Beast Movie Review

Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba), a grieving widower, takes his two daughters, Meredith and Norah Samuels (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries), on a journey to a game reserve in South Africa, where he and his wife had first met.

They meet an old family friend and wildlife biologist, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley).

Before they know it, their path is blocked by a malevolent and bloodthirsty lion ready to pounce on anyone standing in its way. The once tranquil trip is now an intense battle of resilience as they fight against the animal to make it out alive.

What's the Story About

Dr. Nate Daniels, played by Iris Elba, is a recently widowed father who takes his kids on a long-planned trip to South Africa, where he first met his wife, to a game reserve operated by Martin Battles, a seasoned family friend and wildlife expert (Sharlto Copley).

When a lion starts hunting them, however, what begins as a therapeutic outing suddenly turns into a horrific struggle for survival. This lion was formerly a vicious poacher's victim, and he now sees everyone as his enemy.

Release Date

The survival thriller "Beast," starring Idris Elba, will debut in Indian theaters on September 2. Based on Jaime Primak Sullivan's original concept, the Universal Pictures production was directed by Baltasar Kormakur, of "Everest" renown.

Leah Jeffries, Sharlto Copley, and Iyana Halley also have significant parts in the film, which also stars Elba as the main. In South Africa, Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba) is chased by a large rogue lion, and he must defend himself and his two teenage children.

Star Cast

In the forthcoming movie Beast, Idris Elba will play the major character of Dr. Nate Daniels. Elba, who has a wide range of acting credits and has been in movies like Hobbs and Shaw, The Dark Tower, Takers, and the Thor series, will undoubtedly be able to manage the demands of playing the protagonist.

Iyana Halley will portray Meredith Daniels, the 18-year-old daughter of Nate Daniels, and Leah Sava Jeffries will play Norah, the youngest daughter of Nate Daniels, who will appear with Elba. Sharlto Copley, a South African actor who plays Martin Battles, will play Martin Battles.

The picture will undoubtedly be of exceptional quality thanks to its renowned creative team and such a skilled ensemble.

Baltasar Korm�kur has a notable career as a director, having won the Discovery Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for his work on 101 Reykjav�k and a collection of Edda Awards for The Deep, which included the Best Film of the Year, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role distinctions. His latest offering is the movie Beast.

Highlights

The Lio

Although the lion is obviously computer-generated, the way it interacts with the setting and the characters is arguably one of the few parts in "Beast" where you can suspend disbelief. You could feel a little frightened by it because of the way it assaults people, how it appears out of nowhere, and just because it is there.

So much so that even while you are confident Nate and his children will survive, you might wonder if they will have all of their limbs.

Low Points

The Level You Have To Suspend Your Disbelief

The disbelief of the situation can be seen with respect to the weight of a male lion and how it generally ranges between 330-570 pounds. Idris Elba probably stands in at around 200 lbs, and 130 lbs for his children - especially Meredith - is far from realistic. It may be difficult to imagine the two of them successfully fighting off a lion with 400 pounds of muscle.

Furthermore, the implausibility of scenes such as Meredith fending it off with a few kicks to her assailant's face and Nate engaging in a fight with the Beast using only a knife while the lion pounces on him, hitting him with his paws, and seemingly almost getting a hold of his neck with its jaws, will likely leave anyone highly skeptical.

Review

Idris Elba fights a homicidal lion in Beast 2022, a plot that is both easy to understand and artificial. Thank goodness, that's all the film ever tries to be. It will undoubtedly go by the end of the year in a subgenre that has been putting man against nature for a lot longer than it has needed to. In spite of this, it's quite a relief to witness a movie that doesn't needlessly offer more than what its marketing promise.

The fact that it exudes the confidence of a much better film should be enough to excuse its aimlessness and blatant predictability.

This cinematic piece attempts to remain authentic in spite of having to offer the audience what they crave. Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba), Meredith (Iyana Halley), and Norah (Leah Sava Jeffries) are relatively unknown post their mother's passing away.

Hence, they journey to South Africa to investigate the town where she stayed. If some problem takes place on the safari, audiences may have similar feelings of confusion to the main characters - making the experience of watching much more realistic.

There isn't much in Beast that viewers won't see coming because there is a hungry lion on one side and a group of thirsty poachers on the other. Because there are only 93 minutes left, it doesn't spend much of that time worrying about the actual ecological issues the Samuel family faces as they fight for their lives. The movie's finest asset is that the battle for survival is intriguing enough.

On the other hand, Beast isn't really supposed to be a fable about messing with nature or the effects of death on household life. Idris Elba would have given just as outstanding of a performance even if it were, despite the fact that it wasn't the case. Elba successfully juggles his ingenuity and quick wit as a wildlife scientist with the remorse he felt over leaving his wife as she succumbed to illness, working alongside the similarly underappreciated Sharlto Copley as the Samuels' friend and safari guide Martin.

In this film, Idris Elba's portrayal of Samuels humanizes him and offers excitement for his last confrontation with the lion. Unlike his performances in Marvel, Fast Furious Presents: Hobbs Shaw (2019), and The Suicide Squad (2021), Elba does not bring an unearthly presence to his part but instead brings to life a believable character who is in doubt of his own abilities yet still puts effort into maintaining his role.

Idris Elba and director Baltasar Korm�kur have the assistance of a devoted team who are determined to take the premise seriously and guarantee that the motion picture does not lapse into being a cheesy 'B movie' like the notorious 1981 movie Roar. The production of Roar was troubled as it incorporated real wild animals which led to a number of cast and crew members being hurt. Beast has a rare level of aspiration, yet falls short of producing anything novel with its concept.

Korm�kur's prior work on the historically accurate Everest (2015) and Adrift (2018) make him a good fit for the job since he is adept at portraying a feeling of realism even in a scenario where the setup isn't quite typical for real life. In this sense, the work of the director of photography Philippe Rousselot is yet another pleasant surprise.

With several brilliantly designed long shots, the Academy Award winner manages to put the audience in the heart of the nightmare rather than just giving them a bird's eye perspective. This adds a welcome touch of elegance and complexity to the Samuels' frightful, frequently claustrophobic experience.

Unfortunately, how the lion is presented draws equal amounts of praise and ridicule; the visual portrayal is simple to impress since its coloring mixes in with the brightness of the day but less so because its artificiality jumps out in the deepest darkness of night.

What's worse is that Beast finally lets down its ravenous antagonist with a lackluster conclusion that stops the film's forward momentum. It is more than confusing, particularly in light of the fact that the movie delivers on its promise to throw two strong opponents against one another in a struggle to defend their turf before abruptly losing steam.

Were Real Lions used in Beast?

The plot of Baltasar Korm�kur's Beast centers on a father (Idris Elba) and his two children visiting an old friend (Sharlto Copley) in South Africa. Still, they soon run across a ferocious lion hungry for vengeance.

Enrik Pavdeja, the visual effects supervisor, and Framestore created all the computer-generated (CG) lions used in the movie. Framestore had to deal with a lot of lion/human contact, including a scene in which Copley's character cuddles a pride of lions and an Elba battle with the "Beast," in addition to a variety of construction issues on the digital lions. Additionally, some of the lion moments that filmmaker Korm�kur tried to portray as extended ones.

The majority of the movie was likely filmed on location in the end, with only a minor portion being shot in a studio, such as the nighttime driving sequences. They shot on site in the Northern Cape and Limpopo, which is close to Namibia's border.

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the movie, Elba's character takes a moment to absorb the fact that he has successfully defended those who were vulnerable and restored order to the area. His departure from the situation is comprised of a broad shot, giving the audience a feeling of resolution and the assurance that the area is now more secure.

Idris Elba exhibited remarkable acting capabilities in the grueling final scenes of this action-packed thriller that kept viewers on the edge of their seats throughout. With the combination of suspense, action, and a hefty portion of humanity, the movie culminated in an entertaining and satisfying conclusion.