Idris Elba stars as Dr Nate Samuels, recovering from the death of his wife. He takes his two daughters, Norah (Leah Jeffries) and Meredith (Iyana Halley), to South Africa, where he met his wife. When they go on safari, they are terrorised by a ferocious lion.
With that plot, this action movie has an old-fashioned feel. You can imagine it being made in the 1940’s or 50’s with the hero hunting big cats. Instead, the audience has sympathy for the lion as it is reacting to poachers wiping out the tribe. But, director Baltasar Kormakur skilfully manages to balance that with rooting for the innocent family to escape with their lives. In fact, a lot of the first three quarters of the movie are genuinely nail-biting, especially in the quieter moments when their isolation in the wilderness is really being felt.
It does not work as well, though, when the lion is at close quarters because the CGI work becomes too obvious. Towards the end the characters start behaving unbelievably. For example, Nate and his daughters find refuge in an abandoned school house and Nate opens all the doors, thus allowing the beast to come in. Also the ending is telegraphed rather obviously in an early scene.
I don’t think this will be the vehicle to elevate Elba from TV to movie star. The more impressive performances are by Sharlto Copley as anti-poacher/guide and Halley. However, it is pretty entertaining.
Rating: 7 out of 10