Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Starring Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Jeffries and Sharlto Copley

Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s third survival film after bringing two true stories to screen; 2015s Everest and 2018s Adrift, has as reasonable an excuse as any to send its human bait over to its antagonistic mammals. 

Widowed father, Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) and his two teenage daughters, Meredith and Norah (played by Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries) travel to South Africa for a healing vacation after the passing of Nate’s wife. By travelling to the remote village where the girls’ mother was raised, Nate hopes to address some open wounds and reconnect as a family. Once there, they meet Martin (Sharlto Copley), an old family friend and wildlife biologist who escorts them to the village. The old quote ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you’ is savagely proven false once Martin, Nate and the girls discover the village has been left as a blood-soaked Savannah by a vengeful and extremely ravenous lion who has evaded a group of poachers.

Yes, Beast is disposable, predictable, and proudly B-grade. It’s also a roaring success. 

From the minute our human protagonists enter the lion’s den, there is hardly an idle moment. This film makes good use of its resources and its script is proactive at inventing scenarios that place the central characters in constant and imminent danger while forcing them to think outside the box when finding ways to survive. The pacing of these events is apt too, ensuring Beast maintains the suspense it locks in early. Another instrumental component to the movie upholding its suspense and towards its overall effectiveness is the camerawork employed, which features many long single takes. The digital creation of the lions is top-notch too. To me, they never looked obviously or overly digitally manufactured. While these are all important ticks, I suspect many people will be asking the question – is there a showdown between Idris Elba and the lion? I think it spoils nothing to say you bet, but just don’t expect it to be as jaw-dropping and frighteningly real as Leo DiCaprio V The Bear in The Revenant!

Beast is showing in cinemas across Australia from August 25th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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