Beast, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, is superior to most mid-August films. In slightly under 90 minutes, it realizes its wild-animal-gone-rogue notion. The seasoned director of photography Philippe Rousselot captures some breathtaking scenes of the South African bush. There is a powerful adversary that appears to be omniscient, unbreakable, and zealously vindictive. And yes, the sequence where Idris Elba punches a lion in the face in the trailer actually occurs in the film. Because the current MGM emblem is a strange-looking CGI rendition of a lion, it's simple to see Leo the Lion rolling his eyes in dismay.
Another movie that might have benefitted from the grungy old Universal logo from the 1970s appearing at the start is this one. It used to signal to spectators that joyful, cheesy mayhem was ahead. The bloodthirsty lion in "Beast" has enough of that; he can shoot down a whole gang of guys with AR-15s while still finding time to leap upon cars and reach through windows to swipe at human victims. The large cat isn't given a name in Ryan Engle's script, so let's call him Rory. Rory is on a quest to murder any human he comes across with severe cruelty since he is probably furious that poachers have killed all of his pride. Regarding how lions respond brutally when their pride is endangered, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley) refers to it as "the rule of the jungle." And this place alone has that legislation in effect.
South Africa is "about here," where Martin's ex-wife, Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba), grew up. He introduced the two, and their union resulted in the birth of their eldest daughter, Meredith, and two daughters, Norah (Leah Jeffries) (Iyana Halley). Meredith is a photographer, just like her mother. Tragically, Nate's ex-girlfriend passed away from cancer soon after their breakup, which caused Meredith to feel distant from the father she believes abandoned the family. In an effort to mend his connection with his children, Dr. Nate is taking them to the former home in the woods where their mother used to hang out. When Norah discovers there is no mobile phone coverage or Wi-Fi in the middle of nowhere, she remarks, "This is so back in the day."
The first scene of "Beast" shows the aforementioned poachers shooting down a pride of lions, then a quick sight of Rory carrying out the first of many assaults. We'll witness his job in greater brutal detail as the movie goes on, starting with the body of a wounded guy who stops Martin's Jeep in search of assistance. (He refers to Rory as the Devil.) When Martin visits a neighboring village in search of assistance, he finds the area covered with dismembered corpses. Martin informs Dr. Nate that "lions don't do this." One lion, however, does, and to demonstrate his point, Rory captures the Samuels inside their Jeep after forcing them to crash during the attack. This lion has undoubtedly seen "Cujo."
From this point on, "Beast" is entirely about Dr. Nate using all measures necessary to defend his girls. Given that at times it appeared as though Norah and Meredith were working closely with their predator, the task is a bit more difficult than one might anticipate. People frequently act foolishly in horror films in an effort to elicit viewer response, but this is over the top. They refuse Nate's orders to stay in the car each time. They leave at the worst possible times, well aware that Rory is waiting outside. The kids start honking the Jeep horn and trying to chat to their dad on the walkie-talkie as he is trying to secretly elude his adversary. The writing frequently lowers Jeffries and Halley to annoying antics in an attempt to build tension, despite the fact that they are both capable of conveying terror and courage (one sequence of revenge against their enemy is undoubtedly a crowd-pleaser).
It's important to note that both "Beast" and the more current, much superior movie, "Prey," convey the idea that hunters devastate the animal realm and suffer severely for it. They both explore sibling relationships and convey the idea that safeguarding one's family is the ultimate purpose of survival. Both movies' climactic showdowns revolve around the hero using what they know about their surroundings and the antagonist, but this one calls for a lot more suspension of disbelief. I was anticipating Bill Conti's "Rocky" theme to begin playing as Dr. Nate and Rory engage in their final mano-a-mano. There shouldn't be any more questions about Idris Elba's suitability to be the next James Bond if he can successfully battle lions on television.
This will work better with a crowd of boisterous fans of genre films, like the ones who used to frequent Times Square grindhouses and small-town second-run cinemas. I think people are looking for anything to make them cheer and rise up, something to divert them. "Beast" accomplishes that goal admirably. With threatening items that could or might not be Rory the Lion in the backdrop of his shots, Kormákur understands how to play with the viewers. Elba and Copley portray their characters realistically while maintaining awareness of the type of film they are producing.
Because of the aforementioned writing problems and some bizarre dream scenes with Dr. Nate's ex that resemble outtakes from Beyonce's "Black is King," I'm hesitant to strongly suggest "Beast." However, if this movie appeals to you, by all means, go. It doesn't linger too long, and the satisfyingly sudden yet unexpected finale is a pleasant surprise. At the very least, "Beast" offers the first instance I've encountered of a concept I'll refer to as "Chekhov's Lion." When you see it, you'll recognize it.
Now playing in theaters.
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