Beast

For much of its slim running time, Beast does what it’s supposed to do, right down to the buzzy moments of silliness where it bravely, too briefly heads over the top.

It’s not the most robust cinematic meal, but as a style exercise, it earns a modest place among the rest of the pride.

Everything in this action thriller seems real. So, of course, that makes the thrills extra chillier.

The escalation of terror is genuinely exciting until the movie bogs down in CGI absurdity instead of reasonably credible survival.

Beast is not a great movie. Some may even say it’s terrible. Where the movie flounders is when director Baltasar Kormákur attempts to make it too much about a man reckoning the death of his wife via some very overwrought dream sequences.