REVIEW: BEAST

3.5/5

Beast Of No Pride.

93 Mins. Starring: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries & Sharlto Copley. Director: Baltasar Kormákur. 

Roaring on to big screens, between the summer blockbuster season and the fall of Oscar drama to come, is 'Beast' starring should-have-been Academy Award winner for Netflix's 'Beasts Of No Nation' Idris Elba. It's 'Luther' vs. the lion, no cage, nor witch, nor wardrobe could contain (no matter how many tweed overcoats are in there). Or should it be Bond (check the latest episode of LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company 'The Shop' for more whilst Elba rages and raves about this 'Beast')? Either way, an inspired Idris gets shaken and stirred by the pride of one lion gone rogue, no critic could maul. Slashing him worse than DiCaprio in the bear necessities of 'The Revenant' in this Predator vs. 'Prey' movie that welcomes you back to the real jungle of monster movies for your big budget. 

Marvel at the CGI that goes overtime on the special effects and truly pays off, not skimping on the costs. No need to claim any green screen or white dot difficulty for your silver screen spectacle. But this survival of the Idris tale is more than just one of man and beast. The whole family is involved. Reminding us of when the brilliant Blake Lively hit new depths in the shark tale of 'The Shallows'. Matching beau Ryan Reynolds being 'Buried' alive on his own solo acting survival. Those surfing shallows, bringing us back to the tide that 'Jaws' changed for the modern blockbuster, with something in the water. Forgetting all those sorry sequels that came after. Because the true one was 'Jurassic Park', that this film also finds inspiration in, via vehicular manslaughter flipped on its head. Trucking, with amazing action and suspension (and we're not just talking about the car) that's as seriously earned as all the emotion. 

Spielberg always said his animalistic movies like ones concerning Great White's and T. rex's were always about humans in metaphor, like a Stephen King horror. And this one is no spiel either when it comes to the heart of this matters in this family drama where the real survival lies. One that would be masquerading as a thriller, if it wasn't so tense and terrifying, that it couldn't be anything but a movie mix of genres like the terrific tundra of 'The Mountain Between Us' and Kate Winslet. Although, you should never trust her when it comes to ice and life preservers. 

Elba engrosses audiences as always, with his charismatic charm and bruised vulnerability, hiding behind a mask only a fellow who has been in the same struggle can see. But it's the family affairs of the heart that really touch a nerve. More searing than the sharpest claw in your back. Director Baltasar Kormákur ('2 Guns') knows all about this. He directed the epic 'Everest' if you want to talk about mountains. He knows how or build beautiful backstory, too, that makes you really care about the characters and the stakes he raises. And you're really going to care for breakout talents Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, who have already made their mark. Serving up the best sister act since Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as the Williams siblings in 'King Richard'. Ready to ace the Academy. Genuine talent has no baseline. 

And if that wasn't enough (we had you at Idris). Everyone's favourite character actor (especially Neill Blomkamp's) Sharlto Copley ('District 9', 'Elysium') is game for this South African reserve drama that holds nothing back. Especially the beautiful bond between lion and man in this movie's tamer and tender moments. Amongst copious roles, this is one of Copley's compelling best. Nuanced and not just narrative driven. There's more than meets the eye test, or snares you into this film's tense trappings as bait. 

Ambushing us and poaching you with human moments in-between the meat of the cat action, 'Beast' growls in your face with more intensity than Bill Murray hawking whiskey. And as nightfalls and machine guns from the wrong men come out, you know this wounded animal is at its most dangerous. But backed into a corner, widowed without a wife, nothing is more powerful than someone taking care of his own. And nothing can tranquillize that. Reconnecting after all the estrangement in some haunting fever dream sequences that stalk the senses of our stranded lead like the animal in question. And that what makes this lion, amongst all the tigers and bears (oh my!), King. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'Jaws', 'Jurassic Park', 'The Shallows'.