Beast * * * ½

Stalking movies don't concern themselves too much with background - just a bit of a sketch to let us know who is good (so we can worry about them), and who is bad (so we can laugh at their demise),  and something about the stalker - crazy truck driver, angry shark, dinosaur, alien, a terminator - or in this case, one righteously pissed off lion.

Nate (Idris Elba) and his teenage daughters return to the land where their mother came from and where she worked documenting and caring for wildlife. Their host, Martin, is a Park Ranger who also knew Nate and wife and worked closely with them. In this film Martin is the token white guy for a change.

This lion ain't Kimba and he ain't white.

There is a tension between Nate and daughters that goes beyond adolescent surliness. They believe Dad could have done more to help Mum when she died of an illness.  So there is a bit of healing to be done within the family.

Once settled into the farmhouse off they go in the Land Cruiser on a bit of a safari. Park Ranger Martin talks about poachers and how they are a problem. 

We've already seen them in an earlier scene, and they're a problem alright.  And they've just  made a doozy of a mistake when they killed a pride of lions and big Daddy lion has got away.

Daddy Lion now looks at all humans as enemies to be destroyed, which puts Park Ranger Martin, Nate and his daughters in a dangerous position.  

The lion is oversized and ridiculously strong, with a growl that makes the earth tremble.  He seems to be invulnerable.  He's an impressive piece of CGI alright.

So that's it.  Sit back and feel the tension as the Land Cruiser breaks down, the radio won't work, the Park Ranger gets separated, darkness falls, and the Lion moves in on Nate and his two young daughters. 

It's fun.  Roar!