Beast (2022)

Score: 4.5 / 5

I love killer animal movies. There's something deeply satisfying about the genre of horror that covers survivalism -- every few years there's another A-lister alone on a mountain or in the ocean fighting to stay alive against all odds -- and a significant subset of that is survival against killer animals. It allows survival tropes to brush up against a good old-fashioned monster movie, as the animals are usually somehow exceptional. Shark movies usually have rogue sharks stalking their prey or even setting traps, the piranhas are scientifically enhanced or prehistoric, crocs that are too large or too active, bears killing for sport rather than defense or instinct, spiders of insane size or unusual numbers. This stuff just comes with the territory. But a killer lion is somewhat unusual in the subgenre; 2020's Rogue is the only one that comes to my mind, though its special effects leave a lot to be desired, after the more dramatic adventure vibes of The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). Mammals in general are risky to villainize in horror films because they are often so beloved by children. Despite "bad" animals of the same species (often in the same movies), who wants to see Brother Bear or The Lion King before something like Backcountry or, well, Beast?

The latest feature from Baltasar Kormákur (Everest), Beast is already one of my favorite killer animal movies. Partly due to the novelty of the idea, yes, but also due to Kormákur’s undeniably effective handling of the material. We're in and out in about 90 minutes, and it's an adrenaline rush right from the start. Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (whose work is so extensive and generally excellent I'll just give you the briefest list of my favorites of his: Dangerous Liaisons, Interview with the Vampire, Big Fish, Lions for Lambs, Beautiful Creatures) really outdoes himself here, capturing the South African locations with special attention to golden hour hues as well as several very long takes often in the middle of extraordinarily realized action. I can't stress enough how effective this technique is in general but especially in stories about survival/endurance; it's also practically insane to pull off in films with so many special effects and live stunt work.

Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) arrives in South Africa with his two daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries). Their vacation has brought them to Nate's late ex-wife's childhood home, in a protected wildlife region of some 20,000 square miles. Did you catch that? After his separation from his wife, she died of cancer, causing angry tension between Meredith (who is very like her mother) and Nate, who is hoping to repair their relationship before it's too late (read: before college). They reunite with Martin (Sharlto Copley), who grew up with her in South Africa, who introduces them to the setting and its lack of cell service and wi-fi. See where this might be going? Before long, they set off on safari, with Meredith snapping shots of the landscape and wildlife as they go, even stopping once to meet a pride of lions with whom Martin is apparently quite friendly. One is injured, though, causing Martin no small amount of concern.

When a maimed man stumbles into their path, warning of "the devil" in the brush, Martin takes them to a nearby village for help. Upon arrival, they discover the entire village slaughtered. Martin is sure lions couldn't have done this, but the claw marks and bite wounds tell a slightly different story. As they try to get back to civilization, they are attacked by an enormous male lion that ends up trapping them in their vehicle dangling precariously over a cliff. They're nearly clueless about what is happening or why, and as the hot sun burns down on them, their chances for survival steadily wane. Martin goes off looking for the beast and winds up grievously injured in a swamp where, surely, crocs and snakes aren't far. Nate tries desperately to keep his daughters safe by any means necessary, against which Meredith invariably rebels, often causing more problems as she wanders away from the Jeep. As in too many horror films, it's hard not to get frustrated by the stupidity of the girls, but thankfully their annoying behaviors only really happen a handful of times. Most of the action is properly exciting, enhanced by a camera that locks in on its target and follows usually one character at a time through a given scene, such as when Nate explores a remote church/school outpost for medical supplies.

There is a prologue that provides a backstory for the lion in question: we open at night in the grassland as a group of poachers slaughters a whole pride of lions. Well, almost the whole pride. We hear one particular male lion rustling in the brush before a quick glimpse of him attacking the poachers. This ends up as the antagonizing lion in our story proper, apparently determined to kill any human in its territory. Is it revenge, or is it a reaction to trauma? It doesn't really matter, because it's a bloodthirsty lion either way, and our heroes are in quite a pickle. Martin at one point grimly attributes the behavior to "the law of the jungle," which is neither reassuring nor strictly accurate, unless he's equating poachers to violent animals as well. (Which, SPOILER ALERT, he totally is, and the revelation that Martin himself hunts and kills poachers is easily the most stunning beat of the film.)

And then there's the extremely satisfying ending of this film, which is not unlike the ending of The Shallows. It's the sort of balls-out hardcore action we always want in these killer animal movies and only rarely get; thanks to excellent -- and I mean excellent -- cinematography, editing, and VFX -- these kinds of showdowns will hopefully become a bit more common. There was some hullabaloo after the trailer was released due to Idris Elba punching a lion, but I tell you now that when the moment actually arrives in context of the film, it is immensely satisfying. Their final fight is indeed mano a mano, or rather mano a paw, and its intensity matches (if not exceeds) a similar scene with a bear early in The Revenant. The camera and lighting pull you in to the scene, not allowing you to escape or look away; the sound mixing and editing push into your ears until you're squirming in your seat. Or at least I was! There's just nothing like Beast out there, and it's magnificent. Sure, there are a few weird dream sequences that look like promo shots for a Beyoncé visual album, but if those were excised, the film would be flawless to my eyes.