The Beast Within

Ugh! Ok, I don't THINK this is a spoiler as I'm not revealing anything of the plot but if you don't want ANY information, then stop reading now. .........

Ok....... I love werewolf movies. I wait for good ones to be made. So what do we get here? A not very scary, not well hidden metaphor on domestic violence. First of all, a werewolf is ALREADY a metaphor for violence and the beast within man. Human losing control and doing violence as an animal to other humans. It doesn't need a more obvious metaphor trying loosely to masquerade as a werewolf movie!! We don't SEE the werewolf, not until the Very end and just barely. We don't get a good look at it. Secondly, from the perspective of your husband is known to be a werewolf.... Stop being sloppy. Stop cutting it close to the full moon. Stop putting your child in danger. Oh wait...this is a freaking metaphor.... Bugger off! I didn't want a metaphor, there's plenty of warnings out there, plenty of real violence against women and children, we didn't need a metaphor for that either.

I want a good look at a great, well done creature! I want a moody, gothic, creepy and well done horror flick. The metaphor is already included...geez!

Was this the greatest movie I've seen? No. With that said there was never a part I did not enjoy. Everyone thinks they are movie critics and expect every movie to be a classic. This movie was different from so many other movies. It had great acting, a decent story line and a twist at the end. They did all this with out having to spend massive amounts of money. This is a movie that will give you a thriller/mystery/fantasy all in one. The ending with leave you to interpret that in your own. If people relax and just watch movies with no expectation they will realize that they will start enjoying a lot more movies.

But ultimately, it just doesn't say anything new or do much of anything. Even as a metaphor for clearly the metaphor it is...for...,it's still just a big so what. It took an hour and a half to say that? The title and the epigram at the start of the movie were enough to deduce exactly what the "beastly" theme would be. Then it's 80 minutes of a child and/or piglet screeching, a sour-faced mother, a cliched grandfather and Jon Snow mugging about.

I am not even sure the Chekhovian apparatus was used effectively either. It was obvious from the beginning that girl child's affliction would come to play into the resolution but that could have blown up in their faces.

The movie made an attempt. But it is just slow, long and boring with little depth or bite.

Who would have thought 20 seconds at the very end of a film could so thoroughly ruin it? If you watch this movie and shut it off about 20 seconds before it actually ends, it's pretty good. Definitely deserving of much better than a 4 star rating... Throughout the film I kept thinking "How is this rated so low?". Then, I got to that final 20 seconds...if only I'd turned it off then. I'd have given it a solid 6.5.

It's not a high thrill action packed edge of your seat type monster movie, but it's a good story - and often I prefer that anyway. It was a decent horror movie, shown largely through the child's perspective - before that final 20 seconds. The symbolism is a bit heavy handed, but it did bother me - until that last 20 seconds.

Unfortunately, that final scene just slaps the audience over the head with the veiled meaning they'd been hunting at through the rest of the movie. That final 20 seconds really wasn't even necessary. The meaning is clear before they smack you upside the head with it. But I guess the writer REALLY wanted to make sure we got it, while also removing the best part of the movie along with it, so in with the final scene...

Even with that last bit, I still think the movie is at least 5 *s, so that's what I'm giving it. But do yourself a favour and turn it off half a minute sooner so you can enjoy it the way I wish I'd been able to.

The Beast Within is one of those films that you finish and immediately wish you hadn't started. Despite having two lead actors who found success in Game of Thrones, this movie is a complete letdown. The plot drags on endlessly, the characters are paper-thin, and the dialogue is clumsy and uninspired. You keep waiting for something to happen, but it never does.

It feels like the filmmakers thought they had a clever concept, but it just doesn't work. The supposed horror elements are poor at best, and the story is almost none existent and incredibly frustrating. There's some tension, no real scares, and no reason to care about anything that's happening on screen short of being frustrated by the poor choices the main characters constantly make.

Honestly, it's hard to believe this movie got made, and I can't help but think it only did because of the actors' recent fame. Do yourself a favour and skip this one. It's not worth the time or effort.