Warning: Some mild spoilers ahead! Idris often takes on his prolific roles as part of an ensemble cast; take some of his latest films, Thor: Love and Thunder, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and The Suicide Squad as some examples. Now, Beast shows him off in all his glory as he takes on the solo lead. Carrying the majority of the screen-time, Idris embodies the doctor-turned-fight-for-your-life-survival-mode-father in the highest of stakes and does a pretty good job at making you believe you’d have half a chance against an apex predator. Plus, one of the producers, Will Packer, already has a mix of films under his belt, from action comedy Ride Along, to Girls Trip, and even the gripping Roots miniseries. Put the dream team together, and you’ve got yourself a beast of a story (no, I’m not sorry). From slow shots leading up to the discovery of python coils, hanging bones, and even dead bodies, this extra slow buildup then climaxes into jam-packed action scenes, whether it’s Idris running for his life or the lion pouncing into the shot. The film has a lot of flair, and Kormákur does his best to keep you on the edge of your seat or shouting at the screen for your favorite character to run a little bit faster. He’s a charming and likable character who endures a tough, old ordeal throughout the film; plus, his intelligence and knowledge about the animals makes him a perfect contrast against our protagonist. In the end, though, Copley plays a fantastic role and one that brings you back down to earth after a sequence of action films, reminding you that if this was real life, it wouldn’t be quite so fun to play out. The pair bring a lot of heart into the action film, which raises the stakes even higher. Nate is on a mission to repair his relationship with his daughters, with Meredith harboring a lot of anger against her father for feelings that he deserted the family in a time of need, whilst Norah is a young and bright girl caught in the middle of the rifts. The daughters bring a really interesting dynamic to the film as we see these built-up feelings bubbling under the surface and exploding under the stressful environment, with the two even taking it upon themselves to find methods to survive. I mean, if being nearly killed by a lion doesn’t force you to have a heart to heart, what will? Idris Elba plays a recently widowed husband, Nate Samuels, who returns to South Africa, where he first met his wife. With his two teenage daughters and an old friend (and wildlife biologist) by his side, the group embark on a tour of the Mopani Reserve, only to be thrust into a fearsome fight for survival. The terror? A massive rogue lion who now sees all humans as the enemy after surviving an attack by blood-thirsty poachers. Seriously, if a film is going to follow the man vs. beast plot, then kudos to making it at least feel a little more realistic than say having to fight off giant spiders (no offense to Arachnophobia fans). It makes it all the more visually pleasing to watch, and I love it when the cast and crew head off to real places in order to get the best out of the film! Of course, visual effects were used to create the film’s principal rogue lion. Beast offers a mix of wide open spaces and contrasts this with tight claustrophobic framings of our characters, which really emphasize the peril they are in. One minute, you’re admiring the safari landscape, and the next, you see the lion from afar, tucked away near a cliff corner…both shots providing beauty whilst steadily upping the anticipation of danger. Kormákur spoke about how the lion was created using state-of-the-art CGI, but during the shoot, the team needed a physical version of the VFX lion as a visual reference for all of the actors and crew, so they had a stunt guy with a big hat that matched the size of the lion’s head. They would then shoot a scene with the stunt guy and then again without in order to get a clean version! Idris also spoke about the filming process with the stunt-guy turned lion and how he couldn’t stop laughing because the stunt performer would growl to get into character, even though sound was going to be added later! I’m all for how Beast approached creating the lion; it sounded like a lot of fun on set and the hard work paid off with how grand and realistic the lion felt. After all, the lion is only on his rampage because the humans attacked him and his family first, and it’s this part of the plot that encourages you to get a bit mixed up with who you’re rooting for. One second, you’re rooting for Idris to get away in time; the next, you’re kind of hoping the lion is going to pounce on the poachers! These mixed feelings are only made more prominent by how realistic the lion feels, in the way it looks and in the way it moves. Beast has an energetic and tense soundtrack that helps carry along the plot line, switching from lighter and softer tones to urgent and fast-paced sounds that truly build up the tension. At some points, the music and singers used even felt reminiscent of those iconic Gladiator echoes (not that I’m saying anything will ever be on the same level, but parts of the soundtrack gave me that same feeling). The fact that musician Sona Jobarteh featured across the soundtrack also only added to the authentic feeling, as she is the first female kora virtuoso from a west African griot family. From seeing a raided village and eerie shots of blood and bones, to Idris bolting for his life and then having to calmly trek through the waters without making a single sound, there’s lots of teeth-clenching moments that’ll get your heart rate up. It’s even better at times when the camerawork purposely puts you into the perspective of the characters, often seeing the lion from our main characters’ point of view. … It feels like the lion is coming for you and you’re the one who is trapped! The crew wanted to honor the region in terms of casting, and that’s why you can also hear some Venda spoken in the film (one of the languages spoken in the northeastern region of South Africa), and the actual town and location names used were real. The end result? Less Hollywood and more authenticity. Yes, please. Taking Sharlto’s character’s battle wounds as an example in which he slashed his leg open and had to cauterize his own wound to prevent bleeding out. It was apparently the prop created that made the scene all the more realistic. Sharlto was given a very fine needle in order to punch little hairs into the skin, and when the wound was cauterized, some of the hair got singed, making it look all the more real. The prop team also developed a system of rigs underneath the fake skin that would then pump out blood, showing the severity of Sharlto’s wounds being in line with one of the main arteries. I can’t be just speaking for myself on this one after how many times it has happened! But fear not, because Beast is a comfortable, jam-packed 93-minute film, and who really isn’t here for that in the age of ever-increasing lengthy films? Idris tussling with a lion? Check. Idris stabbing at it with a knife? Check. Idris getting beat to shit by giant claws and teeth? Check. Idris punching a lion with his bare hands? Wait…what? Yup, all it took was one final bare-knuckled blow to the lion for Idris to get back on his feet and let his plan for survival play out. This pretty unlikely and unrealistic turn of events was great fun to watch, though! I also couldn’t help thinking, do you think you’d survive a lion by throwing a punch? You can’t deny that these genre of films are made all the more (annoyingly) entertaining when the character’s make the riskiest of mistakes in their life-threatening situations. Beast has got you covered on this front, and you’ll be shouting at the TV for all of the following:
- Car windows being left open
- Walking into the bush totally unarmed
- Wandering off at absolutely pivotal, suspenseful moments
- Trying to reach your family by walkie talkie when you know they are going to be within a short distance of the lion (like, seriously?!) The list goes on, but if you’re not shouting, “What are you doing?!” when watching Beast, then you’re doing it all wrong. Beast is exactly what the trailer presents itself to be; one hell of a ride that isn’t going to keep you up all hours of the night knee-deep in conspiracy theories and BTS facts. Grab your popcorn, switch your brain off, and just enjoy the fun for what it is.
