lukeh23 Well I won't be getting this evening back. After reading the reviews I expected this movie to be either disturbing , shocking or somehow something out of the ordinary, perhaps twists and turns or clever spin maybe. What I got instead, was a slow moving film with an obvious plot, that played out to its obvious ending. It's one of those films, where you press the pause button to check how far you're in, to then see its a third of the way through and so say to yourself "oh c'mon do something, anything", yet it still continues to roll on with the same single tiered plot.

jdesando "Something or other lay in wait for him, amid the twists and the turns of the months and the years, like a crouching Beast in the Jungle. It signified little whether the crouching Beast were destined to slay him or to be slain." Henry James, The Beast in the Jungle.Michael Pearce's directorial debut, Beast, is a satisfyingly romantic drama whose undercurrent is violence with a thriller construct. On the British island of Jersey, near the French coast, Moll (Jessie Buckley), a plain 27 year old still living with her wealthy family, falls for a hunky islander but social outsider, Pascal (Johnny Flynn). Matriarch Hilary (Geraldine James) does not approve. Beasts abound some crouching, some right out there.On that theme alone of class differences and the power of passionate love, Beast could have been a successful drama, showing as it does how the family's foolish demands for correctness smother the young woman. Add the thriller component in which Pascal (think Mellors with Lady Chatterly) is a suspected serial killer, and the crushing familial demands are subsumed by the possibility that Moll has chosen badly.The demands of family in the face of her romantic choice are fully attended to without going beyond the pale. The beautiful balance is between the ardor of the couple and the dominance of family. The room's elephant is the question about the serial killer and if it is Pascal.Although the film seems to solve the question, the better side of the theme is the universal dilemma young women must experience between the wisdom of custom and the rites of love that respect no restrictions, custom, or common sense."The escape would have been to love her; then, then he would have lived." Henry James, The Beast in the Jungle

bamccauley As much as I appreciate many aspects of this film, especially the incredible acting, it struggles with being consistently gripping. There are some excellent scenes that are genuinely captivating. Then there will be scenes so long and drawn out with pretentious camera work that I couldn't help but feel bored (just imagine Lynne Ramsay as a student filmmaker). The camera work is pretty good on paper, but it will force viewers to watch different parts of scenes that are useless. I love when movies focus on details and gives more time to specific shots, but the way that is utilized in this film falls flat in my opinion. Acting is definitely the film's strong suit. It's amazing all across the board. Everyone is a real powerhouse and there are no weak links. I was left in shock many times at just how great the lead in this movie was, and was ashamed I've never heard of anyone in the cast. I wasn't totally unsatisfied. There are a few incredible scenes, but I feel like it gets dragged down by long, mundane, winded dialogue and camera work. You'll definitely find things to appreciate about it, maybe even love it like my friend did, but I was left personally unaffected.

wise-40311 My MoviePass app promoted this film to me yesterday and I went to see it...thanks MoviePass, you nailed what I wanted to see. This movie was really good. Must watch!