Beast is a 2022 survival thriller film directed by Baltasar Kormákur from a screenplay by Ryan Engle, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan. Kormákur is no stranger to hard-hitting films, previously directing the survival thriller Everest (2015), as well as the action thriller 2 Guns (2013) starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. On the writing side, Engle previously penned the screenplays for Non-Stop (2014), as well as three action thrillers in 2018, including The Commuter, Rampage, and Breaking In.

A recently widowed husband returns to South Africa, where he first met his wife, on a long-planned trip with his two young daughters to a game reserve managed by an old family friend and fellow wildlife biologist. Soon a ferocious, man-hunting lion begins attacking them and devouring anyone in its path.

The film stars Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Riley Keough.

Beast made its debut in theaters on August 19th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

Beast sort of snuck up on me when the first trailer released, but anything with Idris Elba will always catch my attention. Plus I love a good survival thriller as much as the next person, maybe even a bit more. I am also a big fan of the seemingly underrated South African native Sharlto Copley, who stars alongside Elba. If you haven’t seen Copley’s mesmerizing performance in the sci-fi thriller District 9, you need to. The trailer for Beast was pretty much perfect, appealing to fans of the classic summer movie that begs to be seen in theaters. So naturally, I made my way over to the theater to see if it was in fact worth the price of admission. Now that I’ve appealed to your curiosity, keep reading to find out what I thought!

Beast is a very enjoyable, tense, and well-acted survival thriller. Now it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or anything which is fine of course, and I’ll talk about my issues with the film later, but I won’t be spending to much time trying to pick apart what is a fairly straight forward film. The initial allure for me was the setting, and it did not disappoint. It is absolutely beautiful. I don’t know about you, but I have always imagined how cool it would be to go on a real African safari, and Beast is as close as I have been able to get to that reality. I’d prefer to skip the survival thriller element of my safari if possible. I really liked how seamless the story felt in terms of why the characters landed in the situation they find themselves in, and I also really appreciated the emotional element of the film.

Aside from the setting, the other primary strength of the film which was yet another draw for me was the cast. Idris Elba is easily one of the best actors of our generation, even if he may not get the recognition of the Tom Cruise’s or Brad Pitt’s of the world. Elba is a very versatile actor, and tends to shine when he plays very intense and dramatic roles, which is a testament to his intimidating presence. I thought he was amazing in the Netflix original film The Harder They Fall, which Andrew reviewed a few months back (full review here). He plays a fairly complex character in Beast, having to navigate the death of his estranged wife while doing his best to raise the two daughters they share together. I thought his character had great depth, and his performance in general was top notch. Acting alongside Elba was South African native Sharlto Copley, who plays a longtime close friend to both Elba’s character and his late wife. I really enjoyed Copley’s character, and the fact that he plays such an important role in the film. Although they struggled at times, I did really like Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries as Elba’s daughters. Screenwriter Ryan Engle and Jaime Primak Sullivan are able to team up to provide an engaging and impactful story to give viewers the substance they need.

The technical elements of Beast are fantastic as expected. I have touched on the South African setting several times, but it allowed for some eye-popping cinematography compliments of a collaborative effort between Philippe Rousselot and Baltasar Breki Samper. Pulling equal weight was the soundtrack from Steven Price, helping to infuse each and every action scene with just enough adrenaline to keep audiences nervous and engaged. The film also touches on a backstory of Elba’s late wife being a great photographer, allowing the film the opportunity to tie that in to the great setting and also develop that as a story arch with her connection to her daughters.

As as as the lions themselves, man they did some cool things here. We are treated to a pretty incredible scene involving Copley’s character and a few of the real-life animal actors early on, but our attention is soon diverted to that of the films primary antagonist, a seemingly hell bent on revenge killer lion. Now at times it feels over-the-top of course, but man did they do one heck of a job with the CGI and special effects. The lion is absolutely terrifying, and never once felt cheesy as far as the special effects. They crafted a very formidable foe.

THE BAD

I really don’t have many issues with Beast because as far as survival thrillers go, mainly because I felt like in general it did what it needed to do. But, as you can probably imagine a few of the more intense action sequences feel very over the top. Now that isn’t to say they aren’t entertaining, but as badass as Idris Elba may be I doubt he is lasting very long while engaged with a lion hell bent on ripping his throat out. I thought the acting was very good overall but the supporting cast, primarily the two playing the daughters of Elba, struggled with believability during some of the more dramatic scenes. I won’t harp on that too much mainly because it wasn’t detrimental to the film, and acting alongside two greats in Elba and Sharlto Copley is no easy task.

THE VERDICT

Edge-of-your seat entertaining and beautifully shot thanks to the stunning South African setting, Beast is a well crafted survival thriller that benefits from two top-tier lead actors in Idris Elba and Sharlto Copley. The chemistry between Elba and Copley is undeniable, and their performances alone made the film worth it for me. I thought Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries did a nice job as Elba’s daughters, but as I mentioned his acting talent is difficult to match during some of the more dramatic scenes. Beast doesn’t necessarily do anything new and groundbreaking, but it still has one of the more intriguing storylines as far as survival thrillers go and does a great job getting viewers invested. Plus, at just an hour and 30 minutes, the film flies by and makes for an experience well worth revisiting. If you enjoy the genre and can appreciate great cinematography, Beast is well worth checking out in theaters,