of Java….
When Time Ran Out (1980, 0%)
It’s 1980, and that’s when time ran out…for this genre! The Heaven’s Gate of disaster flicks, if you will.
Left Behind (2014, 2%)
Yea verily, like unto a plague of locusts, Left Behind hath begat a further scourge of devastation upon Nicolas Cage’s once-proud filmography.
Meteor (1979, 5%) Meteor is a flimsy flick with too much boring dialogue and not enough destruction. At least the pinball game is decent.
Firestorm (1998, 12%) Firestorm failed to ignite ex-pro footballer Howie Long’s career…or anything else for that matter.
The Concorde…Airport ’79 (1979, 14%)
The original Airport put the disaster genre into flight, gathering a dozen top-billing actors and even a Best Picture nomination. Three movies and a decade later, there’s barely enough stars to fill the poster, and even the ellipsis in the title suggests, ‘What are we all still doing here?’
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016, 17%)
Loses the ridiculous charm of its predecessors, leaving only clumsy social commentary and monotonous schtick that’s lost its bite.
Into the Storm (2014, 21%)
Clumsily scripted and populated with forgettable characters, Into the Storm has little to offer beyond its admittedly thrilling special effects.
Daylight (1996, 26%)
The opening’s got a great fiery explosion and Stallone puts in another earnest, sympathetic performance, but all else in Daylight feels designed to annoy the audience into submission.
Dante’s Peak (1997, 26%)
The movie works when things are on fire, but everything else – from dialogue to characters – is scathingly bad.
Pompeii (2014, 27%)
This big-budget sword-and-sandal adventure lacks the energy and storytelling heft to amount to more than a guilty pleasure.
Hard Rain (1997, 29%) Hard Rain is an implausible heist movie soaked in disaster movie trappings.
Poseidon (2006, 33%)
This remake of The Poseidon Adventure delivers dazzling special effects. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that any of the budget was left over to devote to the script.
Earthquake (1974, 35%)
The destruction of Los Angeles is always a welcome sight, but Earthquake offers little besides big actors slumming through crumbling sets.
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017, 45%)
A mild bounce back from the lows of the fourth Sharknado.
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015, 26%) Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! bites off more than it can chew, leaving viewers with an overlong mess that isn’t even bad enough to be good.
Hurricane (1979, 38%)
It’s Mia Farrow’s Swept Away! She stars in this sandy romance (with music by Nino Rota and cinematography by Sven Nykvist) featuring a 25-minute appearnce by the titular disaster.
2012 (2009, 39%)
Roland Emmerich’s 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length.
Armageddon (1998, 39%)
Lovely to look at but about as intelligent as the asteroid that serves as the movie’s antagonist, Armageddon slickly sums up the cinematic legacies of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay.
The Core (2003, 41%)
A B-movie with its tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Core is so unintentionally (intentionally?) bad that it’s a hoot.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004, 45%)
A ludicrous popcorn flick filled with clunky dialogue, but spectacular visuals save it from being a total disaster.
The 33 (2015, 45%)
Offers an appropriately inspirational account of real-life heroism, but its stirring story and solid performances are undermined by a flawed focus and an overreliance on formula.
Volcano (1997, 46%) Volcano‘s prodigious pyrotechnics and Tommy Lee Jones’ crotchety sneers at lava aren’t quite enough to save this routine disaster film.
San Andreas (2015, 49%) San Andreas has a great cast and outstanding special effects, but amidst all the senses-shattering destruction, the movie’s characters and plot prove less than structurally sound.
Has the 2016 presidential election left you feeling like you’re in some alternate-reality television show? From the rise of businessman–turned–reality TV star–turned–Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to dark horse Bernie Sanders giving eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a real run for her money in the primaries and on, the political surprises of the past year have been relentless.
To commemorate this Election Day and provide a little escapism, Rotten Tomatoes has rounded up 17 fictional TV presidents since William Jefferson Clinton’s administration.
Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen)
The West Wing (1999–2007) — Bartlet was the left-leaning antithesis to the real-world POTUS voted in after Clinton, George W. Bush. Sure, the Bartlet administration was rife with scandal and intrigue — not the least of which involved invoking the 25th Amendment to temporarily step down as president — but armed with series creator Aaron Sorkin’s elevated speech and wisdom, Bartlet time and again proved that doing the right thing was the best thing, even in the most difficult of times.
Glenn Allen Walken (John Goodman)
The West Wing (2003) —
In one of the series most jolting twists, the president transfers his powers to Republican House Speaker Walken after Bartlet’s daughter is kidnapped by terrorists and he is unable to make sound decisions.
Matthew Vincente Santos (Jimmy Smits)
The West Wing (2007) —
The final episodes of The West Wing saw Democratic nominee Santos of Texas elected president in a close to the cream-of-the-crop in primetime political dramas. It’s said, in fact, that the character was modeled after a pre-POTUS Senator Barack Obama.
David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert)
24 (2002–2004) —
Assassination attempts, marital trouble, and familial turmoil plagued Palmer throughout the course of his two-year stint as president. He was wise to drop out of the race in 24’s third season, but that wasn’t enough to save him from assassination come season 5.
Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones)
24 (2008–2010) —
The Fox series depicted a black president before one was elected to office in the real world. It also depicted the election of woman. Incidentally, Taylor is said to be based on Hillary Clinton, despite aligning with the Republican party.
Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis)
Commander In Chief (2005–2006) —
This short-lived drama depicted the United States’ first female president as one who ascends to the presidency from the position of vice president after the untimely death of her predecessor.
Paul Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar)
Political Animals (2012) — Elaine Barrish (Sigourney Weaver) may have lost to Garcetti as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, but he was gracious enough to tap the former First Lady as his Secretary of State. While the drama this USA miniseries’ drama is driven by those around him, President Garcetti still proves himself a smart capable POTUS before his death via plane crash in the show’s finale.
Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn)
Scandal (2012–2016) —
In this case, believe everything you hear, because President Grant has proven over the last four years of Shonda Rhimes’s soapy Scandal to be capable of just about anything. How else would the hit series live up to its namesake?
Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine)
Madam Secretary (2014–2016) —
As the former director of the CIA (and former boss to Téa Leoni’s Dr. Elizabeth McCord), Dalton boasts an impressive résumé. Unfortunately, he’s probably known best for his bowties instead of his brains. Still, he’s wise enough to tap McCord as his secretary of State after her predecessor dies in a plane accident, so he’s doing something right.
Marcus Robbins (Mark Cuban)
Sharknado 3 (2015) —
The Sharknado franchise may not be fresh with the critics, but it’s a guilty pleasure that makes it hard not to come back for four rounds and counting, and it’s in part thanks to camped-up cameos from the likes of Cuban.
Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard)
State of Affairs (2014–2015) —
The great Alfre Woodard as the first black woman to hold the office of president wasn’t enough to save this Katherine Heigl–starrer, but the short-lived series’ political intrigue and scenery chewing are worth a watch.
Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey)
House of Cards (2014–2016) —
As perhaps the most manipulative and conniving POTUS ever brought to the screen, Underwood is the Cersei Lannister of fictionalized American politics: You would never want to be under his command, but it sure is fun watching him orchestrate his sociopathic symphony.
Matthew Ellis (William Sadler) Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015–2016) —
President Ellis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been subject to assassination attempts, abductions, and more — but Iron Man and the gang always arrive in the nick of time.
Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Veep (2014–2015) —
An unfit vice president does not a fit president make. Such was the case in season 3 and season 4 of HBO’s Veep, which had VP Meyer stepping up after the president resigns. It made for a viewer’s delight, but her run only lasts eight months before a reelection kicks her out of office for good.
Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) Designated Survivor (2016) — Previously a low-ranking Cabinet member as the nation’s Housing and Urban Development secretary, President Kirkman became the newest addition to the fictional presidents’ canon this fall with Designated Survivor. And as any good TV series should, Kirkman was inducted under the most dramatic circumstances possible after a terrorist attack kills the President and the rest of his Cabinet.
Richard Graves (Nick Nolte)
Graves (2016) — Graves is also new to the world of fictional presidents. He joins Epix as a former commander-in-chief. Twenty years after his maligned two-term presidency comes to a close, Graves tries to make amends for his damaging politics through high-profile charity work in this dark political satire.
Olivia Marsdin (Lynda Carter) Supergirl (2016) — How cool is it that Carter (known for playing Wonder Woman from 1975–1979) has returned to the DC Comics universe on The CW’s Supergirl as President Marsdin? Hopefully she’ll return for future episodes as the whip-smart — and possibly alien? — leader of the free world.
This week in TV news, Sharknado 4 makes cast announcements, Game of Thrones breaks another record, we get a first look at Preacher, and more!
ANNA PAQUIN & WILMER VALDERRAMA ARE COMING TO A TELEVISION SCREEN NEAR YOU
One of the juiciest shows on television, and one soon-to-be juicy drama have announced some big casting news this week. Longtime favorite Grey’s Anatomy has snatched up Wilmer Valderrama for as a yet to be revealed role. All Shonda Rhimes is letting us know is Valderrama is playing Kyle Diaz, and has a multi-episode arc. Also, Executive Producer Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea have found the lead to their formerly untitled show Broken. Anna Paquin will play Gemma, a cutthroat Dallas divorce attorney whose life begins to unravel in a myriad of ways. ABC’s new drama pilot will mark Paquin’s first return to a series regular since her turn as Sookie Stackhouse in HBO’s cult favorite True Blood.
GAME OF THRONES‘ SEASON 6 TRAILER BREAKS VIEWING RECORD IN 24 HOURS
HBO’s Emmy Winning mega hit series Game of Thrones released its season 6 trailer on Tuesday, racking up over 30 million views within the first 24 hours. The two minute piece hints at the fates of all your favorite Westeros residents, including the maybe not-so permanently dead Jon Snow. The trailer received 8 million hits on YouTube and 22 million hits on the show’s Facebook page, breaking season 5’s previous record of 27 million hits in the first day. Game of Thrones‘Season 6 premiers on April 24th.
AMC RELEASES PREACHER FIRST LOOK CHARACTER PHOTOS
AMC has released three first look character photos from the highly anticipated drama series Preacher. Slated to debut in May, the series is based on the cult comic book franchise of the same name. Preacher is a supernatural, twisted, and darkly comedic drama that follows a West Texas preacher named Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), his badass ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga), and an Irish vagabond named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) who are thrust into a crazy world populated by a cast of characters from Heaven, Hell and everywhere in between. Check out the other first look photos here, and see the Preacher trailer here.
SHARKNADO 4 HAS CAST GARY BUSEY AND CHERYL TIEGS (AND MORE)
Shark slayer Ian Ziering will return with Tara Reid to the fourth installment of the Sharknado franchise — working title Sharknado 4 — set to premiere this July. The new SyFy Channel film will take place five years after the events in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. Joining the cast will be Cheryl Tiegs as mother of Ziering’s Fin, and the one and only Gary Busey as father of Reid’s April. Also cast are Tommy Davidson, Imani Hakim, Cody Linley and Masiela Lusha. Anthony C. Ferrante will return to direct Thunder Levin’s screenplay.
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