Last week it was Fall. Now, this week it’s Beast, another survivalist film that looks great and has a fair amount of thrills and suspense. With a great performance from Idris Elba at its center, this film keeps us invested even if the movie does go through familiar territory.
Elba plays Dr. Nate Samuels, a recently widowed father who decides to take his daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries) on a safari in Africa which is guided by his old friend (Sharlto Copley).
They all take in the lush deserts and small villages, but soon they discover one village has had all its people killed and then they find out that a ravenous lion is on the loose that will devour anyone or anything in its path.
Nate’s friend tries to kill the lion, but he ends up attacked and seriously injured. It isn’t long before the lion sets its sights on Nate and his family. I pretty much described all you need to know about the plot in a nutshell.
The rest of the movie follows what we might expect from a movie like this: The family tries to stay one step ahead of being killed, they’re badly injured in the process and they doubt whether they will make it out alive. That’s the formula for its 93-minute runtime.
I know that sounds like I’m criticizing Beast, but I was just describing it. If anything, it’s a well-made creature feature that does take its time to introduce the characters and even give us some smart thrills to go along with its bloody violence. And it does encourage itself to go right to the wall with its intense carnage at times.
Beast could also be described as one part Jaws, one part Jurassic Park and even a little bit of Anaconda for good measure. Films such as this are not that original. They’re designed to give the audience a disposable ride that’s fun in the moment and may resonate beyond that.
Still, Elba is very effective in his scenes as a father desperate to save not only his life but his daughters’ as well, and he’s fully equipped to face the dangers head-on. He becomes a superhero by circumstance, but it’s a role he plays with relative ease.
Those who don’t demand a whole lot more out of a movie like this will find it an enjoyable creature feature. Beast is derivative but fun.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for violent content, bloody images and some language.)
