If you are an arachnophobe, you should probably avoid Kiah Roache-Turner’s terrifying 2024 film Sting. Something that would make your skin crawl, now the director returns in 2024 with Beast of War, and this time it is the turn of galeophobes to watch out!
Written and directed by Roache-Turner, Beast of War arrives in theaters and on digital October 10, 2025, through Well Go USA, following an Australian squadron as they train for combat during World War II. It is during this training that we meet Leo (Mark Cole Smith: Beneath Hill 60 2010, We Bury the Dead 2024), the only soldier who stops to help fellow soldier Will (Joel Nankervis: Dark Arcadia series, Single, Out series) from drowning in a mud pit. As an Aboriginal soldier, Leo is paid less than his fellow soldiers and must also deal with daily taunts from bully Des (Sam Delich: Spiderhead 2022, Christmas Bloody Christmas 2022).
Soon, the three men, along with the rest of their squadron, are shipped out to fight. But as the ship makes its way across the Timor Sea, it is attacked and subsequently sunk by the Japanese, leaving Leo, Will, and Des amongst a small group of survivors left adrift on a piece of wreckage. And as if their situation wasn’t already dire enough, there is an extremely large shark circling the waters around them.
Overall, Beast of War is all at once a war film, a creature feature, and a survival movie. However, you would not necessarily know all that from the first half an hour, as the latter genres do not kick in until then. And whilst the poster and synopsis might make this sound like another guns blazing, slightly dodgy and unserious shark movie, apart from one slightly silly bit, Beast of War plays out solemnly in a straightforward dramatic way.
The film also touches upon serious themes such as the futility of war, the sacrifice of young men, and racism in the army. In many ways, the shark is not even really needed since the characters are already dealing with enough! But this was actually inspired by the true story of the sinking of HMAS Armidale, so it is not overkill by the director. And undoubtedly, most audiences will have been attracted to this as a shark movie rather than any of the other genres it touches upon.
With that in mind, the shark action was very effective, and one particular shot of the shark rising out of the water looks absolutely incredible. Considering the film’s budget and production limitations, the shark action is done well here, and it is clear to see how Roache-Turner has been inspired by some of the techniques that Steven Spielberg used on 1975’s classic Jaws.
Low-budget shark movies are often cheesy, over the top, and ultimately pretty unserious. Whilst those films have their own appeal, it is great to see a lower-budget shark movie that is both thoughtful and more serious. In that way, Beast of War is definitely worth seeking out, because Cryptic Rock gives it 4 out of 5 stars.
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