Top 10 Famous Fictional Sharks | SHARK WEEK

#10: The Shark That Eats Samuel L. Jackson

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“Deep Blue Sea” (1999) “Deep Blue Sea” might’ve gotten lost in the shuffle of killer shark movies if it weren’t for two words and one initial: Samuel L. Jackson! Even if you’ve never seen the film itself, there’s a particular scene that’s taken on a life of its own across the internet. As the group begins to fall apart, Jackson’s Russell rallies everyone with a speech about hope, survival, and teamwork. It’s a rousing monologue that’s only intensified by Jackson’s signature epic delivery… and then a shark eats him. The abruptness of Jackson’s demise leaves the audience jumping out of their seats and laughing hysterically simultaneously. As memorable as Jackson is, this immortal scene wouldn’t be complete without the shark who breaks his concentration. That is a tasty Jackson!

“Shark Tale” (2004) This DreamWorks animated feature brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “sleeping with the fishes.” The film revolves around a family of mobster sharks led by (xref) Don Edward Lino, voiced by Robert De Niro. Where De Niro’s voice sticks out like a shark fin, the usually wild Jack Black is almost unrecognizable as the soft-spoken Lenny. After coming out as a vegetarian, Lenny feels that he’ll never be embraced by his own kind. With help from ‘Sharkslayer’ Oscar, Lenny fakes his death and transitions into a dolphin. Lenny ultimately finds that he doesn’t need to hide who he is, gaining the acceptance he deserves from his family. Huh, maybe we’re reading too much into it, but this movie may actually harbor some relevant messages.

#8: The Sharknado Sharks

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“Sharknado” (2013) “Sharknado” is a movie where the title speaks for itself. Hell, the poster’s tagline even reads, “Enough Said!” We guess you could say this B-movie did for sharks what “Twister” did for cows. Of course, seeing a school of sharks spiraling around in a tornado is infinitely more absurd that watching cattle fly by. This crazy concept actually stemmed from another Syfy original movie, “Red Clover,” aka “Leprechaun’s Revenge.” In that film, it’s mentioned that another town never recovered after a Sharknado hit. According to writer Thunder Levin, this line apparently stuck with the Syfy execs and boom! Sharknado was greenlit. Does this mean “Sharknado” and “Red Clover” exist in the same universe? In any case, we’re long past the point of jumping the shark.

“Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002) In the original “Austin Powers,” Dr. Evil plots to kill his arch nemesis by submerging him into a tank swarming with sharks. Dr. Evil won’t settle for ordinary sharks, though, requesting ones with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads, which honestly sounds like overkill. Unfortunately, his evil organization is unable to obtain the sharks due to the endangered species list, forcing him to settle for mutated sea bass. It isn’t until the third movie that Dr. Evil is finally granted his simple request thanks to his son Scott. These frickin’ sharks are every bit as deadly as he hoped, especially thanks to their frickin’ laser beams.

#6: King Shark aka Nanaue

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DC Universe Just as Aquaman is King of Atlantis, Nanaue comes from an undersea royal lineage with his father being The King of All Sharks and a supposed Shark God. As far as some are concerned, though, this humanoid shark is nothing more than a mutated beast. Either way, we wouldn’t recommend swimming with him on a moonlit night. King Shark made his initial splash onto the printed page in 1994, putting a damper on Superboy’s Hawaiian vacation. While not a household name, the character’s popularity has extended to the Arrowverse and various animated movies. Although he was left out of David Ayer’s 2016 “Suicide Squad” in favor of Killer Croc, it was announced in 2019 that Nanaue would make his DCEU debut in James Gunn’s reboot.

“Jabberjaw” (1976) Jabberjaw is often written off as a Scooby-Doo clone, seeing how both were created by Hanna-Barbera, both have been voiced by Frank Welker, and both are the mascots for a groovy group of teens. While the similarities are evident, this Saturday morning cartoon existed on another plane of madness. A talking dog is one thing, but Jabberjaw is a 15-foot, talking shark who breathes air, plays the drums, and sounds an awful lot like Curly Howard. Adding to the insanity, he lives in a 2076 underwater society where sharks find themselves at the mercy of robots known as shark ejectors! A combination of so many surreal elements that only could’ve come out of the 1970s, this great white shark deserves a lot more respect.

#4: The Megalodon

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“The Meg” (2018) This movie features two giant sharks for the price of one, but it’s the main Megalodon that devoured its way onto this list. The prehistoric sharks in this movie range from 75 to 82 feet in length, although in reality this extinct species grew no larger than 60 feet. Of course, we’re not judging the sharks here based on science. We’re judging them based on a mix of size, destruction, and outrageousness. In those respects, the Meg is fierce enough to give the Mosasaurus from “Jurassic World” a swim for her money. Ripping apart a massive squid and nearly turning Sanya Bay into its own personal smorgasbord, nobody is safe from the Meg… unless you’re Jason Statham or Pippin. Seriously, how did that dog survive?

#3: Street Sharks

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“Street Sharks” (1994-97) Just as Jabberjaw is frequently compared to Scooby-Doo, it’s hard to discuss “Street Sharks” without drawing parallels to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Both shows center on four teenage brothers who are transformed into humanoid animal crime fighters. Both shows also primarily got off the ground to promote a toy line. There are three things that set Street Sharks apart from the Turtles, however. 1) The Street Sharks enjoyed munching on burgers rather than pizza. 2) “Jawsome” was their go-to catchphrase instead of “cowabunga.” 3) These anthropomorphic sharks were endorsed by Vin Diesel! While definitely a product of its time, “Streets Sharks” is a 90s staple that’ll resonate with anyone who grew up watching the show or owned a Hand Shark.

“Finding Nemo” (2003) When Marlin and Dory first encounter this Australian trio of sharks, they seem to be headed for a fish buffet. As it turns out, Bruce, Anchor, and Chum are actually part of a program to give up eating fish. Basically, it’s the shark equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous. We bet you didn’t catch that as a kid. Although they want to give up their carnivorous ways, it doesn’t take much more than the smell of fish blood to send Bruce overboard. Despite the best efforts of Anchor and Chum, Brucey suddenly becomes deadlier than Jack from “The Shining.” In Bruce’s defense, though, he’s clearly coping with abandonment issues. After surviving an explosion, Bruce thankfully gets back on the wagon, remembering that fish are friends, not food. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Armaggon “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-17) Sharkticons “The Transformers” (1986) Snacker “Banjo-Kazooie” (1998) Exploding Shark “Batman” (1966) The CG Shark That Raced Michael Phelps (voiced) #1: Baby Shark Okay let’s be serious …

“Jaws” (1975) Somewhere between “Jaws 2,” “Jaws 3-D,” “Jaws: The Revenge,” and “Jaws 19,” the killer shark genre transitioned from thrilling to just plain silly. Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away from just how frightening, intense, and gripping Steven Spielberg’s original cinematic landmark remains. Although the human characters made “Jaws” so much more than a routine monster movie, it was the titular great white shark that made audiences afraid to go in the water. Where modern shark movies are all about showing off the central eating machine, Spielberg generated horror by concealing Jaws for much of the runtime. It didn’t take much more than a musical cue from John Williams to make us wriggle in our seats and when this shark finally reared its head, we weren’t disappointed.