Variety Review: Samuel L. Jackson and Renny Harlin’s 'The Beast' Fails to Recreate 90s Action Magic
Variety critic Katie Walsh reviews the new action film 'The Beast,' marking the reunion of Samuel L. Jackson and director Renny Harlin. The film, which runs for 99 minutes, stars Jackson as President Oscar Palladin, who must survive a global terrorist attack by driving a high-tech, armored vehicle. Walsh describes the movie as a 'subpar actioner' that fails to match the quality of their previous collaborations, 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' and 'Deep Blue Sea.' She criticizes the script by Umair Aleem for being a 'geezer teaser' that relies heavily on Jackson’s dialogue and profanity, while noting the visual effects are 'chintzy.' The review highlights that the film feels like a video game with no sense of geography, and concludes that the reunion lacks the campy fun of their earlier work.
