Review of Beasts of No Nation (2015) by Dragonsfoe . — 02 May 2016

"Cary"-ing the Beasts.

Beats of No Nation is a fascinating and intriguing film about the horrors of war. The film is carried by a fantastic child actor, and Elba who both deserve to be seen in this masterfully directed film.

First of all, the direction and cinematography in this film is beautiful. Fukunaga is a very visual artsy director whose shots convey the fear and danger of what happened, making the film feel real. His direction is also present in Agu, who is portrayed in the best child performance of the year so far. It is great that Elba is the only major star in the film, which makes it seem very realistic. He is fantastic in his role as the Commandant of his clan of NDF members. He plays the role with passion as well as intensity, which clearly screams out an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The arc of these character as well as the story in addition to well made action sequences, all make this to be a sad hard watch, which also gives a sense of hope.

Not many things detracted from the film. Some emotional parts seemed forced, with not enough characterization to establish the rest of the supporting cast. There was also the problem of pacing and dialogue that may drag at some times, but thankfully those times are few.

Beasts of No Nation is certainly a win for Netflix as its first feature film. But it would have been better if it was released in the theater for a week or two before it's streaming release due to the fact that it is a great cinematic experience. With wide shots and great visual storytelling, this film deserves to be seen on the big screen, and the small screen streaming service retracted from the magic that it could've given in a theater. Hopefully Netflix will learn from that mistake. Overall, besides lack of characterization in everyone discluding Elba and Agu and the sense that parts drag the film is a cinematic experience that was meant first and foremost for the big screen.

Rating: 7.8 (B+).