

Yet undercutting this stylistic choice is a script that lacks any real surprises, except for the many ways these characters can put themselves in these awful situations.

RELATED: Idris Elba's Survival Thriller 'Beast' Gets R Rating From MPAA These takes lull the viewer into a false sense of security in the first act, before utilizing this technique in longer fights of this family taking on this lion. It’s almost as if Kormákur attempted to make an action-focused story with the least amount of takes possible, and for the most part, it works. Kormákur films Beast primarily through long takes, not just during lion attacks, but in the quieter moments, as the Samuels family and Martin explore the reserve, Martin’s home, and a nearby village. Naturally, Nate’s family and Martin cross the path of this furious lion, and have to do anything they can to survive this lion’s quest for revenge. The trio visits a game reserve watched over by their old family friend Martin ( Sharlto Copley), who has had to deal with poachers killing lions, with one such incident leaving one sole lion angry and ready to exact revenge on any humans he finds. In Beast, Idris Elba plays Nate Samuels, a recently widowed doctor who brings his two daughters Meredith ( Iyana Halley) and Norah ( Leah Sava Jeffries) to South Africa, where he first met his wife.
