ReelBob: ‘Beast’ ★★½

By Bob Bloom

The new action-thriller “Beast” is an arranged marriage between “The Ghost and the Darkness” and an African version of “Jaws.”

The story is basic: In South Africa, a group of poachers kills a pride of lions, but only wounds the alpha male who escapes. It quickly begins attacking the men who slaughtered his family.

Frankly, who can blame him?

Unknowingly entering this situation is Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) who, with his daughters, Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries), have come to South Africa, where Daniels had met his wife, who, a year earlier, had died of cancer.

They have come to visit Samuels’ friend, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), who oversees a game preserve.

The death of Samuels’ wife fractured the family. Meredith, who insists on being called Mer, is the oldest. She is angry with her father, accusing him of abandoning her mother and his daughters.

The younger Norah is more conciliatory, though still in pain.

At times, “Beast” pushes your suspension-of-belief button (think Elba punching the lion as he fights for survival) but maintains a decent modicum of tension.

For large portions of this 90-minute film, Samuels and his daughters are trapped in their vehicle with the lion jumping all over it and smashing windows in attempts to kill the humans.

Interestingly, he is not hunting them for food — as was the shark in “Jaws” or the killer lions in “The Ghost and the Darkness.” The beast is seeking revenge — retribution for the murders committed by other humans.

I guess to a lion, all humans look — and smell — alike.

What is interesting about the movie, directed by Baltasar Kormákur (“Everest”), is that he allows you to understand and accept the lion’s murderous ferocity. You actually feel some sympathy for the beast.

But you also have empathy for the Samuels family and Battles, who tracking the lion after it attacks them, is badly mauled. They are innocent victims — in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Much of what happens in “Beast” is foreshadowed and predictable. Still, the movie, despite some static sequences, is nicely paced.

There are a few head-scratching moments. For example, Samuels and the girls are able to take refuge in an old, abandoned school, but stupidly fail to close the doors behind them, allowing the angered king of beasts easy access.

The lion is shot, tranquilized and burned, but, like a jungle-raised Michael Myers, keeps on coming.

The performances are all solid, with Copley getting a rare chance to perform heroics.

Elba’s Samuels is strong yet vulnerable, doing all he can to protect his daughters and make up for earlier failures as a father and a husband.

Halley and Jeffries are bickering, smart-ass and hurt teenagers who, in a life-and-death situation, are able to remain focused and work together.

The movie’s finale is telegraphed and easily discerned by wise filmgoers.

“Beast” is an entertaining movie. It offers some goofy moments that may make you chuckle or shake your head in disbelief, but mostly it is a solid and enjoyable feature.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com

BEAST
2½ stars out of 4
(PG-13), bloody images, disturbing violence, language