Idris Elba’s Underrated Horror Thriller Just Hit Netflix 4 Years After a Lackluster Box Office Performance

To say that Idris Elba is a versatile and prolific actor would be a little bit of an understatement. Over the course of his career, Elba has done just about everything, playing everything from the Asgardian Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to lending his voice to Chief Bogo in Zootopia, Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, and Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He’s next set to play Man-At-Arms in the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie — and we’re just scratching the surface in terms of the actor’s filmography.  Elba has also appeared in horror projects as well and now, one of his best but underrated roles just hit Netflix.

Released in 2022, Beast is a survival action horror that stars Elba along with Iyana Halley, Leah Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley and follows a widowed father (Elba) who visits a South African game reserve with his two daughters. However, the vacation goes awry when they are stalked and attacked by a man-killing lion, turning the trip into an all-out fight for survival. The film underperformed at the box office but was a hit with critics.

Beast Is an Action-Packed Thrill Ride (And Elba Fights a Lion In It)

While many thrillers try to create a more extensive story, Beast knows exactly what kind of movie it aims to be from the outset and sticks to the plan throughout. With a 93-minute runtime, the film moves fast, which helps amplify not only the action but the stakes and tension as well. It’s a strategy that is very satisfying. We jump right in with why Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba) and his daughters are on this vacation to the game reserve and we understand very quickly the emotional situation the whole family is. The movie also wastes no time in setting up the danger that the lion presents and quickly puts Samuels and his daughters in a fight for their lives. From there, it’s pretty much back-to-back action — including a scene where Samuels takes on the rogue lion.

There’s something really refreshing about how streamlined and focused Beast is. It plays on genuine fear — after all, Samuel’s daughters are as much in danger due to the lion as he is — and taps into the human will to survive against all odds. Certainly, the idea of a family taking on a lion might be something that can veer into overdone territory or go to some unrealistic extremes, but Beast does a great job of keeping things going so that the audience doesn’t have to think too much about it — which, in a sense, is a reflection of the way the characters have to handle the situation they find themselves in. It’s all instinct and it works really well. Elba in particular shines in this film as well. His portrayal is part action star, part determined father and it works brilliantly. The movie also has a very satisfying conclusion that makes the whole, tense experience very worth it.

Beast is now streaming on Netflix.

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