beast

If you’ve ever been on an African safari or dreamed about going on one, the thriller Beast should hit home.
A recent widower, Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba), is taking his two teenage daughters – sullen Meredith (Iyana Halley) and her younger sister Norah (Leah Jeffries) – on a healing journey to the South African savannah where their late mother, a photographer, spent her childhood. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur works with cinematographer Philippe Rousselot and the digital team to create savage terror as the canny, vengeful beast repeatedly stalks them.

Idris Elba is a desperate father protecting his children from a killer lion in Beast, the latest survival thriller from Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur. Killer animal movies are nothing new and with a quick glance at the film’s synopsis, audiences may wonder why someone who possesses Elba’s acting talent would appear in a movie that screams direct-to-VOD schlock. However, it is precisely his casting that signals there is something more to this story than meets the eye.