For fans of intense thrillers, the recently-released Beast is definitely worth a watch.

The movie begins with a group of poachers hunting and killing a tribe of lions, but then finding one rogue animal who mauls some of the poachers, causing them to flee. We then cut to a plane where  Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) is taking his two daughters Meredith or “Mer” (Iyana Halley) as she prefers to be called, and Norah (Leah Jeffries) to visit their now-deceased mother’s home in Africa. They meet their Martin (Sharlto Copley) a friend of the family, who acts as their host and guide in the African Savanna. 

After adjusting to their new temporary home for this visit, and a bit of family drama showcasing how the family has suffered from the all-too-recent loss, they decide to take a tour of the Savanna. They see various wild animals native to the area, and Mer uses this opportunity to photograph the gorgeous scenery and plentiful wildlife. They stop and look at a pride of lions resting on some rocks protecting their territory and much to the family’s surprise, Martin is welcomed with a big hug from a couple of the lions; evidently ones he raised for a while when they were cubs. When Martin gets close he notices a female lion is injured, most likely because of poachers, so he decides to head to the nearest village to investigate.

They obtain a rifle for safety from a friendly wildlife ranger, and continue towards the village, only to find it mysteriously quiet and empty. A short investigation occurs and they find numerous dead bodies of the locals. Martin informs the family that the only animal that could do this kind of damage is a lion, but the behavior doesn’t match at all, as the bodies hadn’t been eaten. This gruesome discovery gets the group to make a sudden exit. On the road they encounter a wounded man, and Martin and Nathaniel go out to investigate. Nathaniel attempts to give him medical attention and Martin looks for what the wounded man describes as a “demon” lion. 

Said lion soon sets upon the group ambush-style, and the family gets separated from Martin as they make a getaway in a vehicle. The attack and pursuit of the lion causes the vehicle to crash, leaving the family stranded in the wild. Injured, lost, and hunted, this family now has to struggle to survive against the famed King of the Jungle all on their own.

The rest of the movie is an intense game of survival, with some great camera work adding to the intensity and danger at every turn. Baltasar Kormákur’s direction certainly lends itself to the feeling of fear and intensity, and credit for the gorgeous cinematography goes to Phillipe Rousselot. The plot does suffer from the characters making some dumb decisions, but it wasn’t anything too implausible. The cast does a great job and you always feel like you’re right there in danger with them.

A fun and thrilling time awaits in Beast, which you can see in theaters now.