Beast Movie Review

Director Baltasar Kormákur's "Beast" is a wild ride that executes its premise in under 90 minutes. The movie follows Dr Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) as he takes his daughters to South Africa to repair his relationship with them after the death of their mother. However, their trip turns for the worse when a vengeful lion named Rory starts attacking them, leaving them stranded in the wilderness. A survival story follows, filled with suspense, terror, and a few surprises.

One of the best aspects of the movie is the cinematography by veteran cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, who captures some stunning views of the South African wilderness. The movie also features an omniscient and unbeatable foe in the form of the lion, Rory, who is on a mission to execute every human he encounters with extreme prejudice. The scenes of the lion taking out an entire group of men with AR-15s while jumping on top of cars and reaching into windows to swat at human prey are exhilarating and terrifying simultaneously.

However, the movie has its challenges. The screenplay by Ryan Engle doesn't give the big cat a name, which is a missed opportunity to make the character more memorable. Additionally, the movie suffers from frustrating plot points, such as the daughters' tendency to wander off at inopportune moments. It feels excessive and reduces them to frustrating antics to garner suspense.

Despite these issues, "Beast" is a movie that will play better with an audience of rowdy genre movie lovers. It's the movie that will make you stand up and cheer as the hero uses everything they know about their location and their foe to survive. The final confrontation between Dr. Nate and Rory will have you on the edge of your seat, although it does take a large dose of suspension of disbelief.

"Beast" may not be a perfect movie, it's still an entertaining ride that delivers on its wild-animal-gone-rogue premise. If you're looking for a movie that will distract you and make you cheer, "Beast" is worth checking out.