![]() ![]() Ah, if only all lions were this charming! If only all lions wanted to hug their oppressors! If only all lions weren’t, well, beasts.Īfter a series of mishaps and accidents land the foursome deep in murderous lion territory, “Beast” eventually adopts the pacing and twists of horror films. Martin, for all his apparent training in animal husbandry, can’t help himself when the group goes to visit a pride he helped raise, and he (quite literally) embraces a pair of male lions he’s known since birth ( big shades of this viral video). There’s also their “uncle” Martin (Sharlto Copley, playing the rare non-manic role), introduced as an “enforcer” for a local game reserve plagued by poachers, though the second whipsmart Norah mentions the concept of “anti-poachers,” it becomes clear just what Martin’s actual job is and why he’s so handy with a gun. The film’s first act offers plenty of details that will (obviously) come into play, like that there’s no wi-fi or cell service, or that Nate is a doctor, or that male lions are intent on protecting their prides at all cost (they’ll rip other lions “limb from limb” to do so!). (Both Kormákur and the audience have a ton of fun watching the big cat snatch baddies into the darkness with zero prejudice if only all of “Beast” was so darkly amusing.) No wonder he’s mad, no wonder he wants to kill, now if only his rampage wasn’t interrupted by - oops, oh no, there they are: a family of very nice and very stupid people. “Beast” opens deep in the South African savanna, as a group of clearly bad people/dumb poachers creep up on a majestic pride of lions in the dark of night, kill almost all of them, and then find themselves mercilessly picked off by the one survivor, a massive male who, frankly, has a point. ![]() Wait, is this animal terror movie actually pro-said animal menace? Sundance 2023 Movie Deals So Far: Daisy Ridley Drama 'Sometimes I Think About Dying' Lands at Oscilloscope 3' Review: These Intergalactic Weirdos Are the Real Heart of the MCUĢ023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Animated Program Where to Watch This Week's New Movies, from 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' to 'R.M.N.' It all goes back to the genius idea to pit Elba against a big cat, which Engle kicks off with a horrific feline origin story that can only inspire empathy toward the very angry, very large kitty. Hell, it’s not even a mark against director Baltasar Kormákur’s vision, which is often at its most compelling when the action-centric filmmaker dips his toes into horror territory. Nor is it a ding against the two talented young actresses (Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries) who play his daughters. That’s no diss on Elba, who remains one of our most charismatic and eminently watchable movie stars. And yet, for all of Engle’s inspired ideas on what a big-budget studio movie can be, he made one fatal mistake when building “ Beast”: somehow, when Idris Elba fights a lion, you’re going to end up rooting for the lion. There, screenwriter Ryan Engle (“Non-Stop,” “The Commuter”) found one. In a multiplex mad for the multiverse and fanatical for franchises, never forget the simple pleasures of a self-contained, high-concept pitch: Idris Elba fights a lion.
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