BEAST
Set in South Africa’s Mopani Game Reserve, Beast is director Baltasar Kormákur’s latest survival thriller, with a screenplay by Ryan Engle, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan. After the passing of his wife, widower Nate (Idris Elba) and his teenage daughters travel to South Africa for a well needed holiday. While staying with his old wildlife biologist friend Martin, the family find themselves caught in the middle of a savage lion’s path of revenge.
With an already strained relationship with his daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Sava Jeffries), Nate’s attempt to reconnect with them in his departed wife’s homeland is put to the test when the family’s safari goes terribly wrong. After discovering an entire village laid waste by the lion, Nate, his daughters and Martin are pushed to their limits by the stalking apex predator. The film plays out similarly to Jaws – with the ever-looming danger of the lion present, and the open ocean swapped out for the equally isolating sprawling landscapes. It’s enough to keep you on the edge of your seat – especially given as disasters are director Kormákur’s specialty.
Idris Elba takes the lead in Beast, and does so with his usual commanding presence; playing a protective father who will do anything for his daughters. In stark comparison, Sharlto Copley stars as Martin, who comes off as quite frantic next to Elba’s typical stoic facade. Halley and Jeffries as Nate’s daughters give a convincing performance, effectively showing the broken and tension-laden relationship they have with their father, and the resentment they harbour after their mother’s death. Further emphasising this tension is Kormákur’s sweeping shots that constantly build upon the importance of the family’s fight for survival.
While this B-Grade film is predictable at the best of times, and tends to lend itself to some bizarre and completely unrealistic moments, Beast is still a decent thriller from start to finish. What it lacks in twists and turns, it makes up for in entertaining moments, typical of Baltasar Kormákur’s style. Beast is out in cinemas 25 August, so quit lion around and catch it soon.