Beast is the sort of movie that Hollywood studios used to make a ton of. Call it a programmer or whatever you like, but it was, once upon a time, a mainstay: a competent, modestly budgeted, efficient, high-concept thriller with a recognizable-if-not-hugely-popular star that could do okay business.
Idris Elba is that star, and he’s charming as ever as Dr. Nate Samuels, out on a safari with his two teenage daughters, Norah (Leah Jeffries) and Meredith (Iyana Halley). They’re met by family friend, Martin (Sharlto Copley), who is set to give them a private tour through the wildlife refuge on which he works as a guide/anti-poacher. Bad news: there’s a killer lion on the rampage, a giant male whose pride was killed by poachers the evening before.
Needless to say, the lion sets...