Beast
A bloody, thrilling adventure that delivers exactly what it says on the cover.
Dr Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) is a Manhattan doctor who, after his wife dies, takes his daughters Norah (Leah Jeffries) and Meredith (Iyana Halley) to Africa, to go on a safari with their gamekeeper friend Martin (Sharlto Copley). However, when the group stumble on a horrific and tragic occurrence in a local village, they discover a horrible truth; poachers have killed a lion’s entire pride, and now the lion wants revenge against any and all humans it can get its claws on. Trapped in its lair, with Martin gravely wounded, no fuel, and his two girls with him, Nate has to find a way to escape, even if it means fighting the lion with his bare hands.
Beast is never going to win any awards for being the smartest movie in the world, or revolutionizing the genre. It zips along at a tight 93 minutes though, and hits its marks really well, so overall it feels fun, airy, and fresh despite its lack of ambition.
Both Elba and Copley give strong, engaging performances that mix the right amount of emotion with bravado. They know what they are in, and are delivering to aplomb. Jeffries and Halley also give great performances (Halley’s double tear is a particular highlight), but their characters are burdened with so much frustrating, nonsensical garbage to do and say, that it can become quite tedious having them involved. That being said, Norah is given one of the most cheerworthy moments of the movie when she gets to stab the lion with a tranquiliser dart.
Director Baltasar Kormakur and cinematographer Phillipe Rousselot employ a range of one take shots in key action scenes to great effect, and that makes the movie feel quite new and interesting. They don’t overuse the trope, but it does get a spin in pretty much every set piece, and every time it hits the screen the intensity, engagement and thrill ratchets up a factor or two. On top of that, the CGI lions have occasional misses, but for the most part feel realistic, and the action benefits for it.
