Soldiers Adrift With a Great White: Beast of War Review

This Beast of War review begins with a simple pitch: World War II soldiers, an open ocean and a shark that will not leave them alone. Australian writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner turns that idea into a tight, 87-minute survival thriller. It is lean, loud and more interested in tension than subtlety.

Beast of War Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Beast of War plot starts with a troop of young Australian soldiers crossing the Timor Sea in 1940s wartime. Their boat sinks, and the survivors end up on a raft that is quickly shrinking. They are hundreds of miles from anywhere, with little food, little hope of rescue and plenty of reasons to turn on each other.

The film promises three threats: the sea itself, the enemy and one very large great white shark. The tagline, "Survival is the only victory," sums up the mood. I will not say how any of it plays out, because the fun lies in watching the pressure build.

It sits in the action movie reviews corner of the site, but it also borrows from creature horror and from the biography genre's real-world wartime setting.

What Works in Beast of War

The premise is the film's best asset. A raft is a brilliant small stage: there is nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. Roache-Turner uses that confinement to keep the story moving and the audience on edge.

The short runtime also helps. At 87 minutes, the film does not wait around for its shark attacks or its human conflicts.

• Tight pacing: the story rarely sags, and the setup is quick.

• Layered danger: the threat is not only the shark, but also exhaustion, fear and divided loyalties.

• Genre mix: it blends war drama with a creature feature in a way that feels fresh.

For viewers who like their war stories with a bite, there is real appeal here. If you enjoyed other wartime pictures such as Dongji Rescue, this offers a very different, more pulpy take on survival.

Beast of War Cast and Performances

The Beast of War cast is led by Mark Coles Smith as Leo and Joel Nankervis as Will. Around them are Sam Delich as Des Kelly, Maximillian Johnson as Stan, Lee Tiger Halley as Teddy and Sam Parsonson as Thompson.

The ensemble works best when the men are squeezed together and tempers fray. Coles Smith gives Leo a steady presence that anchors the group, while the rest of the troop add the friction a story like this needs. The young soldiers feel like a believable band of rookies rather than hardened veterans.

With so many characters on a small raft, some inevitably get less room to develop. Even so, the cast sells the fear and fatigue convincingly.

Where Beast of War Stumbles

The film's biggest weakness is depth. The characters are sketched quickly, so when danger strikes, you may care more about the spectacle than the individuals. A survival story like this lives or dies on emotional investment, and that is only partly achieved.

The shark can also feel more like a movie monster than a realistic animal. That suits the pulp spirit, but viewers who want grounded realism may find it hard to buy. The mix of wartime drama and creature feature is not always smooth, and some tonal shifts feel abrupt.

Finally, the low-budget limits sometimes show in the more ambitious moments at sea. Audience response has been moderate, with a TMDB score of 6.2 out of 10, and that feels fair.

Is Beast of War Worth Watching?

Yes, Beast of War is worth watching if you want a quick, tense and unpretentious survival thriller. It does not reinvent the shark movie, but it gives the formula a wartime twist and a hard-working cast.

It earns a solid but unspectacular 6.2 out of 10. The film is at its best when it leans into its pulpy premise and keeps the raft crowded, the water dark and the clock ticking. If you want more shark-and-sea chills, check out our horror movie reviews, and for related wartime picks see our war movie reviews.

For background on the production, you can also check the film's IMDb page.

Who Will Enjoy Beast of War

• Fans of creature features and shark thrillers who like a brisk runtime.

• Viewers who enjoy war stories told on a small, claustrophobic scale.

• Anyone curious about Kiah Roache-Turner's latest genre-mixing Australian film.