Beast — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
I always enjoy it when a simple thriller hits theatres that doesn’t have much to say, but really just wants to give the audience an exciting time. Using only a few locations and pacing characters in a life-or-death scenario will always work with the right team behind it and I believe that’s the case once again with Beast. I’m not about to sing praises for this film, as it’s nothing new at all, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a good time watching it. Here’s why Beast may be worth a watch to you.
A single father, trying to raise his two teenage daughters, takes them on a trip to the outback, where a friendly face of their family will give them tours and shelter. During their first trip, a Lion is vigorously on the hunt and they just happen to be in its path. Fighting to survive or outsmart the Lion, they all have to work together, while his two teenage girls are also sorting through their own personal issues. This movie worked for me simply due to the fact that it focused heavily on the characters at hand.
If you drop a group of characters in a situation like this and just have them fight to survive, it can be exciting, but it’s the moments in between where characters develop themselves for the audience that really shine for me. I was happy to see that happen here and more than just a couple of times. On top of that, Idris Elba delivers a solid performance as always. Even if he’s in a bad film, you can usually always count on him to be devoted to the role. I also thought his daughters, played very well by both Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries, were highlights as well. I also might as well mention that Sharlto Copley plays the friend of the family that they go and stay with because even though he’s not in a lot of the film, he’s always a great presence too.
Overall, Beast hooked me enough with the characters involved that I was eager to see where it would go. The animals are nearly all CGI here and that may turn off some viewers, but for being a relatively cheap film to make, I thought the CGI looked pretty good. The dialogue is what impressed me the most here, but that’s because good character development isn’t exactly what I was expecting from a film like this. Look, in the end, this is a very simple story of survival and I had a good time with it. It’s now playing in theatres and available on-demand, and there are far worse options out there.
Rating: 3.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
