Beast

This weekend, Beast, a new Idris Elba thriller, was released into theaters. Beast follows Nate (Idris Elba) and his two daughters as they journey into the African plains on an exclusive Safari. However, the safari turns awry when the family finds themselves hunted by a rogue lion trying to prove that he is the dominant animal.

This movie does exactly what it set out to do which is deliver a fast-moving edge-of-your-seat thriller. The movie itself is entertaining enough. I never found myself bored throughout the film and felt a certain level of suspense from beginning to end. The basic story is very Jaws-esqe with a killer animal on the loose targeting humans. The characters have enough depth to them that you are invested in their relationship and don't want them to die. The setting is really cool with a lot of shots of the African Plains and animals. In the end, the film did its job. If you are wanting to see Idris Elba fight a lion, you won't be disappointed.

Now while this movie is entertaining and exciting, that does not make it good. While I compared the premise itself to Jaws, the logic and idea of the lion being out for revenge is definitely more at the level of Jaws 4. Overall, the premise is pretty dumb. The whole idea of a lion's pride being killed and it wanting to get revenge is just ridiculous. Also, the actions of the lion are completely devoid of logic, as I don't think a real lion would just travel out of his territory just to hunt down a single man. However, that kind of lapse in logic I can get past as that is just kind of what you get in these types of movies. The main issue is that the characters are constantly making stupid decisions that put them in danger or do not serve any benefit whatsoever. Characters are constantly leaving the safety of their car, going on their own, or just making noise to attract attention. The daughters are particularly annoying as they are constantly doing things that put themselves or others at risk or are just whining and complaining. Had they come up with legitimate reasons for the characters to have to leave the car or go off on their own then I could buy into the story a bit more. But they make just too many dumb choices that you just can't help to shake your head.

Overall, this is an entertaining enough film that will never make you bored though is completely devoid of any logic and has a ridiculous premise. This is a perfect example of a junk food movie. It is not great cinema but it is entertaining and gave exactly what I wanted out of it. If you are in the mood for a dumb turn-off your brain monster movie, then this is the film for you.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C Recommendation: Wait for it to go on streaming