Baltasar Kormákur (Adrift, Everest, 2 Guns, Contraband) directs this adventure about a father, Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba), and his daughters Norah (Leah Jeffries) and Meredith (Iyana Halley), who on a trip to the African savanna are hunted by a rogue lion. (93 min.)
Glen If you’re a computer-generated lion whose entire pride is slaughtered by a group of evil but nondescript poachers, the obvious thing to do is go on a murderous rampage killing every human being you encounter, right? And if you’re a doctor and recent widower whose two daughters blame you for their mother’s death to cancer through your neglect and absenteeism, the obvious thing to do is take them on a trip to their mother’s homeland in Africa for a wildlife safari with an old friend, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), a game warden whose reserve is plagued by poachers, right? That’s the setup for Beast, an implausible but rollicking story that wears its B-movie heart on its sleeve. The older daughter, “Mer” (short for Meredith), is wallowing in teen angst and is super pissed at dad, while younger daughter Norah is more willing to get the family back together, so when Martin takes Dr. Nate and the girls out for a look at the part of the reserve (ominously) closed to tourists, with no cell service, and where even radio signals are spotty, what could go wrong? Um, everything? Yes!
Anna I saw an ad for Beast that had Idris Elba looking right into the camera and saying, “There are three reasons to see Beast: action, adventure, and moi.” OK, Idris, calm it down. While this film technically has action and adventure, that fact alone doesn’t make it good. We’ve got two young women grieving the loss of their mother to cancer, the oldest super bitter toward her “I’m too busy and important being a doctor” dad for breaking up his marriage before her mother’s illness. There’re the poachers and the lion and very busy and important doctoring work to do. Hey, filmmakers? You’re doing too much! Adding more ingredients to this mess of a soup isn’t going to save it! Beast is simply the last half of Cujo, but unlike Stephen King, the writers here gave us nothing in these characters to care about. I mean, I’m all for families healing trauma and working through their difficulties, but must we do it only when giant claws and razor-sharp teeth are threatening us? This premise is way too simple and yet somehow made overcomplicated.
Glen Without the processing of a lot of complicated emotions amid the indiscriminate animal attacks, there wouldn’t be much of a story here, but you’re right. The film tries to do too much. Dr. Nate, when he gets a moment to sleep (or passes out from his many claw and teeth wounds), dreams of his dead wife’s tribe in their tribal regalia, looking wise and noble and stuff. I think it’s supposed to add some soul to the story, but it seemed like a distraction that didn’t go anywhere. I had sympathy for Martin, Nate, the girls, the slain villagers, and the poached lions, but the story turned the main aggrieved lion into a devil, which didn’t seem very realistic. And hey, Idris, you’re a badass and all, but when you fight a lion with a knife and don’t die in the first 60 seconds, I’m calling BS. Also, special effects department, blood seeps through bandages—don’t paint fake blood on top. Look, if you like dumb B-movies and/or Idris Alba, get thee to a theater. It’s your money.
Anna There were definitely some moments that just felt plain lazy. Quite frankly, I would bet good money that a few pages of that script just said “panicked nonsensical dialogue.” There was more than one occasion when I found my head shaking and mouthing “what?” at the screen. It’s a 90-minute movie, and I’m grateful they didn’t try to drag it out any longer. As is my style, I was more interested in siding with the “evil” lion. That dude was just plain hurt and misunderstood. Plus, humans kind of suck a lot of the time, and poachers suck basically all of the time! I like Elba and Copley as well as the two young actresses, but there just wasn’t a whole lot of meat on these bones for any of them. To me, this film is better saved for a watch at home when you’ve exhausted your “to watch” list. It’s OK, and that’s about the nicest thing I can say about it. Δ
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 4, 2022.