The monster film genre has seen many ferocious beasts grace the silver screen over the course of the film industry. The ones based on real-life animals, however, seem to have resonated the most with audiences as I can comfortably say I avoid the ocean thanks to the likes of ‘Jaws’. The new film by Director Baltasar Kormákur, with a simple but impactful title ‘Beast’ sees the King of the jungle show us where they got their nickname from. Produced by Universal Pictures, this action/thriller set in the Mopani game reserve in South Africa shows how deadly stepping off the beaten path can be.

Starring Idris Elba as Dr. Nate Samuels returning to the land and home his wife grew up, with his two daughters at his side, for a sorely needed vacation. Leah Jeffries as the younger sister, Norah, offers an endearing and relatable outlook on life as she adjusts to the culture shock of the savannah. Clad in streetwear far from suitable for the environment she was in, showed how her older sister Meredith, played by Iyana Halley, was a few steps ahead of her in maturity. Their vacation wasn’t without its complexities though as Nate seemed to be clutching at straws to keep the girls’ spirits up over more than just how hot the weather was.

One of my personal favourite actors, Sharlto Copley, was there to greet his old friend and welcome the sisters with open arms the moment they got off the plane. As an experienced Biologist and Game reserve manager, Martin had a confident swagger about him as he toured the visitors around his stomping ground with a blend of traditional tribal-influenced instrumentals to set the mood.

It also gave an opportunity to peel back the curtain on their mother’s past and reveal this trip as a means to reconnect the sisters with their father after they lost their mother to sickness. Due to the long take scenes, we were able to let them bumble through a disconnected conversation in real-time as Nate would attempt to break down the walls that had been built.

The cinematography was the real hero of this film, as I just mention, there were consistently impressive long takes that not only allowed for the characters to work through a scene in real-time but would follow the flow of the scene as well. Certain scenes would circle the insides of a vehicle and then come through the window without a single cut. The composers were able to use the silence to their advantage and never had to ram home the heart-thumping beats in the tense scenes. I was desperately on the lookout for hidden wipe cuts and was teased multiple times only to reveal the scene was continuing. Pairing this with the jaw-dropping CGI work that showcased every little muscle twitch and strand of hair on the lion’s mane, there was hardly a moment that didn’t impress.

There was certainly a lot of care that went into creating the atmosphere of the beautiful yet harsh terrain they were in. Poachers had a brief showing at the start of the film, disrupting the environment, and picking off the lionesses that have clearly upset the pride leader. For every step in the right direction though, there were almost two steps back, as they seemed to see how far they could push my suspended disbelief. For some reason, a 190kg Lion was able to pick off a poacher that are feet apart without making a sound or anyone noticing. I am all for a bit of extreme circumstances, the thoughts that concerned me were the Lion would fluctuate from a stealthy mastermind of a predator to a clumsy and sometimes oblivious beast.

The majority of the film focused on a central location as they attempted to survive through the night in a crashed 4WD. Their response to the ongoing barrage of the hell-bent Lion did come off as a genuine response as each character faced various levels of shock, adrenaline, and uncontrollable fear. As one character would withdraw into themselves, the next one had to step up, even when they would put themselves in needlessly dangerous situations and continue to draw attention to themselves. The hardest concept to grip was how little injury they would sustain from the furious swipes that would be able to eviscerate the poachers that turned up for a finale but short-lived hooray.

With a relatively short run time, I was conflicted as the individual extended scenes maintained tension and only offer a chance to catch your breath during the dream sequences Nate continued to face throughout the film. I didn’t feel like there was a significant payoff to that particular subplot, however, and there were several potential subplots that arise, only to be squashed immediately afterwards. It was almost a Schrodinger cat situation; the pace was both adequately spaced out for characters to deal with a situation yet rushed enough to eliminate any real satisfying conclusion.

The king of the jungle proved himself as a brutal and nightmare-inducing beast, as long as you come equipped with a loose grip on your disbelief. Characters came to life through impressive cinematography that required determination and focus from all actors. Despite the shortcomings, there is still plenty to take away from how the film was put together and quite a few set pieces to be proud of.

Written by: Shane Fletcher