THE BEAST WITHIN
Starring: Kit Harington, Caoilinn Springall, Ashleigh Cummings, and James Cosmo
Director: Alexander J. Farrell
This film has been reviewed by Nick, Paige, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.
NICK
As interesting as it is to see a werewolf story told through the eyes of a frightened daughter, the pacing of The Beast Within doesn’t do the film any favours, nor does its heavy-handed domestic abuse metaphor. Once the filmmakers decided that this wasn’t going to be a scary story, they should have either focused more on the internal struggle of Noah (Kit Harington) or the strained familial bond (much like 2015’s underrated Maggie). Instead, you get a film that isn’t near as fleshed out as it needs to be in either direction, which amounts to a wearisome tale that underwhelms.
PAIGE
The Beast Within finds it difficult to connect its ideas and themes, even though Kit Harington's brute performance and the film's sound design do a fine job of creating an eerie atmosphere. On one hand, it attempts to be a mysterious werewolf movie; on the other, it aims to be a slow-burning family drama that delves into topics of domestic violence. In the end, filmmaker Alexander J. Farrell can't reconcile the two concepts, meaning the movie lacks substance as it skirts around the curse that this family must bear. Unfortunately, I don't think this movie will satisfy a lot of fans of werewolf movies.
QUENTIN
It’s been years, maybe decades, since I’ve seen a good werewolf movie. Sadly, The Beast Within does nothing to change that. In fact, this is barely even a werewolf movie. Yes, there is a werewolf in it, but it’s mostly only hinted at and used as a very forced metaphor for abusive husbands. It’s an interesting idea, but it never coalesces into an idea that fully works. The movie also is just a bit of a moody slog. On the plus side, the performances are good to great, and the cinematography is breathtaking. I just wish they were in service of a better story.