Sometimes it can be difficult to summarize a movie concept.
Other times it can be just five words: Idris Elba fights a lion. This is the premise of Beast, Elba's new thriller starring Dr. Nate Samuels.
The doctor is a widowed father of two young women who take his family on a trip to South Africa where they soon have to fight a wild lion.
The story is simple, the pace is tight and the camerawork is good. The Beast is a lean, mean survival machine that works with excellent direction and performance.
The film also does a good job of incorporating family drama into a survival thriller.
First, the film establishes the story of the family and how they are affected by the death of their mother.
The problem is that older daughter Meredith (Iyana Halley) feels like a mouthpiece for the screenwriter to verbalize exposition in an inorganic way.
Sometimes it seems to aim to convey a family story, but it can be uncomfortable.
There is a sequence in the third act with great visual storytelling. However, Engle doesn't seem to believe the audience, as in the next scene, Meredith explains the setup/yield.