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Ep 89 – Beast of War – Shipwreck, Mateship, and One Musical Shark

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Description

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we continue our accidental monster-movie streak with Beast of War (2025), written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner. Loosely inspired by the real sinking of the Australian ship HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942, the film follows a group of soldiers stranded on a rapidly failing raft, hunted by a great white shark.

Joined by our favourite returning, usually SAS Rogue Heroes, but now creature-feature correspondent George, we talk about why this is not just a horror movie, but a survival story with real themes: isolation, fear, trauma, and the brittle veneer of civilisation when the ocean is doing its absolute worst. Merry Christmas, see you in 2026.

Beast of War trailer

Historical context for Beast of War

HMAS Armidale and the Timor Sea (1 December 1942)

Beast of War is loosely inspired by the sinking of HMAS Armidale, an Australian corvette operating in the Timor Sea during World War II. On 1 December 1942, it was attacked by Japanese aircraft while attempting to resupply and evacuate Allied troops and civilians near Betano Bay, on the southern coast of Timor. The ship was struck by aerial torpedoes and sank quickly, leaving survivors scattered across several rafts and small boats. Of the 149 men aboard, only 49 survived.

The Timor Campaign and the Pacific War

The sinking of Armidale occurred during the wider Timor campaign, following Japan’s rapid expansion in 1942. Australian and Dutch forces tried to resist Japanese occupation, with many soldiers continuing guerrilla operations after initial resistance collapsed.


Indigenous Australian Service in World War II

Approximately 3000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians served in World War II across the army, navy, and air force. They faced systemic discrimination like unequal pay, inconsistent enlistment policies, and exclusion from veterans’ benefits after the war, not unlike black Americans in WWII. Their contributions were vital but largely unrecognised at the time.


The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis

While of no direct relation to Beast of War, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in July 1945 is one of the biggest maritime disasters of World War II. Many different hardships plagued the men who survived the initial sinking, though the numerous shark attacks are often what people remember. After being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, around 900 sailors were left adrift for days,  suffering from dehydration, exposure, and hallucinations (aided by the drinking of saltwater). Only about a third of the sailors survived their time adrift at sea. In popular culture, the USS Indianapolis is most famously referenced in Jaws.

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Support the podcast

Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.

Shop rosie merch