★1/2 (one and a half stars)
Universal Pictures 2022
Adventure/ Drama/Horror
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
A pedestrian thriller about a demon lion, (CGI – computer-generated imagery), turned bad by the poachers. The lion becomes a danger to everyone who encounters it. All this takes place in South Africa where the lion strikes terror among the villagers.
After his ex-wife dies, Doctor Nate Daniels (Idris Alba), an American, takes his two daughters, thirteen-year-old Norah (Leah Sava Jeffries) and eighteen-year-old Meredith (Iyana Halley), on a hunting expedition to the village where his ex-wife was raised. It is Nate’s chance to see his old friend, wildlife biologist Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley).
The next day, Nate and his two daughters go on a safari with Martin. They are shocked to see a village destroyed, along with bodies and injured villagers lying around. The daughters, who believe their dad had abandoned their sick mother, become upset because they feared he would abandon them. Dad, however, reasons he can restore their trust in him if he can protect his daughters from the rogue lion.
However, Nate fighting the lion barehanded is not only inconceivable but is tomfoolery. Idris Alba (Beasts of No Nation [2015], Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom [2013], Thor [2011], American Gangster [2007], 28 Weeks Later [2007], Sometimes in April [2005]) usually is a sure thing on the big screen, but here he is uncharacteristically insipid and unremarkable. Beast is a farce that should have gone straight to video.
Cast: Idris Alba (Dr. Nate Samuels), Leah Sava Jeffries (Norah Samuels) , Iyana Halley (Meredith Samuels), Sharlto Copley ( Martin Battles), Tafara Nyatsanza (Banji), Ronald Mkwanazi (Mutende), Thabo Rametsi (Jersey), Chris Gxalaba (Chipo), Mduduzi Mavimbela (Poacher Mizozi), Kazi Khuboni (Pilot), Chris Langa (Specs), Daniel Hadebe (Abduya).
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Screenwriters: Ryan Engle, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan
Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot
Music: Steven Price
Running time: 93 minutes. (R)
