Felled by inconsistent pacing and mediocre acting, “Beast” is a dull film at best.
Moll (Jessie Buckley) awkwardly leads us through the relationship formed with mysterious outsider Pascal (Johnny Flynn) and how their bond shifts as more information comes to light in the 2018 film.
The way that Moll and Pascal started their relationship had a superhero or savior aspect that didn’t really follow through the rest of the movie. It kind of foreshadows the ending a little, depending on how you look at it.
I enjoyed the character of Pascal with his nonchalant-ness and rebellious attitude, which was what the negativity needed in the film. It’s not necessary for this film, but I was genuinely interested in how he got the way that he was.
We need to understand the lore of Pascal.
Flynn’s acting was kind of weak though. It fit his character, but he wasn’t convincing me that he could kill somebody. Even when he was choking Moll, I just couldn’t believe that he was actually going to kill her.
Buckley’s acting was good, but at some points it took me out of the movie. Specifically, during the scene when she yelled at the men at the funeral.
The chemistry between Pascal and Moll didn’t seem genuine either. Even though there were plenty of romantic scenes, it just felt uncomfortable and that they didn’t really have any attraction to each other.
I couldn’t tell where the story was going. I knew something regarding the killer on the loose was going to be included in the film, but I didn’t know how they were going to connect with the main characters.
We’re left to our interpretation at the end of the movie, but once the credits rolled, it felt like we just sat through nothing. We’re teased at the end with the rabbit scene, which was questionable in a good way, and we’re teased at the dinner scene, while the greater interrupts and asks if they want mayo or mustard.
The pacing was erratic. The story dragged for a long period of time and then something interesting would happen, then things would go back to being boring.
I really liked the cinematography and attractive lighting choices. Sometimes the lighting would fit the mood, but other times there would be an emphasis which wouldn’t seem like it would work, but it did.
*Big spoiler ahead*
I don’t know if it could be considered a twist per-se, but I really just didn’t care that Pascal was the killer. I guess the real twist could be that Moll killed Pascal at the end.
Her actions are not really explained, which is both a positive and negative. Positive because it fits into the psychological aspect of the film, and the negative is like where nothing kind of justifies that action. It feels like it was randomly thrown in at the end.
The last 25 minutes also felt rushed. Pascal and Moll got into a verbal argument then got physical; it didn’t feel like it was vindicated. It came out of nowhere.
I didn’t enjoy the ending.
It’s not an objectively bad film, despite me bashing it. I just don’t think there was enough for my liking.
Rate: 1.5/5
Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at 581-2812 or at cahardy@eiu.edu.