Blonde

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Blonde is a very surrealist biopic that examines the life of Marilyn Monroe; specifically the tragedies she experienced. I really liked how this film presented the idea of Marilyn's dual sense of self, her relationship with her own sense of identity. There is a big aspect of this film that questions the divide between Norma Jeane and Marilyn Monroe, which I found very fascinating to see played out. Marilyn Monroe almost consumed Norma Jeane by the end of the film and I found that to be a very interesting take on this particular individual. I also felt that there was a fair level of condemnation of how Hollywood abused Marilyn, worse than this there is a theme of wider condemnation for the sexual abuse that has too often been swept under the rug in the film industry.

 

This film has a very scattered and varied visual style that I found unique; the unexpected ways this film was presented to us really served a story that made us question the reality of Marilyn Monroe. I loved that throughout sequences the aspect ratio, the style of filming could all change at the drop of a hat. The film never adhered to one moment of style, instead choosing to leave you guessing but almost always picking the boldest visual. The way colouring in a scene could jump from black and white to oversaturated lighting was very intriguing, even how in focus a camera was served this approach.

 

Julianne Nicholson, who played Gladys, starts this film off extremely powerfully; Nicholson is a volatile figure who is entirely unpredictable and wild in her scenes. Evan Williams and Xavier Samuel, who played Eddy Robinson Jr. and Cass Chaplin respectively, are very charismatic indivudals who share great chemistry with de Armas; I found Samuel especially to be quite a poignant and reflective performance. 

 

However, the best performance came from Ana de Armas, who played Norma Jeane. This actress is one of my current favourite performers who I'm really enjoying see step into larger parts. Films like Knives Out, Blade Runner 2049 and No Time To Die have cemented de Armas as an actress with a lot of talent and range. Thus far 2022 has seen her in films that have really not given her much opportunity to showcase her talent, features such as Deep Water or The Gray Man. Yet watching this performance highlighted to me why de Armas is so compelling as a lead performer. From the moment she enters the frame de Armas presents Marilyn as this jovial presence wanting to impress, she has an intellect and confidence that dwindles in the assertiveness of others. You watch de Armas start a scene filled with pure happiness and she can be entirely beset into racking sobs by the scenes end. The journey de Armas can take herself on emotionally is chameleon-like, she immerses herself in this role entirely. She brings a light, breezy air to Marilyn; she feels almost ethereal with her delivery. Yet when the film wants Marilyn to break, or launch into outbursts or wrestle with her sense of self you get these heavy punches of emotion. The portrayal of a psyche so changed by years of abuse and neglect is very intricate and respectfully performed by de Armas. This might be far from the best film Ana de Armas has ever been in but she fights tooth and nail to do justice by Marilyn Monroe in her portrayal.

So where does Blonde go wrong? Well from a tone perspective I often appreciate if a film that is three hours long can develop a more multi-faceted approach to storytelling. Blonde is a tragic film that defines Marilyn Monroe by her tragedies and never by her successes or moments of joy. It really reduced the role for me and gave the entire feature quite a two-dimensional take. I was really disappointed that from the second act onwards Marilyn's character was essentially comprised of her issues with her absent father, her history with sexual abuse and her three miscarriages. The very essence of who Marilyn Monroe was became more about the times she was a victim and less about who she was as a person. I really felt the writer failed to grasp something real, instead choosing to cast this more perverted lens over Marilyn Monroe's life to make the film seem provocative. I was largely a fan of the varied visual style but there is no denying that sitting with it for as long as you do becomes somewhat jarring after a time. I was especially surprised that they even included a 9:16 aspect ratio smartphone shot in one scene. The film looked like a film school graduate's attempt to make something very experimental and out there, but there did need to be a little more consistency than there was. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' score was immediately forgettable; often warbling in the background and absent in the scenes that would have benefitted from an emotional score the most.

Lily Fisher, who played Young Norma Jeane, is a young performer who is clearly still developing her skill; Fisher's overly earnest portrayal just doesn't hit the emotional stakes her scenes require. Dan Butler, who played I.E. Shinn, gives a very muted performance; Butler's mousey and meek demeanour doesn't fit the power dynamic his character has with de Armas' Marilyn. Toby Huss, who played Whitey, is a little strange as far as side performances go; I never really bought Huss as a best friend/confidante to de Armas. Bobby Cannavale, who played The Ex-Athlete, doesn't ever feel very present in this feature; Cannavale's stoic delivery lacks the initial charm required. Adrien Brody, who played The Playwright, gives a remarkably hollow performance; you could have told me his character lacked personality and I would believe you. Caspar Phillipson, who played The President, is just here to play a sexed up brutish version of JFK; there's looking the part and then there's playing the part which I think Phillipson missed here.

I went into this film with very little understanding of Marilyn Monroe and I feel I came out with less. I would give Blonde a 4.5/10.

 

DC League Of Super-Pets

This review may contain spoilers!

 

DC League Of Super-Pets is an animated adventure in which a depowered Krypto the Super-Dog must enlist the help of some newly superpowered shelter pets to stop a maniacal Lex Luthor-obsessed guinea pig from destroying the Justice League. This film has a tremendous approach to what is constantly a very comedic film. There is a real approach here of trying to find something for everyone; be that visual gags, puns, one-liners or even more adult humour like censored curse words and superhero movie references. I appreciated that the film knows its strength is going to be how well does a punchline land, prioritising a voice cast predominantly known for their comedy roles and often placing the humour of a scene as the main priority. The animation isn't super detailed by any means but the character designs are very charming; you can also see the effort that goes into making those long fight sequences look visually impressive. The score by Steve Jablonsky is a pretty entertaining light action romp with some fantastic homages to well known DC film scores.

 

Kevin Hart, who voiced Ace, is surprisingly great as the more stoic and serious canine of the film; Hart's drier comedic delivery is different and works well for him. Kate McKinnon, who voiced Lulu, absolutely knocks it out of the park; McKinnon really goes overboard playing this villainous guinea pig which is the exact energy her role demands. John Krasinski, who voiced Superman, works his way into the role quite nicely; Krasinski has a gentle charisma which suits the tone of Superman. Vanessa Bayer, who voiced PB, is really charming as the most enthusiastic of the Super Pets; Bayer switches between PB's excitable and nervous nature very smoothly. Keanu Reeves, who voiced Batman, really suits a more comedic yet serious take on Batman; please move aside Arnett because Reeves is all I want in my animated Batman films for awhile. Olivia Wilde, who voiced Lois Lane, gives the intensity of a hard hitting journalist while also playing the flirty girlfriend of Superman perfectly; Wilde really embraces the fearless energy that has always made Lois Lane such a famous character in a world of superheroes. Jameela Jamil, John Early and Daveed Diggs, who voiced Wonder Woman, The Flash and Cyborg respectively, all really embody their superhero personas quite strongly; I especially liked Early's more comedic delivery as The Flash. Keith David, who voiced Dog-El, is just a genius bit of writing and voice delivery; David really brings some gravitas to some of the more ridiculous lines of the film. Winona Bradshaw, who voiced Whiskers, is the terrifying antagonist I never expected from the film; this very cute sounding feline delivering some of the most spine-tingling lines was a great choice.

 

However, the best performance came from Natasha Lyonne, who voiced Merton. This small and slow turtle leaves in a relatively perpetual state of confusion, making them a really eccentric role to watch. I love Lyonne's distinctive voice and how she manages to use it to mold a role that doesn't fall into a stereotype like some other characters in the film do. Seeing Merton get powers and really bumble through understanding what was going on is fun. More than that there are multiple scenes in which Lyonne really gets to work her comedy chops, having Merton flirt with various objects and animals or other scenes in which Merton gets overwhelmed and descends into censored swearing. Seeing this turtle become the comedic and unassuming powerhouse of the film was the last thing I expected going into this but it was absolutely everything I wanted.

 

DC League Of Super-Pets thrives when it is testing and trialling its comedic material, but as a whole there isn't a lot of plot for the film to stand on. Even the fact the film has an approach to comedy of throwing everything out and seeing what sticks means that some of the jokes fall notably flat. Yet there more pressing problem for the film is the story. At the heart of this film we gets a very generic Superman origin that brings Krypto into the forefront; noting the main character of this film is Krypto and how he relates to Superman will matter the most. But Krypto is never really an interesting role; he simply gets jealous when Superman has a relationship with anyone else and has no friends of his own. Krypto's entire character arc is learning to give Superman space and learning to actually make friends for himself. Half of how that all turns out you'll have probably already guessed if you've bought a ticket for the film. Because the film never does a thing to make Krypto's journey interesting or surprising we're left hoping the superheroics or the subplots will pull it all through. However, the main superhero story around the orange kryptonite is never the focus, in fact you never feel like Lulu's evil doing is something to worry about until the last ten minutes of the feature. The film constantly takes the danger out of scenes, making the consequences lighter and toning things down to hit that younger demograph. I even found the relationships Krypto earns with the other pets to be quite simple all told, there is very little work done to make those character relationships something he earns. The soundtrack for the feature is quite a wide spread of tracks that never have a cohesive theme and only a few actually enhance the comedic tone.

Dwayne Johnson, who voiced Krypto, has fallen a long way from his Moana days with this performance; Johnson has no range in his delivery whatsoever and crafts one of the blandest protagonists of his career. Diego Luna, who voiced Chip, does some very generic voice work here; seeing this rodent erupt into bouts of fear or excitement is never funny nor memorable. Marc Maron, who voiced Lex Luthor, is one of the worst takes on the character I've ever seen; Maron's performance felt more like a mob boss than some criminal genius. Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, who voiced Keith and Mark respectively, have some monotonous line delivery that I never could find the comedy in their performance; it's always nice to see these two working together but it failed to land here. Maya Erskine, who voiced Mercy Graves, is a pretty stereotypical henchwoman; her gravelly delivery meant she fell into the background pretty quickly. Jemaine Clement and Dascha Polanco, who voiced Aquaman and Green Lantern respectively, were the weaker side of the Justice League performances; Clement's didn't really have a good moment of comedy at all and Polanco's delivery was dismal.

I was laughing almost the whole way through which was almost enough to forget this film has nothing going for it in terms of plot. I would give DC League Of Super-Pets a 5.5/10.

 

See How They Run

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

See How They Run is a whodunnit murder-mystery in which an Inspector/Constable duo must solve the murder of a Hollywood film director who was poised to adapt the successful London West End production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. The first act of this film is an exemplary deconstruction of the whodunnit genre, taking some of the more notable elements and flipping them on their head. The opening narration and character introductions that kick this film off really blew me away, leading right up to the first murder which was an exquisite scene. The film has a strong sense of wit to it; often using a clever visual gag to tie the link between the real and the imagined, or the fictional film/play vs. the plot we're watching. There is a really colourful cast on display here with such differing personalities that I think there'll be something quite fun for everyone. Watching Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker suffer one another's worst flaws only to steadily work better and better as a duo made for a solid leading protagonist pair. Their partnership might be nothing new but their dynamic and immense chemistry was something that held my attention from start to finish.

Tom George comes at this film with a distinctive style that definitely had influences of Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright in it I felt. The cinematography really impressed me; the framing was often extremely symmetrical and there were multiple angles that were highly imaginative. The editing for See How They Run was superb, it set a very even pace and had a precise way of cutting a scene to maximum effect. Daniel Pemberton is currently one of the most reliable talents out there right now when it comes to film scores; this helter-skelter melody both grounded the film in the genre and enhanced the comedic tone it was aiming for.

 

Harris Dickinson, who played Richard Attenborough, is a remarkably vain and garish auteur; Dickinson's rather glib remarks about the appearance of those before him and how he approaches his craft is brilliant delivery. Ruth Wilson, who played Petula Spencer, enters the film with a commanding presence; Wilson captures a woman who runs her theatre with a great deal of strength and cunning both. Sian Clifford, who played Edana Romney, might not be in the film much but she carves her path as one of the funniest roles there; Clifford's deadpan yet high-strung delivery often notes the funniest part in any of her scenes. David Oyelowo, who played Mervyn Cocker-Norris, is playing up this pompous extravagant role as much as he can; watching oyelowo portray a snooty braggart is the sort of campy comedy I love from him. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, who played Gio, has a very tumultous and abrasive character; I sincerely loved the very combative relationship between him and Oyelowo. Saoirse Ronan, who played Constable Stalker, steals the show and is only ever really rivalled by Brody for my favourite performance in this film; Ronan portrays a character with abrupt comedic delivery perfectly and manages to still show her incredible intellect all while doing so. Sam Rockwell, who played Inspector Stoppard, is brilliant as the drunken and jaded protagonist; watching Rockwell play this rough-edged detective type against Ronan's lighter role is a lot of fun. Pippa Bennett-Warner, who played Ann Saville, is quite an intensive role who does all the romantic tension work of the on-screen affair between her and Shearsmith; I also liked that she jumped between that and the very taskmaster-like personal assistant archetype at the drop of a hat. Paul Chahidi, who played Fellowes, is a very comic character performer; Chahidi's take on this stiff rude butler being quite abrasive and having to delve into physical comedy was excellent.

However, the best performance came from Adrien Brody, who played Leo Kopernick. This movie had its hooks in me from the very start and so much of it was down to the performance from this man. Brody comes at this role with a very laidback sort of arrogance, he feels like a big shot but he is never as grandiose as some of the other players he is up against. Brody drunkenly stumbles his way through scene dishing deplorable dialogue, generating conflict and giving some of the most scathing voiceover I've heard in a hot minute. He crafts a role you're meant to dislike, but who you also see as charismatic in his own bumbling way. I loved the Brody comes at line delivery in a carefully constructed way; the scene in which he runs through his storyboards is one of the best moments of acting and writing in this. His approach at being this otherwordly version of himself where he tends a bar in the afterlife was another scene I didn't expect but really loved; Brody played a far more aloof version of his role here. Seriously, if Brody's performance doesn't have you hooked in the first five minutes? This probably isn't the film for you.

This film is never quite as good as its very first act. In the second act See How They Run begins to take itself quite seriously, though still making witty gags all along the way. The film really begins to define the characters of our two protagonists, which lends a more dramatic edge the film is not really crying out for. But worse than that there is this messy red herring storyline in which Inspector Stoppard is shopped around as the main antagonist for a bit - though no one in the audience is very convinced by this. The film continues to splutter out as it goes along; the third act has a delightful assembly of setting and elements but the narrative has lost a lot of focus by this point. The revelation of Agatha Christie and the satire of the real life story behind The Mousetrap interacting with this fictional one really starts to get away from what was working in the first act. The jokes begin to sink rather than hit and even the involvement of our protagonists dwindles a little. Overall, See How They Run is an exceptionally creative film that is unable to keep the ball rolling when it comes to its unique concept.

Pearl Chanda, who played Sheila Sim, is often paired with Dickinson and sadly eclipsed by him; Chanda never gets much chance to run with her performance and is often defined by her relationship to other characters. Charlie Cooper, who played Dennis Corrigan, is extraordinarily underwhelming as the major antagonist for the film; Cooper's role has no mean or intimidating streak to him and the big reveal falls apart the moment he starts dealing out dialogue. Reece Shearsmith, who played John Woolf, is quite generic in the meek film executive role; Shearsmith never commands a scene and he often wilts in the face of bigger performances. Tim Key, who played Commissioner Harrold Scott, is often stronger in a more comedic role; despite being lost in hair and make-up transformation Key's straight edge police commissioner is bland. Shirley Henderson, who played Agatha Christie, feels like such a dismal miscast; Henderson presents nothing that even remotely resembles the famous writer or even so much a good parody of her. Lucian Msamati, who played Max Mallowan, is a character very abruptly introduced and made important in the very tail end of the third act; I felt Msamati came in way too late to be given the amount of screen time he was taking up from the main cast.

It is refreshing to see the 'whodunnit' genre steadily making a creative comeback. I would give See How They Run a 7/10.

Pinocchio

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Pinocchio is an adaptation of "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi; or, more accurately, it is a live-action adaptation of the 1940 Disney adaptation: Pinocchio. You may have heard the tale before but to bring you up to speed: an elderly craftsman wishes on a star to bring his freshly crafted wooden puppet to life and a fairy grants said wish. The puppet then goes on various adventures with his conscience Jiminy Cricket in an effort to become a real boy. Alan Silvestri's score gives the film most of its charm, Silvestri works hard to instill a sense of wonder and adventure to this piece.

Tom Hanks, who played Gepetto, really comes at the role with as much heart as he can muster; the genuine love and sincerity Hanks pours into this role is touching if nothing else. Jaquita Ta'le, who voiced Sabina, is a real figure of genuine care and friendship in this film which I quietly liked; Ta'le's work was becoming a figure of gentle support for our protagonist in his darker moments which I admired.

 

However, the best performance came from Keegan-Michael Key, who voiced Honest John. This was a film that really played over the top and animated; Key was one of the very few performers who was able to slot into that sweet spot. In a film that is peppered with antagonists Honest John is one of the very first we meet and he sets the bar extremely high. Key has a lot of fun with this griping crook, a conniving criminal who looks to turn his lot in life to the better by any means necessary. Watching Key deliver deceitful dialogue in a honeyed tone makes it very easy to see how Pinocchio falls for his tricks so easily. I like that Honest John is Pinocchio's first introduction to dishonesty and manipulation; and out of all the villains Honest John is the one who really convincingly gets away with his crime. Key is a showman and a comedian which makes the performance and spectacle of this role shine, he enchants Pinocchio and audience alike for the time he is onscreen.

I swear they barely changed any of the script from what we got in the 1940s; except to add a character or two and make the whale a sea monster for some reason. This is a film riddled with Disney easter eggs but there's no time for it to take things slow and invite you into the story. You don't really spend time with the characters but watch as Robert Zemeckis does his level best to film an almost live action replica of the animated film. Yet there's no charm here, every role is playing over the top and there is no room for character growth or relationships to form. Themes are spoonfed to us and humour tends towards the slapstick and exaggerated performances. Pinocchio is iconic for Disney in a lot of ways; the wishing star, Jiminy Cricket and 'When you Wish Upon a Star' are massive parts of Disney ethos. But all of these big moments feel superficial in this film. An adaptation or remake should strive to meet its audience but this film doesn't feel like it has been made with a cohesive vision targetting anyone.

The cinematography used throughout is poorly framed, often because it is all set up for visual effects that constitute the majority of the feature. But the problems with the visuals go worse than that, there are often shots where characters aren't managing the sight lines to the visual effects correctly and it baffles me these made their way into the film. Every set piece feels like a small cramped sound stage, it would shock me to learn that there was ever a massive set piece in the film because it often felt claustrophobic. The visual effects looked like the budget was stretched thin. Pinocchio's design was very simplistic, almost like they went the Who Framed Roger Rabbit route but wanted to seem like the animation was more detailed and lively. In fact a lot of designs suffered from this: Jiminy Cricket, Gepetto's cat and fish, Sofia the Seagull, Pleasure Island and the donkeys to name a few. I also found the design for the whale/sea monster to be quite confusing; it seemed like an inconsistent final design that was monstrous for the sake of it. While I liked the score for the film none of the other musical numbers sung by the cast hit home; I was really underwhelmed by Tom Hanks' singing and Cynthia Erivo's performance of 'When You Wish Upon a Star' really missed the mark on an iconic number.

Joseph Gordon Levitt, who voiced Jiminy Cricket, is comfortable playing an overtly comical spin on the character; this role is all flat jokes and none of the charm that made the role so famous. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who voiced Pinocchio, is one of the more annoying voice performances to listen to as his tone barely changes the entire feature; this is a decidedly major problem because of him portraying the feature protagonist. Cynthia Erivo, who played the Blue Fairy, enters the film delivering lines as if she were reading from a children's picture book; Erivo is neither grandiose or wondrous which are two traits this role really demands. Lorraine Bracco, who voiced Sofia, gives my least favourite voice performance of the film; Bracco crafts a voice that feels really put on and jarring in her scenes. Giuseppe Battiston, who played Stromboli, just falls into a very two-dimensional take on this antagonist; Battiston just bellows his way through his dialogue without ever creating a captivating character. Kyanne Lamaya, who played Fabiana, really doesn't lend much as a role encouraging rebelling against one of the antagonists; I think Lamaya struggled to play against the visual effects that were constantly around her too. Lewin Lloyd, who played Lampwick, made a choice with the voice he puts on throughout the film; Lloyd's role is meant to be obnoxious but there is nothing worse than watching someone push out an accent they can't convincingly make work for them. Luke Evans, who played the Coachman, has done some very camp roles over the past few years and few have gone well for him; I found Evans really played things over the top in this film and made one of the best antagonists from Pinocchio come off as a little cheap.

What more is left to say? Pinocchio (2022) is pretty, well...wooden. I would give Pinocchio a 1.5/10.

Three Thousand Years Of Longing

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

 Three Thousand Years Of Longing is an adaptation of A.S. Byatt's short story, 'The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye'. The story follows Alithea, a narratologist, who accidentally frees a milennia-long imprisoned Djinn. By learning about one another the pair form a bond that transcends the their natures and unites woman and Djinn both. I really liked some of the deeper themes this film had around finding consensual, gentle love. This movie is about the desire of romantic connection, or even just true connection between two people who find love within one another. I found that message beautiful and I found it in multiple parts of the story, with many different characters.

The strength of this feature is the absolutely stunning visuals that are captured here. The cinematography are a blend of creative wides that capture the array of visual effects and intimate close ups that examine every subtle trace of feeling in an exchange between characters. The visual effects used throughout the film looking extremely good; I loved seeing the various mystical states of being the Djinn was presented as and the sequence of special effects shots shown when the Djinn and Alithea spend their first night together is a beautiful montage.

 

Burcu Gölgedar, who played Zefir, is a stunning chemistry with immense romantic chemistry with Elba; I was transfixed by Gölgedar's depiction of a character consumed by obsession and a wanting for more.

However, the best performance came from Idris Elba, who played The Djinn. From when we first meet Elba he feels extremely otherly, something very ancient and primordial. His role as a Djinn feels dangerous and powerful, there is a barrier of difference between Swinton and himself. Yet it is the way he scales back from this initial first impression that is really worth noting. Elba deals with some of the most extensive delivery in the film and through his emotional narration and vivid description we come to really understand his character. In fact, seeing how Elba portrays pain and devotion are some of the most raw acting experiences you will get in this entire film.

This is a beautiful film in a lot of ways but I couldn't get past the way the narrative is delivered to us and some of the choices made within it. This is a script by George Miller and his daughter, Augusta Gore, that places us often in foreign lands and time periods - stampeding through them with a cultural sense that is best compared to works of older, classical writers. Moments of dialogue are very stilted, conversations are framed in a way that doesn't convince nor sound like peers communicating between one another. I was really appalled by some of the character traits, cultural focus points and subplots at times. There was this sense that the film wanted to show Arabic and Islamic world views but through an extremely provocative and at times perverse lens. I felt that these moments didn't do the core themes of the film justice nor did they really sit well with me as a viewer. Later in the feature there is a discussion around discrimination and interracial relationships but it feels like an afterthought and isn't very convincing after the first couple of acts. By giving almost the whole film to us in a narration, storytelling style there is a lot of exposition to wade through and I often felt like the plot was just being fed to me rather than being something I could experience. I also never got the sense that the romantic storyline that develops between Alithea and the Djinn was earned, it was very predictable but neither the film nor the actors put in the effort to get us there. I also felt that Tom Holkenborg's score really underlined some of the cultural storytelling choices I disliked about this film, often hitting a lot of the stereotypes Hollywood composers lend when depicting Arabic settings.

Tilda Swinton, who played Alithea, comes at this script with a very tired and withdrawn energy; watching Swinton mash through dialogue in the same tone of voice for nearly two hours was underwhelming line delivery. Aamito Lagum, who played Sheba, is treated as an object of desire in this film and less as a character; considering Sheba was the crux of the first Djinn story it was disappointing Lagum wasn't able to do more. Erdil Yasaroglu, who played Prof. Gunhan, is an academic fellow paired against Swinton who leans more into the background than the fore; you never get much sense of peership between Yasaroglu and Swinton which rather undercuts their characters' onscreen relationship.

A unique take on magical realism that is weighed down by expository narration and an aimless love story. I would give Three Thousand Years Of Longing a 4/10.

Beast

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Beast is a man vs. nature, survival film in which Nate, a struggling father, takes his two daughters to Africa to visit their recently deceased mother's home village. While on a safari tour the family is attacked by a lion gone feral after the butchering of it's pride by poachers. This film was one I really went into with a certain type of expectation and I was pleased to see it rise above that in a lot of ways. Our protagonist, Nate Samuels, is a likeable man who is struggling in his capacity as a father to his two teenage daughters. Nate is a doctor who separated from his wife shortly before she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After her death Nate has struggled to reconnect with his children and tries to reforge a bond with them by taking them to their mother's home village in Africa. The very idea of this sort of homecoming as a way of connecting and healing is a very powerful aspect of the writing, it creates a lot of real reflection for the various characters and also creates further conflict for Nate. Constantly we are reminded he doesn't come from his wife's world, there's a degree of distance there that he is struggling against. He is constantly trying to repair relationships and come to terms with his own grief. The action going on around this thing looks good but it's not why I let myself become invested for an hour and a half, there's a solid family story here that will surprise most movie goers. The themes this film has around anti-poaching/pro-wildlife conservation are really nice, there's a really good perspective of how a lion pride has been cared for in the national park without being subjected to captivity.

The technical aspects of this feature is where the film really comes to life. I was extremely impressed with the cinematography on display here, the camera captures some absolutely glorious practical sets and has some very creative long takes. One of the things I was most worried about going into the film was how authentic the lions would look in the film, particularly our antagonist. The central lion is extremely well designed and detailed, movements looked very fluid and I was captured by the enormity and ferocity they could detail with this artificial character. Steven Price scores the film and crafts a very tense track, but more winningly he develops a variety of music that pays great tribute to the African setting of Beast that really grounds the film.

 

Idris Elba, who played Dr. Nate Samuels, is a remarkable lead for this film; I loved the development Elba portrayed showing a man who goes from being out of his depth to taking command of the dangerous situation he is in. Leah Jeffries, who played Norah Samuels, is one of the funnier performers in the cast; I liked that Jeffries being the younger sibling meant that she got to express her emotions more openly and vulnerably. Iyana Halley, who played Meredith Samuels, is a more guarded figure in the film constantly clashing her on-screen father; I loved the conflict between her and Elba and the way they both acted through their characters' experiences of pain and grief.

However, the best performance came from Sharlto Copley, who played Martin Battles. I have loved Copley for a long time, the dude has had immensely fantastic performance after immensely fantastic performance. I find it rare to chance upon a role I haven't liked the man in. This film is no different, he captures me almost immediately. The role of Martin is a very charismatic uncle type who helps run security over a large national park. Copley crafts a role who is very down to earth and grounded, he shares his experiences and finds interest in the stories others have to tell. I loved the way Copley forges a bond with Jeffries and Halley, seeing him develop a bond throughout their scenes together was very nice. Copley also shares great onscreen chemistry with Elba, the pair feel like old friends reunited while also portraying heavy tension between their respective roles. Martin is a character who is really involved with the local wildlife and we get some great scenes around the passion this character has for the natural world he lives near. I really felt the switch in attitude once Copley starts playing to the change in scenario; we see his role investigating deaths and playing security added a whole new dimension to what we were watching. This was a great character performance from Copley and I loved seeing the work he put into this film.

The things I didn't like about this film were the moments where I felt like my preconceptions were met. Is this a sign of being quick to judge? Well, not really. This is a bit of a kneejerk reaction to the type of film this is, specifically the dreaded 'when animals attack' genre film. We've seen films like this for a long while now: Jaws, Anaconda, Crawl to name a few. These films often play on our fears of predator type animals and tend to have an adverse real-life effect on the creatures that are being portrayed. When I sat there watching Beast, seeing this animal create bait, shrug off tranq rounds and survive a petrol detonation I start to feel the weight of this genre type. These animals become something supernatural, they cease to feel real the longer the film rolls on. I felt this more than anything in the last ten minutes when Nate starts hand to paw fighting with the lion in some wild survivalist ploy. It felt like something you'd expect from a film starring The Rock; only Dwayne Johnson probably would've won and skinned the lion himself. As it was watching two other CGI lions dash in to the rescue at the end felt very quick and abrupt. I really felt like the ending cheapened an otherwise promising film.

I was right there with this film until Idris Elba started bare knuckle brawling with the lion. I would give Beast a 6.5/10.