A huge relentless lion is out to get his revenge on humans in the movie “Beast,” which is set for release in Philippine cinemas for Aug. 24.
The movie stars Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyanah Halley and Leah Jeffries, and directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
The nomadic rogue lion hunts his victims under the cloak of midnight. His pride, the lions he is instinctively bound to protect at any cost, has been slaughtered by poachers. He now hunts the animal responsible for killing them: humans.
In the movie, Elba plays the role of Dr. Nate Daniels who left the savannah to build a new life in the States with his wife.
As a child of South Africa, he still dreams of the wild beauty of the savannah. After his wife’s death, he returns to his homeland with his two daughters Meredith (Halley) and Norah (Jeffries) to pay homage to his late wife where Nate feels life finally coming full circle.
They are welcomed by his long-time and closest friend Martin (Copley), a biologist and anti-poacher who also manages a game reserve in Africa. Martin has survived in his South African homeland by adhering to one simple tenant: humans will never outsmart nature. Now, trapped in a game reserve with only his instincts to guide them, Nate has to survive for his girls to live. If that is to happen, Meredith and Norah must learn to trust him again.
“The lion is always seen from the perspective of the characters. You always feel it coming to them. You can’t cut away. You are stuck in the shot. I knew that I wanted all the big action scenes to be done like that. That increases the suspense and the excitement of being trapped in this situation,” said Kormákur.
“Baltasar and I talked about the massive Barbary lion, which is almost extinct, as a reference,” said Elba. “When this thing hits the car, you feel the car move. This is not your average lion; this lion is huge. We spend a lot of time giving the audience a sense of this lion’s scale and its power. As well, it’s an incredibly smart and calculating predator.”
A Universal Pictures International film, “Beast” opens in Philippine cinemas nationwide on Aug. 24.