Beast

A somewhat disappointing animal thriller from Kormákur. I tend to like his films, so I was hopeful when I heard he was doing something with a fearsome lion stalking his human prey. Not quite sure what went wrong, but the result is pretty bland and lacks the tension needed for this type of film to flourish.

A family is going to South Africa. Their trip is part vacation, part ode to their mother, who died of cancer. When they're taking a little safari, they come to a village that is completely ravaged by a wild beast. On their way back, a lion attacks their car and leaves them stranded on the side of the road.

The setting is nice and the performances not too bad, it's just that the stand-off between lion and mankind often feels exaggerated and farfetched. The addition of poachers doesn't really add much either and the finale is pretty kitsch. Not Kormákur's best film, but if you're starved for animal thrillers, it's not the worst.