Beast 2022 is a lion attack movie set in the Savanna. The poster and promotion of the production were very effective upon its release. The trailer proposed a hulking lion with some kind of revenge plot in mind all while stalking and hunting a family. There aren’t enough big-budget creature feature movies to keep me satiated and if you’re looking for something to watch, this ticks most of the boxes.
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (Jar City and 2 Guns), the story comes from the minds of Jaime Primak Sullivan (Breaking In) and Ryan Engle (Rampage.) To be fair they have all tried to please everyone all at once. Collaboratively there is drama, a backstory, and legitimately good reasons for everyone to be where they are at any given time. However, all these things in combination don’t add up to a stellar cinematic event.
Beast Movie Review
The way Beast forcefully injects family drama into the storyline is as aggressive as our menacing lion devouring an entire village. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy. There are appropriate times and places to assign blame within a family dynamic, but being trapped in a crashed car with a lion on the loose is certainly not one of them. Despite Dr. Nate’s valid reasons for taking his kids on a safari, their actions in the face of danger defy all logical reasoning. Alongside characters frequently wandering off alone, “Beast” embodies the concept of one-upmanship. Just because the lion ate that guy… doesn’t mean the lion will eat me, seems to be a common mentality.
More than once I likened scenes to excellent horror movies like “Cujo” and equally “Jaws”. I thought about Cujo when comparing the film’s narrative formula with Beast. Both featured people trapped in cars that contained a whole family. Cujo was a better movie than The Reef, especially seeing that it was made in 1983. That iconic rabid dog film holds up pretty well. And taking from the Jaws movie ending, there is something to be said about blowing things up that subsequently don’t end up dead the first time. Whether or not the latter is a complaint, I’m not sure but there are some pretty tough creatures in movies.
And don’t get me started on Dr. Nate’s ability to evade injury while the lion tried to get to him while he was hiding under the car. Like, please. That cat would’ve been having a Dr. Nate kebab quicker than a drunk in the city. This is a creature feature that never really embraces the realism required to elevate the tension here.
Beast 2022 Rogue Lion Final Thoughts
Overall, the well-intentioned horror movie is not a waste of time. While many took to the internet to tout their long list of gripes with this title, there is one I don’t agree with. On IMBd.com alone, there were loads of people hating on CGI. I thought this aspect of the movie was particularly well executed. The visual and special effects were top notch and I just wished I’d seen “Beast” at the cinema.
This review for the Beast movie contains mild spoilers. With an R-rating, I would have liked a lot more violence and carnage but if you’re looking for a creature feature with mild horror elements, the Beast movie might tick some creature feature boxes.
For morefeature films with animals, watch Crocodile Vengeance | Creep Show Holiday Special (Werewolf horror) | Critters (Science Fiction Monsters) or Red Billabong (Bunyip horror) next.
Beast 2022 Cast
Casting featured both high-quality characters and some not-so-quality ones, but performance-wise, they all did great. The cast includes
- Liyabuya Gongo
- Martin Munro
- Daniel Hadebe
- Idris Elba
Beast 2022 Trailer
Beast 2022 is rated
3.5 There are worse ways to spend your time out of 5
Beast Movie – Where to Stream
Need to watch the Beast movie as soon as possible. Find your country’s streaming, rental, or buy options for the Beast movie below.
Beast is streaming on:
