Beast 2022 is Much Better on Paper

Idris Elba stars in the new “Adventure-Thriller” of 2022, and I’m ashamed to admit that I had bigger hopes for this one.

The movie is not bad, it’s really just bland. It feels like a movie written for Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, but somewhere during production, things got mixed up and they ended up casting Idris Elba. The dynamic between Dr. Nate Daniels and his daughters is repetitive, bringing nothing new to the table, and making the whole experience feel like a ‘deja-vu’ of some sorts.

The story starts with Dr. Daniels trying to connect more with his young daughters, which both of them sort of despise him for “not being there when they needed him the most” (shocking, right?). Daniels meets with Martin Battles, an old friend who lives in South Africa and wants to take them to a Safari. After a big discussion after dinner, things get awkward and Battles understands the situation that his friend is in, so he tries his best to defuse the situation and bring the family closer together.

The next day, Battles takes them to a lion’s habitat, but upon arriving they realize that someone, or something, has been disturbing peace. In a very lazy way, the movie explains to us that Battles is part of the anti-poacher gang that has been recently active eliminating hunters, which brings up a moral dilemma that later on looses some of its relevance. Dr. Daniels decides that it’s a good idea to team up with Battles, and they start looking for whoever put the lions in danger. Big plot twist, it was actually a HUGE lion with super strength, stamina, and resistance that went crazy and is hunting everything that crosses its path. So if you think of it, this movie is JAWS 1975 but with lions, and in the South African desert.

The movie is somewhat entertaining, but it uses so many forced tropes that have already been used countless times, making the whole experience feel dull and repetitive. Beast 2022 feels more like an early 2000’s film, and not in a bad way. It’s the kind of movie that you’d play in the background while finishing a project, or when you’re doing exercise, or even while you’re having lunch or dinner. It’s not deep, and that’s completely fine. Would I watch it again? Not really. I think it’s one of those ‘watch once films’.

Overall, Beast 2022 deserves a solid 4/10 (maybe even 5/10 depending on your mood).