the sea beast movie review

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the sea beast.

Now streaming on:

The robust family adventure “The Sea Beast,” appearing today on Netflix, is one of the biggest movie surprises of the year so far. Fun, smart, and sneakily deep, it has elements that will be familiar to families around the world. There’s a little bit of “ Moana ,” a backdrop of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a thread of “ How to Train Your Dragon ,” and even a few nods to Kaiju movies in this rollicking animated movie that features some actual filmmaking instead of just bright colors to hold the attention of little kids. The action scenes have been very carefully constructed and considered, but it’s the script that will sneak up on you with themes worth discussing with the kids when it’s over. “You can be a hero and still be wrong” isn’t exactly a brand-new theme in adventure fiction, but it feels like a more important one in today’s world, and it’s nice to see a fantasy film for families that doesn’t talk down to kids. The animated movies that have sustained in history trust children to follow complex plots and themes. It’s great to see that kind of trust reemerge in a film that never forgets to be entertaining too.

Chris Williams (who co-directed “ Big Hero 6 ” and “Moana”) makes his confident solo debut with a script he co-wrote with Nell Benjamin that subverts classic seafaring adventure mythology. After a brief prologue that introduces us to Maisie ( Zaris-Angel Hator ) as she flees her orphanage in search of greater adventure, Williams and his team stage an impressive battle at sea between two monster-hunting ships and a massive beast. Immediately, there’s a sense that the craftsmanship here is high as the sequence unfolds with the swooping tentacles of a Kraken-esque beast and the ships trying to defeat it. “The Sea Beast” takes place in the middle of a great war between monsters and men, the latter funded by a King ( Jim Carter ) and Queen (Doon Mackichan) who clearly don’t mind putting people in harm’s way but would never risk their own safety.

The other hero of this tall tale is Jacob Holland ( Karl Urban , finding a nice vulnerable heroism in his voice work), who grew up on a hunting ship called the Inevitable, run by the ruthless Captain Crow ( Jared Harris ). The Ahab of this tale, Crow represents the old guard hunter, someone who has been doing this so long that he’s obsessed with hunting the creature that took his eye, no matter the cost. When Maisie stows away on their ship as they hunt said the sea beast, a red giant known as the Bluster, everything changes. Through a series of action-driven events, Maisie and Jacob discover that everything they’ve been told about the battle between man and monster has been a myth.

To be fair, “The Sea Beast” takes a bit too long to build up steam, and there’s a tighter 100-minute version of this film within its two-hour run-time. I wanted to tighten it up in a few places, and I do wish the world-building was a little stronger. Some of the locations also feel thinly designed, although if all the time and budget went to the beautifully rendered monsters, that’s understandable. 

Most of all, and this is rare nowadays in American animation, I admired the script of “The Sea Beast,” one that intertwines those aforementioned obvious influences into something refreshingly daring. This movie takes narrative risks in that it’s a monster-hunting movie that’s ultimately anti-violence. It’s the kind of thing good parents look for in that it both entertains and provokes conversation. And it’s a hopeful sign that Netflix could start to become a more prominent voice in original animation. As long as they’re willing to make movies as rich as “The Sea Beast.”

On Netflix today.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

Evil Does Not Exist

Glenn kenny.

Taking Venice

Matt zoller seitz.

The Garfield Movie

The Contestant

Monica castillo.

Film Credits

The Sea Beast (2022)

Rated PG for action, violence and some language.

115 minutes

Karl Urban as Jacob Holland (voice)

Zaris-Angel Hator as Maisie (voice)

Jared Harris as Captain Crow (voice)

Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sarah Sharpe (voice)

Dan Stevens as Admiral Hornagold (voice)

Kathy Burke as Gwen Batterbee (voice)

Jim Carter as King (voice)

• Chris Williams
• Nell Benjamin
• Joyce Arrastia
• Mark Mancina

Latest blog posts

Fear, Hope, and Joy: Ramata-Toulaye Sy on Banel and Adama

When ‘Bad Boys’ Began, Martin Lawrence Was the Top Dog

Expecto Patronus: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 20

Female Filmmakers in Focus: Bridgett M. Davis

Advertisement

Supported by

‘The Sea Beast’ Review: Of Monsters and Men

In this new animated film from Netflix, a monster hunter and an orphan become unlikely allies at sea.

• Share full article

By Lena Wilson

“Live a great life and die a great death,” goes the mantra of the monster hunters in Netflix’s new animated movie “The Sea Beast.” It’s a spirited battle cry, sure, but it’s also a morbid one, made only more grisly by the fact that the first character to say it is a child.

At first, the world of this film, directed by Chris Williams (“ Moana ,” “ Big Hero 6 ”) and written by Williams and Nell Benjamin, seems comfortably didactic. The people of an island kingdom have been raised to fear the giant sea monsters that stalk the ocean. Ships full of hunters heroically fell the beasts and bring bits of their carcasses home to the king and queen. It doesn’t take a genius to see the creepy side of this, or to wonder when the film will introduce its inevitable paradigm shift.

That shift is mainly instigated by a little girl named Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator), the same character who first champions dying “a great death.” Orphaned when her two creature-hunter parents perished on the job, Maisie has raised herself on tales of loathsome beasts and the legendary sailors who slay them. She most idolizes a famous ship called the Inevitable. When the boat docks within striking distance of her stifling group home, she sneaks away to climb aboard.

The crew of the Inevitable has been ordered by royal decree to kill a massive monster called the Red Bluster. If the mission fails, the monarchy will decommission the ship. This adds stakes for Jacob (Karl Urban), an illustrious hunter who is next in line to be captain, and the aged Captain Crow (Jared Harris), who has held a grudge ever since he lost an eye to the beast. Jacob, who becomes Maisie’s unwitting comrade, has his own past marred by monstrosity.

“The Sea Beast” is capably animated. Its backgrounds and underwater shots are particularly stunning, though the characters’ facial expressions rarely live up to the enthusiastic voice acting. Its fantastical creatures range from uninspired (the Red Bluster) to irresistible (an aquatic sidekick of Maisie’s named Blue). There are other fun visual choices, like a beach with bubble-gum pink sand, and the film has an impressively diverse ensemble of background characters. Even when the story drags, a lively score by Mark Mancina keeps things zippy.

Of course, sluggish storytelling is not ideal, particularly in a movie intended for kids. “The Sea Beast” doesn’t earn its nearly two-hour running time; it easily could have stuck the landing if only it had fewer diversions. For instance, Captain Crow takes the Inevitable on a sinister side quest that introduces a character who, despite much dastardly foreshadowing, never resurfaces.

But this script’s greatest sin is its steadfast predictability. Lessons are learned and enemies are fought, but nothing very surprising happens in between. The unlikely duo assembles; the spunky little girl gets a cute animal as a buddy; good and evil are not actually as they seem. Last year, Pixar released “ Luca ,” which offers its own take on prejudice, found family and sea monsters, and it’s hard, while watching “The Sea Beast,” not to draw comparisons. “Luca” is by far the more heartfelt, original and stylish of the two.

The Sea Beast Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

Lena Wilson is a project manager at The New York Times and a freelance writer covering film, TV, technology and lesbian culture. More about Lena Wilson

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Leslye Headland’s new “Star Wars” show, The Acolyte,” is a dream come true, but she knows it carries enormous expectations .

Once relegated to supporting roles, the comedian Michelle Buteau  is a star of the film “Babes” and is moving to a bigger stage, Radio City Music Hall, for her new special.

American audiences used to balk at subtitles. But recent hits like “Shogun” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” show how much that has changed .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Real-Life Heroes on YouTube for Tweens and Teens

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

The sea beast, common sense media reviewers.

Swashbuckling adventure has kid role model, monster attacks.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

There's often more to things/situations than what

Promotes optimism, bravery, integrity, perseveranc

Maisie is a brave child who's willing to stand up

Maisie, a lead character, is a young Black girl. S

The hunters are attacked by various sea monsters,

Language includes "bloody hell" and "ass"; exclama

Monster hunters share flasks of alcohol aboard the

Parents need to know that The Sea Beast is a thrilling adventure about a young orphan who stows away on a sea-monster-hunting ship and embarks on a journey that could change history. It includes animated action violence and potentially scary images of enormous sea monsters attacking ships and causing…

Educational Value

There's often more to things/situations than what meets the eye.

Positive Messages

Promotes optimism, bravery, integrity, perseverance, teamwork, and looking past the superficial. Encourages people to challenge long-standing beliefs that might be wrong; just because something has always been a certain way doesn't mean it can't (or shouldn't) change.

Positive Role Models

Maisie is a brave child who's willing to stand up for what's right and challenge anyone who stands in the way of that. She has integrity and helps those around her learn to think differently and, even as the youngest main character, is a strong leader. Jacob tries to do what he thinks is right; he's used to a certain way of doing things but is willing to learn and to listen to other/better ideas. He helps others in need and practices loyalty. Captain Crow is determined and courageous but also very set in his ways.

Diverse Representations

Maisie, a lead character, is a young Black girl. She has a powerful voice that she uses to educate and inspire adults. First mate on monster-hunting ship is also a Black female; she has agency and is respected. Ship's crew includes several diverse characters of all shapes, sizes, and colors; some have prosthetic limbs. Women are seen as equal leaders.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

The hunters are attacked by various sea monsters, some scary looking and causing lots of destruction with sharp teeth, long tentacles, and pincers. The monsters attempt to swallow and/or harm humans. Hunters attack, injure, kill monsters with spears, cannons, poison. Chaos and fighting leads to a child getting seriously injured. A little blood is briefly shown. Sword fights. A character points a gun at a child. Several close calls with drowning. Maisie's parents were killed while monster hunting, leaving her an orphan.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "bloody hell" and "ass"; exclamations include "God!" A deadly weapon is called "The Hand of God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Monster hunters share flasks of alcohol aboard the ship. Characters sing and dance in a tavern and drink mugs of beer.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Sea Beast is a thrilling adventure about a young orphan who stows away on a sea-monster-hunting ship and embarks on a journey that could change history. It includes animated action violence and potentially scary images of enormous sea monsters attacking ships and causing destruction. Monster hunters attack and kill the giant creatures with a variety of weapons (spears, cannons, etc.). Chaos and fighting lead to a child getting seriously injured, and a little blood is briefly shown. There are swashbuckling sword fights and close calls with drowning, an adult points a gun at a child, and a child wields a knife. Adult characters drink, and language includes "bloody hell" and "ass." The story shows the power of young people's standing up for others and making a big difference, as well as teamwork, integrity, and looking past the surface of a situation. And the film boasts a diverse cast, including a young, strong female character who's kind, optimistic, and brave. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (24)
• Kids say (19)

Based on 24 parent reviews

Language !!

What's the story.

In THE SEA BEAST, sea monsters have been nearly eradicated from the shores of the kingdom of Three Bridges, thanks to the help of the brave monster hunters. But there's one beast that continues to evade them: the Red Bluster. Captain Crow (voiced by Jared Harris ) of the Inevitable is consumed by vengeance and wants to kill the beast that took his eye. He strikes a deal with the king and queen, who've built their own ship and threaten to fire the hunters if they aren't able to bring in the Red Bluster after one last try. When the hunters head back out to sea, they realize they have a stowaway: a young orphan named Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator), whose parents died on a monster-hunting ship. She, too, wants to be a hunter and learn from the best aboard the Inevitable . But along the way, she begins to discover that what she thought she always knew may not be as it seems. She befriends Jacob ( Karl Urban ), the future captain of the Inevitable , who's brave and quick on his feet. As the exciting story unfolds, the pair learn that there's sometimes more to things than meets the eye.

Is It Any Good?

Anyone who loves a good swashbuckling adventure will delight in this beautifully animated tale. The Sea Beast takes a familiar story about chasing down monsters and gives it a real punch, with messages about heroes not always meeting expectations, the complicated nature of war and peace, the subjectivity of history, and other seemingly heavy themes. All are seamlessly woven into an inspiring, gripping adventure. It has a little something for everyone: Ship lovers will appreciate the nautical entertainment (including teams hanging from the sides of ships with ropes and tons of cannons firing), but there's also some humor and a particularly cute character thrown in for those who need an alternative to the larger, sometimes scary beasts.

It's also refreshing to see a diverse cast throughout the film, both aboard the ship and in town, rather than just in the background. If you pay attention, you'll notice that crew members wear attire from various cultural backgrounds, and there are many degrees of skin tones and hair texture, which all comes through clearly thanks to the movie's outstanding animation. Though the plot does feel a bit trite at times, the setting gives it fresh life, along with the somewhat haunting message about the dangers of blindly trusting history told by those in charge. It gives audiences a lot to think about and a lot to discuss after it's over.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how books, movies, and other media influence our history. How do you think the stories we consume today can shape the future?

Maisie and Jacob say that you can be a hero and still be wrong. What do you think that means? How might some heroes in our own history have been wrong in some ways?

Which characters in the movie do you consider role models ? Why? How do the female characters in The Sea Beast compare to girls and women in other kids' movies?

How do the characters in The Sea Beast demonstrate integrity and perseverance ? What about courage and teamwork ? Why are these important character strengths?

What similarities do you see between the hunters in The Sea Beast and real-world whale hunters? What do you think the movie might be saying about animal conservation?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : July 8, 2022
• Cast : Karl Urban , Zaris-Angel Hator , Jared Harris , Marianne Jean-Baptiste , Dan Stevens
• Director : Chris Williams
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors, Female writers
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Adventures , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires , Ocean Creatures
• Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
• Run time : 115 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : action, violence and some language
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

How to Train Your Dragon

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Lilo and Stitch

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Excellent adventure movies for family fun, movie monsters, related topics.

• Perseverance
• Great Girl Role Models
• Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Ocean Creatures

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Filed under:

Netflix’s The Sea Beast shows how far animation has come — and what it still needs

Moana and Big Hero 6 co-director Chris Williams brings the Disney and DreamWorks energy to a familiar film

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Netflix’s The Sea Beast shows how far animation has come — and what it still needs

In the early days of feature-length computer animation, there was an unofficial list of objects and textures that were notoriously difficult to master, with hair, water, and human faces chief among them. Netflix’s new animated feature The Sea Beast shows how far the medium has come over the last few decades — but it simultaneously shows how uninspired big-budget animation can still look, sometimes moments after it delivers a visual wow.

Specifically, this ocean-set adventure story deploys mega-gallons of computer-animated water with great skill. On the surface, as hunter ships prowl the sea for fearsome beasts that supposedly threaten humanity, the water shimmers and churns. Underneath, when sailors are occasionally dragged down to face enormous, kaiju-esque creatures, the murk creates a spare, ethereal beauty. The creatures themselves are a wonder of economical design: cartoony enough for readable expressions, imposing enough to put a good, momentary scare into smaller audience members.

So why is every human in this overpopulated story so dull to look at? The most distinctive by default is Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), a young orphan who reads of heroic beast-hunters and dreams of joining them on the high seas. She’s a Black girl, which ensures that she doesn’t look exactly like every other plucky young animated hero. But in general, the Sea Beast approach to human designs is to imitate recent Disney features like Moana or Encanto and make their eyes a bit smaller. Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), the strapping sailor who becomes Maisie’s reluctant guardian when she stows away on his monster-hunting ship, isn’t a caricature of swashbuckling masculinity or a clever visual variation on a familiar theme. He’s just a generic-brand version of a Disney hero.

It’s understandable that a Disney influence would inform so much of The Sea Beast . Its director, Chris Williams, is a two-decade veteran of Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was on directing teams responsible for Bolt , Big Hero 6 , and Moana. He also worked as part of Disney’s story trust on many other projects. There’s a bit of Moana in this story of an expert sailor mentoring and learning from a curly-haired youngster, as well as a dash of Pirates of the Caribbean , where rougher-hewn sailors are challenged by soldiers of the crown who want to take over the job of monster hunting.

Outside the Disney sphere (though not worlds away), there are strong overtones of How to Train Your Dragon , where a pre-industrial society lived in fear of fantastical creatures. When Jacob and Maisie are separated from their crew, they come face to face with a massive horned beast (possibly amphibian, given its dexterity both in water and on land), who Maisie nicknames Red, after its bright skin color. Though the creature isn’t as puppyish as Dragon ’s Toothless, its response to the protagonists challenges some assumptions about these sea creatures, stemming from old-timey maps and Maisie’s supposedly true-life storybooks.

None of this is bad material for a children’s animated feature, and The Sea Beast offers several breaks from tedious recent trends in animation. The dialogue is written and performed in a vernacular that reaches for a kind of offhand, English-accented poetry — the sea beasts, for example, are described as “nature’s darkest design.” Though the language doesn’t always hit the mark, it’s almost completely free of tinny sarcasm and faux-comic placeholders. (“Awkward!” “Well, that happened,” and the like.) Similarly, the grandeur of the movie’s strongest visuals is allowed to stand on its own, favoring painterly compositions of the ocean’s frightening vastness over busy, desperate-to-please antics.

But maybe Williams and his crew could have been a little more eager to please. At times, The Sea Beast moves at a sluggish pace. After Maisie is introduced in her first brief scene, for example, she disappears from the movie for a stretch, slowing the film’s momentum. (My 6-year-old: “It seems like the hunters are the main characters, not the girl.”) Later on, the movie decelerates again for some speechifying, and in general greatly overestimates audience interest in Captain Crow (Jared Harris), a vaguely Ahab-like figure obsessed with getting revenge on the giant creature that has so long eluded him.

Captain Crow is an issue for the film: He isn’t interesting to look at, he isn’t much fun to be around, and he’s too human to function as a genuinely deranged villain. The movie’s nearly two-hour run time illustrates the pervasiveness of Netflix bloat more than the complexity of its themes, which are pretty familiar, in spite of the elevated language.

It’s difficult to tell whether Netflix’s feature animation will eventually develop its own identity. For now, there’s one more comparison that applies to The Sea Beast : With its lush animation of mostly dull characters, it recalls the early 2D films from DreamWorks, before Shrek hastened its pivot away from hand-drawn cartoons. Like The Prince of Egypt or Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas before it, The Sea Beast ditches talking animals and funny sidekicks, but it can’t fully shake off its Disney influences. It’s a whole lot of well-animated beasts and water, with nowhere to flow.

The Sea Beast is streaming on Netflix now.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Hit Man Link to Hit Man
• Am I OK? Link to Am I OK?
• Jim Henson Idea Man Link to Jim Henson Idea Man

New TV Tonight

• Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• Ren Faire: Season 1
• Clipped: Season 1
• Queenie: Season 1
• Sweet Tooth: Season 3
• Mayor of Kingstown: Season 3
• Criminal Minds: Season 17
• Becoming Karl Lagerfeld: Season 1
• Power Book II: Ghost: Season 4
• Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• Eric: Season 1
• Dark Matter: Season 1
• Tires: Season 1
• Evil: Season 4
• Star Wars: Ahsoka: Season 1
• Trying: Season 4
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1 Link to Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All 73 Disney Animated Movies Ranked

Star Wars TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

6 TV and Streaming Shows You Should Binge-Watch in June 2024

The Acolyte First Reviews: A Familiar but New Vision of Star Wars , Packed with Stunning Action

• Trending on RT
• The Acolyte First Reviews
• Vote: 1999 Movie Showdown
• The Watchers

The Sea Beast Reviews

The Sea Beast is one of the more surprising movies of the year; feeling like a fresh take on a rapidly staling narrative, with genuinely gorgeous animation and set pieces, and a depth to match its ocean backdrop.

Full Review | Original Score: A+ | Apr 24, 2024

The Sea Beast is one of those rare examples where the human characters matter as much as the Kaijus.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 20, 2023

anyone versed in Pixar or Dreamworks will undoubtedly see those influences here. That fact alone doesn't negate what the film does well though. And it still tells a captivating adventure story using fully realized characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 19, 2023

The Sea Beast remains a fun film thanks to its vibrant setting and innovative animation, which guarantees its audience a good time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 11, 2023

It becomes a surprisingly emotional journey pitting duty against justice and memory against doctrine to find out that being a hero doesn't automatically mean you're right.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 3, 2023

There are quite complex issues here for children to engage with, but they’re presented in an accessible way, and repeat viewings will prompt kids to ask different questions as they get older.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 27, 2023

The Sea Beast is one of the better animated films this year. The CG animation is on point and the soundtrack really is emotionally driven. All characters are provided a real arc and purpose that is very heart warming and life challenging. Highly recommend

Full Review | Original Score: 8.5/10 | Dec 26, 2022

The Sea Beast washes down this heavy thematic material with a playful tone and exciting, well-designed action.

Full Review | Dec 14, 2022

Animation impresses us. Texture, details and action plus. “The Sea Beast” movie is not “Jaws,” But it’s a film that’s worth applause.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2022

In the largely immersive The Sea Beast, there is a whole lot to admire in the design of its creatures even if the people themselves can feel a little stiff.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 23, 2022

The Sea Beast is a fulfilling and beautiful movie that is also kid-oriented, and I will gladly watch it again.

Full Review | Sep 6, 2022

Though The Sea Beast doesn’t quite achieve the textural elegance or visual majesty of Moana, it is still a rare triumph for Netflix’s animation division.

Full Review | Aug 8, 2022

A fantasy story to which everyone is invited, both boys and girls. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 2, 2022

Another terrific animated Netflix film.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 30, 2022

Though the story beats once we're at sea and in pursuit of the titular character and the resulting character arcs won't surprise anyone who has ever seen an animated movie, they work and you end up caring for everyone!

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 29, 2022

A good example of how you can give kids what they want--action/adventure, comedy, cute animals--while giving them what they need (something to think about).

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 21, 2022

I don’t know if I’d call it a game-changer, but it’s incredibly fun, and it’s a perfect summer movie.

Full Review | Jul 21, 2022

If you’re going to title your movie The Sea Beast, you need to commit to a beast that earns its billing.

The colourful journey aside, what works for The Sea Beast is its duality of perspective.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 19, 2022

... A clear homage to the old (so old) adventure films: like when Errol Flynn-esque pirates climb up and down buccaneers building up the action and making it meaningful. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jul 19, 2022

Screen Rant

The sea beast review: an exhilarating & poignant nautical adventure.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The Deathly Hallows Legend In Harry Potter Has Always Bothered Me, But I Think I Finally Worked It Out

10 upcoming movies that could dethrone dune 2 as 2024's #1 movie at the box office, the most realistic d-day movie came out 23 years before saving private ryan.

These days there seems to be a proliferation of animated features that have lost the ability to tell meaningful stories while still being spectacles. Often, animated features are relegated to entertainment for children, talking down to them rather than teaching them to understand and experience essential themes and messages. The Sea Beast is an animated feature that captures the medium's magic. It's perfectly capable of telling a meaningful story that will entertain and educate younger audiences without losing older audiences to cheap jokes. It is a remarkable feat that will have viewers feeling nostalgic and hopeful.

The Sea Beast follows Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), a legendary sea monster hunter whose life is flipped upside down when an inquisitive and adventure-seeking young girl, Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator), stows away on his ship. Together they embark on an exhilarating epic journey into uncharted waters, uncovering startling revelations about the practice of monster hunting.

Related:  Chris Williams Interview: The Sea Beast

From the director Big Hero 6 , one of Disney’s best animated features, Chris Williams headed to Netflix to craft a delightfully exciting and poignant ocean adventure. The narrative isn’t overly complicated as it is meant to appeal to all ages (because animation isn’t just for kids). It harkens back to a time when important messages and themes were carefully threaded into a spectacle — and oh boy is  The Sea Beast  quite the impressive spectacle. There is a thoughtful and emotional impact that is never sacrificed for flimsy jokes and childish antics. With Maisie as the precious protagonist, she acts as the stand-in for younger audiences who are eager to join a heroic adventure, but have to learn some hard truths along the way. There is careful consideration of how this story reaches young audiences, but it never sacrifices the compelling journey everyone can enjoy.

In many ways, The  Sea Beast  is a nautical version of How To Train Your Dragon , a worthy successor to the crowning achievements of that superb trilogy. The theme evokes the real-world issue of animal conservation. It interrogates the nature of what makes a hero, and if it is possible for heroes to be wrong about their history and purpose.  The Sea Beast is layered with its messaging, but at its core it treads similar ground and does it just as effectively as the recently concluded dragon trilogy .

The Sea Beast is an all-around fun time. The visuals are excellent, with an animation style that distinguishes itself from the major animation studios dominating the medium. There will be a tinge of sadness for audiences who enjoy the theatrical experience  since  The Sea Beast will only play in select theaters and go to streaming. Granted, the animation is gorgeous and will not be diminished by how small the screen is. There is an astonishing amount of color on the screen. The ocean is given a lively aura. The sea beasts balance the terrifying description hunters have given them while maintaining a more accurate and child-friendly appearance. The 3D animation doesn’t aim for realism. Rather, it is utilized to emphasize the liveliness of the narrative. To further add to the excitement, the film is well directed, with action sequences good enough to rival the most expensive blockbusters. The complex and exciting imagery is vital in nurturing this pertinent story. A considerable effort is made to have every aspect of the film pop on screen.

There is much to gush about regarding The Sea Beast besides the excellent filmmaking and script. The film also boasts a fantastic voice cast. King of all genres and mediums, Karl Urban shows off his range once again. It is hard to imagine that Jacob is also Butcher on the Prime Video series The Boys . Zaris-Angel Hator’s voice work is equally impressive; she melts one's heart with little effort. Jared Harris is also a prolific actor who can be found anywhere and in everything, and he is always reliable. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is always a delight and leaves a lasting impression. Despite being a COVID production, the quality of voice acting doesn’t lag due to the actors not being together. There is a seamlessness to the whole picture, which is a testament to the attention to detail from the top.

The Sea Beast offers audiences a wonderful example of how effective animation can be. What makes it practically perfect is that it accomplishes everything it sets out to do. It is funny, exciting, beautiful, and all-around meaningful. There are no weak links, and if there were any, it would be understandable. There is an instant rewatchablity factor that only a few recent animated films possess.  The Sea Beast is excellent cinema and viewers should see it on the biggest screen possible! Either way, audiences should prepare to have the wonders of animation transport them to an epic swashbuckling adventure from the comfort of their own homes.

NEXT:  Minions: The Rise Of Gru Review - A Fun, Yet Slight Despicable Me Prequel

The Sea Beast began streaming on Netflix Friday, July 8 and is playing in select theaters starting June 24. The film is 119 minutes long and rated PG.

Our Rating:

• Movie Reviews
• 4.5 star movies

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

‘The Sea Beast’ Review: Netflix Animation Raises Its Flag with Chris Williams’ Swashbuckling Fantasy Epic

David ehrlich.

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Show more sharing options
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Print This Page
• Share on WhatsApp

With the exception of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” — which Netflix acquired from Sony a few short months before its release — and a handful of niche gems like “Apollo 10 ½” and “I Lost My Body,” the world’s largest streamer has done a spectacularly poor job of producing original animated movies that continue to exist once they leave people’s homepage. A swashbuckling family adventure that splits the difference between “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Master and Commander” while remaining just salty enough to stay afloat on its own strengths, Chris Williams’ (“Moana,” “Big Hero 6”) epic “The Sea Beast” suggests that the tide is potentially about to turn.

At the risk of grading “The Sea Beast” on too generous a curve, Williams’ film would stand out from the annual flood of sub-Pixar kiddie fare and generic subscription fodder even if it had nothing to offer beyond its self-belief. It tells a simple but epic story against the backdrop of a well-realized fantasy world, it does so at a measured pace that provokes the imagination rather than pummeling it into submission, and it stays on course by leveraging spectacular action (highlighted by several blistering pirate fights and a PG-rated kaiju brawl) into an effective fable about the perils of inherited prejudice.

If Williams’ first Netflix feature lacks the idiosyncratic touch required to become the kind of unforgettable classic that kids might be inspired to show their own someday — the tale’s wooden characters and unspectacular creature designs muting the special magic that a movie like this needs to become a truly formative experience — it’s hard to overstate how refreshing it is to watch an animated streaming movie that feels like it actually wants to be remembered.

Plunging us into the photorealistic waters of a sunny, sea-faring kingdom — picture 18th century British colonialism if the monarchy had permanently moved its headquarters to a floating Caribbean fortress city inspired by “The Phantom Menace” — “The Sea Beast” begins hundreds of years into a war between pirate-like hunters and the Godzilla-sized monsters that patrol their shipping lanes. The hunters are winning, thanks in large part to a legendary ship called the Inevitable. Commanded by the briny Captain Crow ( Jared Harris unleashing his inner Ahab) and the square-jawed son he adopted as a child ( Karl Urban voices the heroic Jacob Holland, the actor’s usual gruffness lightly rubbing against his character’s “Errol Flynn meets Easter Island” design), the Inevitable brings death wherever it sails.

Of course, every kid in town thinks the ship is cool as hell, and dreams of climbing aboard. That’s especially true of 11-year-old Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), who’s determined to become a monster hunter like her late parents, even if this good-natured scalawag doesn’t seem to share the same thirst for vengeance that typically inspires orphans to join the Inevitable. She’s in it for the adventure more than anything else, her youthful zeal and its attendant naïveté carrying this story along even as it clashes with the self-actualized wisdom Maisie finds the moment she finds herself in murky waters (a disconnect that would be easier to forgive in a movie that allowed its plucky heroine to entertain even a moment’s worth of personal doubt).

When the King and Queen task the Inevitable with killing the most fearsome beast of all — threatening, for reasons that are never adequately explained, to forever decommission the hunters in favor of the royal navy should they fail — Maisie doesn’t miss her chance to join the fight as a stowaway. It’s a fight that she doesn’t have the heart to win. When the Inevitable encounters the Red Bluster who Captain Crow has been stalking for all his years, Maisie is quick to doubt whether this overgrown Dreamworks reject with toy-smooth skin, hyper-expressive yellow eyes, and a fun pointy horn on its head could really be the murderous leviathan that generations of hunters have died in vain trying to kill. It won’t be too long before she and Jacob find themselves alone in the Red Bluster’s world, and at odds with the Inevitable, as they swirl closer to the bottom of the war that has defined their entire lives.

It will, on the contrary, be just long enough. It takes “The Sea Beast” more than 45 minutes of its uneven but engaging two-hour running time to reach the end of its first act and strand its lead characters on the Disney equivalent of Skull Island, and that time is used to enrich the film’s world in any number of ways.

Williams choreographs intricate sea battles that balance cartoonish kineticism with semi-realistic physics, honoring the history of naval combat while elevating it to thrilling new heights (the aerial views and underwater wide shots are more striking than anything in “The Pirates of the Caribbean”). He and co-writer Nell Benjamin introduce the crew of the Inevitable — most notably a one-legged officer voiced by “Secrets & Lies” star Marianne Jean-Baptiste — with a degree of detail that makes the ship feel like a family. And while everything about the lead characters is too bland and plasticky to stand up against such a vividly realized world, secondary figures like Captain Crow are designed with clever flourishes and brought to life with unexpected moral ambiguity.

That sense of something under the surface proves crucial to a movie that offers a pointed message about who writes our history. In its own, family friendly way, “The Sea Beast” grapples with the idea that it can be genuinely heroic for kids and adults alike to rethink the past they’ve been taught and author a more equitable future for themselves. It’s a valuable lesson for young people growing up in a tribalistic world in which history itself has become as much of a battlefield as the oceans ever were, and one delivered with enough care and panache to change the fate of Netflix Animation itself.

“The Sea Beast” will be available to stream on Netflix starting Friday, July 8.

Most Popular

You may also like.

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

The Sea Beast Plays Like an Old-fashioned Live-action Adventure

The great mythical sea monsters seen on medieval and Renaissance maps were not always meant to be taken literally. Most practical nautical maps and charts — the kind actually used on actual ships by actual sailors — didn’t include them; if you wanted sea monsters on your fancy map, you had to pay extra. True, tall tales abounded of huge, terrifying creatures that lurked in distant waters, but most of the beasts seen on these documents were ornamental, mere symbols of the fact that the oceans held more mysteries than we knew what to do with. Even back then, in other words, they were there largely to inspire the sedentary observer’s imagination.

In the new Netflix animated feature The Sea Beast , these giant monsters are, of course, very, very real. The film takes place during a time when the waves were ruled by ships that battle these unspeakable terrors from the deep. But there’s a similar leap of imagination at play here. Unlike many modern-day animated films, which find inspiration in fantasy and present us with unique, fanciful designs, the world of The Sea Beast is so realistically rendered, so detailed and physical , that much of the time it feels like a live-action adventure. It’s so thoroughly immersive it might make you believe in sea monsters.

Even the human character designs feel only a couple of degrees removed from reality. That’s not to say anyone would mistake the broad-faced and anvil-cheeked Captain Crow (voiced by Jared Harris) — the veteran hunter whose red-sailed ship, the Inevitable, is the most storied of all monster-chasing vessels — for a living, breathing actor. His features have been stretched out a bit too far for that. (And besides, this isn’t a Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within– style attempt to pioneer fake humans onscreen.) But Crow is a far cry from the angular, stylized faces and figures we tend to see in animation nowadays. The same could be said for his first mate and future heir, the amply barrel-chested ace harpooner Jacob Holland (Karl Urban). There’s something physically very believable about these characters. They move like real people, and they move through a world that feels breathtakingly tactile and tangible.

Borrowing liberally from Moby-Dick and The Mysterious Island with some How to Train Your Dragon and Pirates of the Caribbean thrown in, the story follows Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator), a young orphan who stows away on the Inevitable and winds up stranded with Jacob on an island, where they find themselves face-to-face with the Red Bluster, the most fearsome and elusive of the era’s monsters (and Captain Crow’s personal, er, white whale). Of course, Red (as Maisie soon nicknames the giant critter) doesn’t turn out to be a monster at all but just a misunderstood behemoth who has been fighting humans because humans have been fighting it.

Now, Red is stylized and unreal. This is a family film, after all, and while the other monsters in the film are armored, be-clawed, tentacular nightmares, the adorable Red looks more like a giant crimson seal, albeit with a gaping mouth lined with rounded teeth. One look at it and you know it cannot be the murderous demon of these hunters’ imaginations. The tale of the beast and the humans coming to accept one another is certainly nothing new, but the film finds touching ways to develop this idea. At one point, Maisie walks on Red’s back and sees the many harpoons sticking out of the creature. It’s a haunting image that director Chris Williams knows how to milk for maximum emotional impact.

Williams is a Disney veteran (he co-directed Big Hero 6 and Moana ), but he directs The Sea Beast with the verve of a live-action master. His camera (or, well, his “camera”) races among the bustling sailors of the Inevitable à la Das Boot . He expertly builds both suspense and irony through background action as grand swells of distant waves announce the arrival of monsters, with the creatures themselves often seen in clever, brief glimpses à la Jaws . And when we do witness the beasts in full, there’s often grandeur and majesty to them; when Red rises out of the sea, millions of individual water droplets stream off it à la the more recent reiterations of Godzilla . (It’s somewhat unfortunate that the film is primarily a streaming release; it could have been awesome in Imax.) There’s certainly something familiar about The Sea Beast , but it’s a welcome familiarity. This feels like the kind of rip-roaring, old-fashioned live-action seafaring adventure Hollywood often promises but rarely delivers.

More Movie Reviews

• Robot Dreams Is a Good Robot Movie and a Great New York Movie
• Behold, an Actually Good Omen Movie
• It’s No Wonder That Cannes Fell for Anora
• movie review
• the sea beast
• jared harris
• sea monsters
• chris williams

Most Viewed Stories

• Cinematrix No. 74: June 6, 2024
• Firing Jeff Probst Isn’t Enough
• Can Industry Succeed Succession ?
• Griffin Dunne’s Hollywood-Irish Family Had Its Grudges
• Hacks Isn’t a Good Comedy
• The Love Machine  

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

Review: Tough questions in animated kaiju adventure ‘The Sea Beast’

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

With “ The Sea Beast ,” Netflix throws its harpoon at a 2023 Oscar nomination for animated feature.

While the film’s dialogue and characters aren’t exactly unique, its visuals are remarkable and it’s actually about something. It’s a ripping yarn, a gorgeously rendered kaiju adventure on the high seas that uses fantasy to ask pertinent questions about the stories we believe, and who benefits from that belief.

For your safety

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials .

Viewers are plunged in the deep end with an immersive opening sequence depicting the aftermath of a ship’s destruction. We’re in a world of wooden vessels at war with monsters; an oceanside kingdom has been sustained largely by a class of “hunters” whose job it is to rid the sea lanes of these giant creatures.

This is followed by a clunky bit of exposition introducing Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator ), a young orphan who idolizes hunters, endlessly reads about them, and can’t wait to become one. We know where that’s going. We meet Jacob (voiced by Karl Urban ), saved from a sea monster attack as a child and now a Strapping Young Man and mighty hunter himself. Jacob has been raised by the greatest of the hunters, Captain Crow ( Jared Harris ) and his trusty first mate, Sarah Sharpe ( Marianne Jean-Baptiste ); he’s now in line for the captaincy of their ship, the Inevitable. Until then, Crow’s their captain, a hab -itual stalker of the most storied of the behemoths: His personal white whale is called “The Red Bluster.”

Jacob and Maisie’s paths will cross and the two will face the most fearsome creatures the sea has to offer, gathering important truths along the way.

“Sea Beast” succeeds handily as a monster-fighting adventure with exciting battle scenes — it’s less “ Master and Commander ” than giant monster movie, à la Godzilla ), with titanic creatures doing their thing and humans learning lessons in their devastating wake.

Those humans, unfortunately, tend not to be particularly memorable. Jacob, for instance, isn’t as charming or, ahem, animated as virtually any live-action performance by Urban (lately of “ The Boys ” and “ Thor: Ragnarok ”).

However, the monsters are marvelously crafted. Those meant to be menacing are. Those meant to be cute very much are. Somehow, the limited facial expressions afforded them speak volumes. Viewers will remember the two primary “beasts,” certainly and will probably be wowed by the savage leviathan attacks.

Co-written (with Nell Benjamin ) and directed by Chris Williams (“ Moana ,” “ Big Hero 6 ”), what “The Sea Beast” lacks in sparkling dialogue or hilarity on the high seas is more than made up for by its beautiful, detailed textures and rich cinematography. There are shots with epic sweep and downtime moments that are casually ornate. Lighting and color effectively create atmosphere. The underwater sequences are arresting. It’s the kind of achievement likely to be remembered at awards time.

Driving it all is a lesson not typically among the offerings from major-studio animation’s Big Bag of Morals. While some may dismiss it, the film’s fathoms are deeper, diving for something interesting to share with kids (or entrenched adults): What are the roots of traditional hatreds? Are they, and their violent consequences, “inevitable”? It nudges viewers to reconsider beliefs based on stories rather than experiences and logic. Who tells these stories? What is their agenda?

While “The Sea Beast” makes its mark with action, creatures and feats of extraordinary animation, it leaves viewers with a nagging thought: “Maybe you can be a hero and still be wrong.”

'The Sea Beast'

Rated: PG, for action, violence and some language Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Playing: Available Friday on Netflix

More to Read

‘The Beast’ explores the heart of loneliness, in Los Angeles and beyond

April 10, 2024

Review: In ‘The Beast,’ two lovers can’t connect — and maybe AI is to blame

April 4, 2024

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ smashes its way to $80 million. How it won the box office

March 31, 2024

Entertainment & Arts

How do you direct ‘Godzilla x Kong’? Adam Wingard took performance notes from his cat

March 29, 2024

Review: ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ is monster math that becomes a headache

March 28, 2024

Review: Though visually dazzling, ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ shows a flabby franchise in need of punch

March 7, 2024

Emotionally complex and visually distinctive styles mark the animated shorts contenders

Feb. 19, 2024

How VFX updates take Godzilla back to its nuclear roots

Feb. 6, 2024

How ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ honored Godzilla’s Japanese roots

Jan. 5, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Michael Ordoña covered film and television for the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

We’ve been telling the wrong story about queer people in Hollywood

June 6, 2024

Kevin Costner reveals his promise to Whitney Houston — and his refusal to trim her eulogy

June 5, 2024

Marvel star Evangeline Lilly takes an ‘indefinite hiatus’ from acting

Martin Lawrence is ‘healthy as hell’: ‘Bad Boys’ star quells fans’ press tour concerns

• Stranger Things Season 5
• Deadpool and Wolverine
• The Batman 2
• Spider-Man 4
• Yellowstone Season 6
• Fallout Season 2
• The Last of Us Season 2
• Entertainment

The Sea Beast review: Netflix channels Disney in fun monster tale

It’s one thing to create an animated movie that wins kids over, but when the same film also delivers a rewarding experience for the adults watching along with them, that’s something special.

The Netflix film The Sea Beast is just that kind of movie, and it taps into that same elusive, all-ages appeal that studios like Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks have delivered so reliably in recent years.

Directed by Chris Williams from a script he penned with Nell Benjamin ( Legally Blonde: The Musical ),  The Sea Beast is set in a world where sea monsters and monster hunters have waged a war for control of the seas for generations. When a young girl stows away on a legendary monster-hunting ship, the friendship she forms with its famous hunter and their shared encounter with a terrifying monster leads them both to question the futures they once saw for themselves.

It makes sense that  The Sea Beast channels that all-ages entertainment value, as the film is Williams’ solo directorial debut after co-directing two of Disney’s best films of the last decade: 2014’s Big Hero 6  and 2016’s  Moana . Like those films, The Sea Beast finds a way to bring complicated themes down to a personal level that children can relate to, wrapping them in something both fantastic and familiar. And in doing so, its message lives in the common ground between generations — a place so many “family” films search for, but never find.

• Is Elemental streaming on Disney+?
• Hocus Pocus 2 review: that old black magic, new again
• Me Time review: Netflix’s latest comedy falls apart

Along with its surface-level themes about the importance of opening your heart to the world around you and being open to change,  The Sea Beast also delves into the terrible toll that obsession can take on us all (a theme that gives the film a Moby Dick -esque vibe), the importance of questioning history and tradition, and the way families can be something we create for ourselves rather than being born into. Each of those themes is a handful on its own, but the film weaves them all together masterfully, and delivers teachable moments that feel both organic to the story and universal, regardless of age.

Voicing Maisie, the young girl at the heart of the story, Zaris-Angel Hator ( The Power ,  The Midnight Gang ) gives a performance that’s more than simply precocious. Her dialogue delivery and the design and animation of her character — provided by  Hotel Transylvania and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse studio Sony Pictures Imageworks — blend together perfectly, allowing her to steal every scene, come off wiser than her years, and provide some of the film’s most cheer-worthy moments.

Karl Urban ( The Boys ) voices the film’s famous monster hunter, Jacob Holland, and his performance offers a nice reminder of how engaging the New Zealand’s actor’s voice can be, even when he doesn’t appear on screen. The  Dredd and  Star Trek actor’s gruff voice gives Jacob a rougher edge than the character might otherwise have with a different actor, and it offers both a fresh perspective on Urban’s range and makes the character’s story arc and emotional journey feel more pronounced.

While Hator and Urban lead the film’s voice cast, good performances abound in  The Sea Beast . Jared Harris ( Chernobyl ,  Foundation ) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste ( Secrets & Lies ,  Without a Trace ) are both exceptional as the ship’s captain and his first mate, respectively. The pair bring a depth and humanity to both of their characters, who could have easily slipped into the background or become tired tropes otherwise.

It’s worth noting that the musical element in  The Sea Beast adds another fun layer to the film. Sea shanties have experienced a resurgence in popularity lately due to social media , and the film manages to pack quite a few into its two-hour running time. While they’re not nearly as memorable as the tracks in the typical, earworm-laden Disney films, they’re still entertaining and add even more era-appropriate, high-seas flavor to the film’s atmosphere.

Netflix still has a long ways to go to forge the sort of trust in quality, family-friendly entertainment that Disney, Pixar, and other well-established studios enjoy, but The Sea Beast offers a reassuring indication that it’s making the right decisions to get to that point.

The Sea Beast premieres July 8 on Netflix.

The Sea Beast (2022)

Editors' recommendations.

• The best family movies on Disney+ right now
• Werewolf By Night review: magnificent monster mayhem
• Pinocchio review: nothing new to see in wooden adaptation
• Look Both Ways review: another forgettable Netflix original
• Resident Evil review: Netflix series aims high, falls short

You don't get to be the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time without knowing how to appeal to your audience, even when its as an audience as wide-ranging as fans of the Despicable Me films.

The latest entry in that franchise, Minions: The Rise of Gru, certainly knows how to play to its audience, even if its appeal is starting to wear a little thin.

Whether it's a film about a rat who dreams of becoming a French chef or a teenage girl who becomes a giant red panda when she's excited, Pixar makes it look easy to create great films, no matter how wild the premise.

Lightyear might offer the studio's most complicated setup yet, chronicling an early adventure of Buzz Lightyear, the sci-fi hero of a film that only existed in the Toy Story franchise until now, and that inspired the talking toy of the same name in that franchise. To put it another way, Lightyear is (essentially) the film the Buzz Lightyear toy in Toy Story is based on, brought into the real world for the rest of us to see.

In animation, it has proven to be extremely difficult to recreate the old Disney magic outside of Pixar and Disney itself. The first few films of DreamWorks Animation were essentially Disney-lite until the studio found its irreverent voice in the Shrek films. More recently, Netflix has also been chomping at the bit to capitalize on the Disney audience. And if the first trailer for The Sea Beast is any indication, the streaming service may have a film that could rival the Mouse.

The Sea Beast | Official Trailer | Netflix

‘The Sea Beast’ Review: Chris Williams’ Ocean Adventure Might be Changing the Tides for Netflix Animation

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

'The Watchers' Review: Ishana Night Shyamalan’s Horror Movie Is a Nepo Nightmare

'lumberjack the monster' review: takashi miike’s horror film deserved better than netflix, watch matt smith and morfydd clark confront ancient evil in the 'starve acre' trailer.

Netflix Animation has certainly had its ups and downs in the relatively few years the streaming service has been making its own animated content. Netflix has worked with directors who previously worked for Disney, Universal, and other major animation studios, and while Netflix has been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars for films like Klaus and Over the Moon , Netflix has yet to have a film that has become a massive hit for them. Especially with Netflix canceling animation projects earlier this year, it seemed like the great Netflix animated original might never come to pass.

Yet the outlook for Netflix Animation in 2022 looks surprisingly robust. Not only have we already had Richard Linklater ’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Odyssey earlier this year, but the end of the year will see Henry Selick teaming up with Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key on Wendell & Wild and Guillermo del Toro co-directing his take on Pinocchio . Helping this sea change, however, is The Sea Beast , from Chris Williams , director of Disney’s Bolt , Big Hero 6 , and Moana . Williams’ work was essential to the changing opinions of Disney moving towards computer animation, and with his first film with Netflix, it seems like he might be helping do the same thing for the streaming service.

The Sea Beast takes to the water and follows Captain Crow (voiced by Jared Harris ) and his crew of sea monster hunters that includes Jacob Holland ( Karl Urban ), Crow’s second-in-command and the closest thing he’s ever had to a son, and Sarah Sharp ( Marianne Jean-Baptiste ), a badass swordsman aboard the crew’s ship, The Inevitable. As The Inevitable sails on to face their most dangerous monster yet, known as The Bluster, they discover a stowaway in Maisie Brumble ( Zaris-Angel Hator ), an orphan girl who worships the stories of Captain Crow and his impressive crew. As Maisie goes on this adventure with her heroes, she starts to see how the tales she’s read all these years might not be the whole truth, and that maybe these sea monsters aren’t actually monsters at all.

RELATED: 'The Sea Beast' Trailer Reveals an Epic Animated Adventure with Karl Urban, Dan Stevens, and More

Williams, who also co-wrote The Sea Beast with Nell Benjamin , certainly brings some of his Disney flair to this latest venture. Maisie’s discovery that the world she once believed in has echoes of Bolt , the unity of The Inevitable reminds of Big Hero 6 , and the sea-bound adventure clearly reminds of Moana . But especially compared to the other animated Netflix Original films, The Sea Beast has more of that magic that made Williams’ films for Disney so wonderful, even if it never quite gets to the quality of his previous work.

While the adventures on the water in The Sea Beast boast some of the film’s most beautiful animation, the character and monster design leaves much to be desired. Urban, Harris, and Hator are doing fantastic work with these characters, but the designs already look like they’re from an age of computer animation long past. The monster designs are also a bit basic, especially when compared to a film series like How to Train Your Dragon , where so many of these monstrous characters can be told through the way they look.

Thankfully, it’s the screenplay of The Sea Beast that makes it special, as Williams and Benjamin are exploring the idea of revisionist history, and how so much of history is defined by who is telling these stories. The Sea Beast is also fittingly saltier than your standard animated film, with slightly surprising dialogue and an understandably relaxed take on alcohol—a rarity for what is essentially a kid’s film. But The Sea Beast ’s best scenes come in the quieter moments, as Jacob and Maisie have to reckon with the realities of their worlds not being what they originally thought.

The Sea Beast doesn’t necessarily mark a complete shift in quality for Netflix Animation, but it certainly seems like a step in the right direction for the company’s animated projects. The Sea Beast might not become the gigantic animation success Netflix is hoping for, but it definitely looks like the tides are starting to change in their favor.

The Sea Beast is now available to stream on Netflix.

• Movie Reviews

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

• DVD & Streaming

The Sea Beast

• Action/Adventure , Animation , Comedy , Kids , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Zaris-Angel Hator as Maisie Brumble; Karl Urban as Jacob Holland; Jared Harris as Captain Crow; Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sarah Sharpe; Helen Sadler as Ms. Merino; Ian Mercer as Old Nick; Shannon Chan-Kent as Fen; Xana Tang as Lea the Lookout; Brian Delaney as Jim Nicklebones; Jim Carter as King; Doon Mackichan as Queen; Dan Stevens as Admiral Hornagold; Kathy Burke as Gwen Batterbie

Home Release Date

• July 8, 2022
• Chris Williams

Distributor

Movie review.

Long ago, the sea beasts ravaged our shores. They destroyed towns, killed people and brought on the Dark Times.

But then, the hunters arose. They took to the sea and drove the beasts back into the deep. Now, civilization is safe. And the hunters make plenty of money slaying sea beasts and bringing their trophies back for the Crown to purchase.

At least, that’s how it should work.

But lately, the Crown isn’t satisfied with the work that Captain Crow and his hunters are doing. In particular, they haven’t succeeded yet in killing the Red Bluster, the most ferocious and evasive sea beast of them all.

“As long as the Bluster lives, people will still look to the seas with fear,” the queen says.

The Crown has created its own sea beast-killing ship—and decided to cut funding for the hunters. With that threat, Captain Crow’s crew offers the Crown a deal: if Crow’s crew can kill the Red Bluster first, then the alliance between the Crown and the hunters will continue. If not, then they can tear Crow’s ship apart for scraps.

And with the deal set, both crews set off to prove themselves worthy. But as Crow’s adopted son, Jacob, soon discovers, they’ve got a stowaway on board:  Maisie, an orphan girl with big dreams of monster slaying. Though Jacob doesn’t think she should be on board, Crow allows her to stay.

Unfortunately for Jacob, he’ll find out just how much trouble he’s going to get the two of them in.

Positive Elements

Captain Crow treats Jacob like a son. Crow found Jacob adrift following a sea beast attack, and he then raised the orphaned boy to succeed him in his position as captain. But when Jacob and Crow don’t see eye-to-eye on what to do with Maisie, Jacob steps up to protect her, potentially jeopardizing his chance to be the new captain.

And as Jacob and Maisie begin to discover some revealing truths, Jacob initially refuses to believe what he hears, not wanting to disrespect the lives of those who died before. However, Maisie insists, “You can be a hero and still be wrong,” helping Jacob to come around to her viewpoint. Together, though they stand against hundreds of years of falsehood, Jacob and Maisie work together to fix what was made wrong all those years ago. Along the way, others stand up to authority when they discover that the authority is undeniably corrupt.

Against personal desires, Captain Crow turns to help a struggling ship fend off a sea beast. Even though he doesn’t personally like the captain of the ship, he believes it best to adhere to “the hunter code,” sacrificing the opportunity to catch a beast he’s been chasing for 30 years.

Spiritual Elements

A woman’s help is said to come with a mystical price. Maisie says that hell won’t take Captain Crow. The sea monsters are generally referred to as “devils.” A weapon is called “the Hand of God.” Captain Crow says, “The fates had brought me a son.”

Sexual Content

Jacob is seen shirtless as his wounds are tended to.

Violent Content

People use cannons and swords to fight off sea beasts. The monsters lose tentacles and are impaled with spears, causing small spurts of black blood to come from them. Boats are broken by the sea beasts, and people are grabbed or knocked away by tentacles (though we never directly see anyone die).

The worst injuries that characters receive are occasional cuts and scars, which leave small blood stains on clothes (however, some amputee characters are seen, implying worse). Another ship has reportedly been sunk, and everyone on board was killed.

A sea beast battles a massive crab beast. One of the sea creatures tears a boat in half, and it unintentionally destroys a couple buildings. Maisie is knocked out by cannon fire, and when Jacob grabs hold of her, his hand is covered in blood. Jacob and another person have a swordfight. A crablike beast attempts to eat Jacob.

Crude or Profane Language

“H—” is heard three times, and “a–” is used once. We also hear the word “bloody” twice and “b-llocks” once. A man is called a “rum gagger.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Hunters are seen drinking beer and other types of alcohol at various parts of the movie. Jacob purchases beer for a tavern worth of people. An island is named “Rum Pepper Island.”

Other Negative Elements

Young Maisie, who’s perhaps 10 or so, breaks out of her orphanage and stows away on a hunting ship. Jacob is sneezed out of a beast’s nose.

Hunting sea beasts is no easy task. But the crew of the Inevitable makes it look like child’s play.

The ship is captained by Crow, the man who has had entire books written about his adventures. His first mate, Sarah Sharpe, is said to be the most loyal around. And Jacob Holland, the captain’s adopted son, once supposedly slayed five whole sea beasts in the span of two days !

Perhaps that’s why the life of a hunter looks so good to the orphan Maisie, who lost her own hunter parents long ago to a sea beast (which, as we discover, isn’t too uncommon). Perhaps that’s why she stows away on the Inevitable when it sails to find the Red Bluster, the most dangerous sea beast of all. And perhaps it’s why she’s wildly unprepared for the ferocity of the battle when it inevitably comes to her.

Though many deadly dangers await Maisie, she’s fortunate to have Jacob by her side to fight through them—even if his “slash first and ask questions later” attitude gets them into chaotic situations. But when the two discover a long-forgotten truth about the sea beasts, they’ll need to rely on more than just clever swordplay in order to overcome the challenges that await them.

Netflix’s animated actioner The Sea Beast offers a fresh adventure for families to potentially enjoy together. Though there’s little treasure to be dug up, the impressive battles against Kraken-sized monsters will be more than enough to get anyone desiring to swing around a ship on conveniently hanging ropes.

Of course, the big beasts require a lot of well-placed cannonballs and spears to take down. They’re also the cause of scrapes and bruises (as well as some implied offscreen deaths). And, of course, any crew on the open ocean will be found drinking a bit of beer and spouting a couple of those sailor swears.

That said, The Sea Beast provides a rollicking, swashbuckling story for children that’s engaging enough to keep them entertained while still being clever enough so that adults will enjoy it, too.

Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”

Latest Reviews

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Young Woman and the Sea

Back to Black

The Fall Guy

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

231: Daisy Ridley + Young Woman and the Sea, Sting, The Beast, Eric, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• Podcast Episode

Add a plot in your language

User reviews

• May 30, 2024 (United Kingdom)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 10 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Young Woman and the Sea review: Daisy Ridley dives headfirst into an incredible true story

From controlling the Force to swimming the Channel.

Daisy Ridley takes on the role of real-life Olympic swimmer Gertrude 'Trudy' Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel, easily beating the record time achieved by the men who did it before her.

Knowing Trudy will make history by the end of the movie doesn't take the excitement out of it, as this true story offers a touching version of the underdog formula and a charming heroine to root for from beginning to end.

It's not the most original sports movie ever made, but the goal here is to put Trudy Ederle in her rightful place in history, and that it definitely does.

Based on Glenn Stout's 2009 book of the same name, the movie follows the story of the record-breaking swimmer from her childhood as a sickly kid in an immigrant German family in New York to her growing obsession with fighting the waves in the open sea.

Despite the patriarchal limitations of the time, Trudy and her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) joined the Women's Swimming Association (WSA), led by Charlotte Epstein ( Fleabag 's Sian Clifford), and learned to swim professionally.

Trudy went on to dominate every female swimming competition in the country and became an Olympic athlete in 1924.

However, her biggest challenge, the one she dreamed of for years, was to swim the English Channel — from France to England's shores. It took her 14 hours and 34 minutes to complete the journey, facing ominous storms and plenty of jellyfish.

As information about Ederle is scarce, Young Woman and the Sea takes some creative licence, as well as tweaking some known facts in order to compress the story and enhance the drama — Ederle did win medals, so her trip to the Olympic Games wasn't a total disaster, there was actually a full year between her first and second attempt at swimming the channel, and a certain controversial poisoning in the water never actually happened.

Jeff Nathanson's script marries reality and fiction in quite an effective way, putting special focus on family relations and the much-needed support system that allows extraordinary women to find their path.

Meanwhile, director Joachim Rønning ( Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales , Kon-Tiki ) finds the visual strength of the movie in the dynamic open-water scenes, which make Daisy Ridley's performance all the more impressive.

The London-born actor is the heart of the movie, her months-long training to prepare for this role brilliantly evident in every stroke of her arm in the water. Her commitment is admirable, and the movie is all the better for it.

After being propelled to fame thanks to the Star Wars franchise back in 2015, and as she prepares to reprise her role as Rey in a new movie , Ridley is delivering some excellent performances (see her work in the independent gem Sometimes I Think About Dying ) while exploring a more active role behind the cameras. She is an executive producer in Young Woman and the Sea , and is continuing her producing ventures with Magpie , which will be released this year.

As Trudy Ederle, the actor captures a sense of passion and unbreakable determination, which quickly turns her into a role model for young girls who want to swim or otherwise follow a different path than the one laid down for them by early-20th-century society.

Some of the movie's key scenes (like a scary jellyfish encounter and a bit of sisterly motivation during a low-spirited moment) would have been more impactful if we hadn't seen similar counterparts in Netflix 's Oscar -nominated movie Nyad . Both titles can totally coexist, though, as they tell incredible true-story tales of female swimmers separated by almost a century and who achieve very different feats.

What makes Young Woman and the Sea unique, besides Trudy's singular story, is Ridley's relentless joy — whether she's facing the elements in the open sea or singing 'Ain't We Got Fun' for the millionth time, there is always a smile on her face.

Honing the classic sports-film formula, the movie is a delightful dive into a story that needed to be told, and lifted up.

Young Woman and the Sea is released in UK cinemas on May 31.

June 2024 gift ideas and deals

Amazon Music Unlimited – 30-day free trial

Marquee TV streaming service - 3 months for 99p

Playstation Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Collector's Edition (PS5)

Digital Spy Holidays - trips with TV experts

Buy Zendaya's 'I Told Ya' Challengers t-shirt

Audible, 50% off for 4 months

Watch the Fallout TV show for free

Buy Alison Hammond's outfits

Apple TV+ 7-day free trial

Sign up for Disney+

Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits

Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile

Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas . 

Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK. 

She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service .    During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.     Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor. 

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Movie Reviews

Léa Seydoux’s new movie The Beast is a must-see

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review

Is J.Lo's new Netflix movie Atlas worth watching?

Back to Black review

The Strangers: Chapter 1 review

IF review - Is Ryan Reynolds' new movie any good?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review

The Fall Guy review

Challengers review - The horny tennis drama serves

Boy Kills World review

SPY x FAMILY CODE: White review

The Beast Review

Opening with an actress screaming at an invisible attacker while filming a green-screen scene, The Beast immediately reveals its primary ideas: the eeriness of technological advancement, a feeling of deep anguish at a terror that isn’t really there, and the interaction between the two. Bertrand Bonello’s sci-fi — in which two people, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) and Louis (George MacKay), meet in different eras — is an extraordinary excavation of the role technology plays in causing emotional mayhem, and a clarion call to those who would use it as a stand-in during daily human life.

If that sounds complicated, then buckle up: with three timelines and endless recurring symbolism, The Beast is, well, a bit of a beast. We begin in 1910, where Gabrielle is a musician; in 2014, she’s a model and actor house-sitting in Los Angeles; in 2044, she is considering “purifying” her DNA in an attempt to get a job in an AI-riddled society. In all three eras, she’s haunted by an intense feeling that something, one day, will annihilate her. Is it all in her head?

Though the story feels so attuned to current-day neuroses, its themes are timeless.

To the film’s benefit, Bonello doesn’t over-explain the backstory for this cold vision of the future, which is what sometimes dates less successful sci-fi movies — here, 2044 is a believable state of affairs, with experts already warning of the quasi-dystopia we could be facing with AI in an even closer timeframe. All we know is that after a ‘tragedy’ in 2025, AI has been increasingly relied upon in place of human-led employment, and that the government wants to ‘cleanse’ the workforce by purging them of upsetting memories from their past lives, thus reducing emotional suffering and removing biased decision-making — essentially, banishing ‘human affect’. A suffocating 4:3 aspect ratio locks us into this cold world where the streets are deserted, and the passivity of the populace — evidenced in a small but crucial role by Saint Omer ’s Guslagie Malanda as ‘doll’ Kelly — is pretty alarming.

Thanks to what is arguably Léa Seydoux’s best performance, we never feel lost among all the complex imagery across the timelines, from clairvoyants to pigeons, knives and dolls. With just a mere flicker in her expression, it’s so easy to identify with her passion and pain, even if the uncanny atmosphere leaves a deep feeling of ‘wrongness’ seeping into your pores like poison. There’s something in the 2044 scenes that feels strongly reminiscent of David Lynch, especially the way he makes you empathise with the anguish of Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks , despite all the strangeness in tone and mood.

Throughout, the director makes us just as afraid as Seydoux’s Gabrielle — afraid of what is the question that remains so riveting. Bonello mixes his high-concept sci-fi with real events — nodding to the 1910 Great Flood of Paris, as well as the 2014 Isla Vista killings by a misogynistic incel — to disorientate us as viewers, forcing us to sort through what is real and what isn’t, just like Gabrielle.

It’s in the 2014 timeline where there is the thickest atmosphere of inching dread and imminent catastrophe. Painted as a time of narcissism where nobody is really seeing, the world is filtered through sunglasses, videophones, surveillance cameras, YouTube and broadcast news; Dasha Nekrasova’s appearance as a model who speaks in an insincere Millennial drawl epitomises the empty posturing of the era. Bonello seems to be begging: wake up.

And in its purest essence, The Beast asks us to entertain a scary thought: if you could, would you go through a medical procedure that would remove all the parts of your brain that make you upset and frightened? Despite its esoteric imagery, the film is incredibly accurate in its exploration of anxiety, from the cruel nature of foreboding, to the ways we take refuge in the past, and how we often put ourselves in danger in our desperate pursuit for inner peace.

Though the story feels so attuned to current-day neuroses, its themes are timeless; it is, after all, loosely adapted from the Henry James novella The Beast In The Jungle , which notes: “It wouldn’t have been failure to be bankrupt, dishonoured, pilloried, hanged; it was failure not to be anything.” Bonello seems to echo in agreement: embrace the possibility of catastrophe, because a future without it is a whole different beast.

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – The Beast (2023)

May 28, 2024 by Robert Kojder

The Beast , 2023.

Directed by Bertrand Bonello. Starring Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Kester Lovelace, Julia Faure, Guslagie Malanda, Dasha Nekrasova, Martin Scali, Elina Löwensohn, Marta Hoskins, Félicien Pinot, Laurent Lacotte, and Xavier Dolan.

The plot is set partly in a near future in which artificial intelligence is in control of everyone’s lives and human emotions are perceived as a threat.

An ambitious story of tragic and toxic love sprawled across the past, rearview window present,  and near future, Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast wonders what it would be like if, in one of those three timelines, a well-intentioned man in one of them was also a raging misogynist making deeply disturbing YouTube videos promoting a violent cleansing coming by his hand as retaliation for women having always rejected his advances. This is a love story that is also anything but a love story, which is part of what makes it so compelling.

It certainly makes for a deeply uncomfortable moment when, roughly halfway into the film, present-day Gabrielle Monnier (Léa Seydoux impressively pulling off three variations of the same character, layering them all with a wide range of emotions and one haunting final shot that sticks in the mind sonically and visually) meets that man, Louis Lewanski (George MacKay, also terrific pulling off polar opposite depictions of this character and, at times, scarily finding a bit of humanity in the deranged variant), feeling that unexplainable gravitational connection, urging him to walk her home after a California earthquake. Louis repeatedly declines, insisting that something bad might happen, signifying that his hatred towards women comes less from the way they treat him and is more about his deep-sea-level fears and insecurities. 

While that dynamic does make for some traditional thrills, perhaps the real horror comes from a psychological place that, for anyone fascinated by stories about reincarnation or love across different timelines, there could be an utterly psychotic version of all of us out there. Or that we could be longing for someone so unhinged without knowing it. However, the film is, and rightfully so, much more concerned with Gabrielle’s emotional and physical journey returning to those past timelines as part of an AI-mandated process in the future to eliminate feelings from humans to make them “less dangerous” and more fit for a barebones workforce.  

This Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind reminiscent procedure takes Gabrielle to early twentieth-century France, where she is in a loveless marriage to the wealthy Georges (Martin Scali), encountering Louis at a glamorous party who is taken aback by her, vowing to protect her after she speaks of this inexplicable connection and an intense feeling that something disastrous is eventually going to happen. They remain in contact, and he is interested in her and her fascination with crafting dolls (a recurring motif across the film.) It is also worth mentioning that, yes, George MacKay and Léa Seydoux speak English and French in the respective timelines, only adding to the commitment and depth of these tremendous performances. Essentially, he is her savior in one life and her worst nightmare in the next; it’s a loaded juxtaposition that the filmmakers don’t waste.

There is also an experimental visual style that plays with pixel distortion and the nature of filmmaking, chiming in on how green screen and AI remove realism. The script (written by Bertrand Bonello, Guillaume Bréaud, and Benjamin Charbit, loosely based on aspects of the Henry James novel The Beast in the Jungle ) brilliantly brings some of these conversations back into a portion of the grand, mind-shattering finale, sharply making that point. Without giving away, the ending sequence is a variation of one earlier scene that brings forth immense dread not only because of what is happening but also on a metatextual level in the filmmaking process. 

The Beast is primarily split into two halves, with each containing stops in the future world, which is also fleshed out as a numbing existence overrun by technology and aesthetically detailed nostalgia nightclubs, which does work, especially if one has no idea about the second half-wild direction for George MacKay’s character. However, most viewers might already know about that going in (it’s not worth writing around in a review to be vague about what gives the film such unnerving depth) and become somewhat restless during the slower first half.

The Beast grows on the viewer as it gradually reveals more information and ideas, which is a lot considering the 146-minute running time. Nevertheless, there is love and danger here, packaged together in one cruel, psychologically torturous package. It is sweet and hellish, yet also clued into a depressing future informing its characters and ideas. 

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

House of the Dragon: All the Dragons and Their Riders Ranked by Power

The Best Taylor Sheridan TV Shows Ranked

Great Cult Films From 1984 You May Have Missed

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at 20: A Sci-Fi Romance Unlike Any Other

Robin of Sherwood: Still the quintessential take on the Robin Hood legend

Fox Marvel Characters Who Need Redemption in Deadpool 3

The 10 Best Villains in Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies

What If? Five Marvel Movies That Were Almost Made

House of the Dragon Season 2: How Long Does Aegon II Targaryen Stay On the Throne in the Books?

10 MTV Generation-Era Comedies That Need New Sequels

• Comic Books
• Video Games
• Toys & Collectibles
• Articles and Opinions
• About Flickering Myth
• Write for Flickering Myth
• Advertise on Flickering Myth
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

The Beast movie review: Lea Seydoux can’t save bleak AI drama

A I is cinema’s favourite baddie at the moment, with movies big and small wondering where this new technological innovation will take humanity. The Beast, a very loose adaptation of a 1903 Henry James novella, doesn’t hold out much hope for us mere mortals. 

It’s 2044, and Artificial Intelligence has taken over the world , relegating humans to menial jobs unless they agree to cleanse their DNA of all emotion. Hoping for advancement, Gabrielle ( Lea Seydoux ) undergoes the procedure, exploring the trauma of her past lives, only to find one man (George MacKay) playing a major part in all of them. Filmmaker Bertrand Bonello gives us three films in one – the sci-fi dystopia of the 2044 segments, a David Lynch-like picture of 2014 LA, and a sweeping romance set in 1910 France.

The latter is the most accessible, where the connection between the stars is felt most, but that’s perhaps a pitstop in a film that spends a lot of its time feeling detached. The big questions of destiny and what makes us human are examined with intelligence and precision, but never with the emotion that these subjects deserve. 

Seydoux is intriguingly walled off as Gabrielle, a character confronting her emotions in order to kill them off. She is absorbing, connecting with MacKay who has a bit more to play with as a character whose motives become sinister over time. Unfortunately, the bleakness of the film overrides everything else.

The Beast sails bravely through different philosophies and timelines, but nothing comes together quite as cohesively as you would hope. There isn’t quite enough here to distinguish this from the raft of AI nightmare scenarios on our screens.

The Beast: One can only nod in agreement when Léa Seydoux shouts ‘what the f*** are you talking about?’

This insanely knotty art house brain-botherer is worth worrying at.

George MacKay and Léa Seydoux in The Beast. Photograph: Carole Bethuel/Janus Films

About halfway through Bertrand Bonello’s insanely knotty new picture – a Spaghetti Junction of semi-discrete timelines – one version of Léa Seydoux gives in to frustration. “What the f**k are you talking about!” she yells into the ether. What indeed?

Reading reviews of the film at the Venice Film Festival last year, one noted that few could agree where even to start their synopsis. Some favoured the chronological and placed the protagonist, then a concert pianist named Gabrielle, in a lavishly recreated Paris of 1910. Surely it makes more sense to begin with what passes for a framing sequence? Seydoux, maybe playing herself, is directed on green screen as her “character” anticipates the arrival of a malevolent force. If we may lower the intellectual pitch, it’s a little as if we are clicking from the supposed reality in the video game Assassin’s Creed to the recreated past that there constitutes gameplay.

Apologies for getting to PlayStation culture before Henry James, but that is what The Beast will do to you. Bonello, director of uneven art films such as House of Tolerance and Saint Laurent, here draws inspiration from James’s 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle. The story concerned a man who defines his life by fear of an obscure ever-looming catastrophe. Only the most inhumanly secure individual will fail to connect a little with that premise. Gabrielle certainly gets it.

In 1910 the menace takes on the form of famous floods that temporarily made a Venice of the French capital. Later she encounters techno-threats and a very modern form of male wickedness. But the film is as much about the awful things that don’t happen to a person. The ghost that’s not really under the bed. The mysterious clanking that isn’t a burglar forcing the gate. The beast that is universal anxiety.

Your EV questions answered: How long do electric vehicle batteries last and are they expensive to replace?

I Am Not an Alcoholic: ‘I would like a non-alcoholic Guinness,’ says the man. ‘Do you want a colouring book and crayons as well?’

Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan: ‘Taylor Swift is one of the most gifted pop artists of all time’

100 great restaurants and places to eat around Ireland this summer

Bonello is going for the cerebral science-fiction of Alain Resnais’s 1968 time-bender Je t’aime, Je t’aime, but there is also a bit of David Mitchell’s novel Cloud Atlas here. We don’t cover quite such a huge time frame. There is nothing like so many characters. But Seydoux’s flit through the eras plays on similar energies.

[  The Beast star George MacKay: ‘Léa Seydoux likes a laugh, so there was a lot of joy making this film about existential dread’  ]

How to explain what’s going on? We haven’t yet mentioned 2044. In that year, Gabrielle engages with a process that, by way of biological purification, allows her to revisit past lives. The first is that early 20th-century adventure in which Gabrielle, who runs a doll factory on the side, falls for a young man named Louis (an impressively bilingual George MacKay in all the character’s incarnations). In 2044 she visits a club that plays music from the 1980s – Visage’s Fade to Grey, anyone? – where she runs into an altered variation on Louis. In 2014, now an actor, Gabriel meets the most malign Louis. In a slightly clunky bit of social satire, he is now a potentially violent incel who speaks in the language of YouTube neuroses.

As you can tell, any effort to give an impression of the narrative is doomed to failure. The film attempts to herd a clatter of ideas that aren’t always happy to be so disciplined. Some sections – the 1910 episode in particular – have a completeness that justifies our indulgence. In contrast, the incel diversion is too broadly drawn for a film that is not shy in displaying its intellectual ambitions.

What holds it all together is the director’s consistently coy visual aesthetic and a characteristically captivating turn from Léa Seydoux. No other current actor uses shyness as an asset in this manner. Her reticence in allowing feelings full expression brings greater power to a juddering catharsis in the closing frames. The film has its flaws, but worriers will find much with which to identify.

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist

IN THIS SECTION

Rosalie review: attractive period drama about ‘the original bearded lady’, the dead don’t hurt: viggo mortensen directs and stars in this thoughtful, melancholy western, oscar-winner cillian murphy returns to peaky blinders: ‘this is one for the fans’, ‘i wanted it to feel like a kids’ movie made by kids’: weston razooli on his cannes-wowing film riddle of fire, hit man: glen powell steals this sexy netflix caper based on a real-life philosophy professor who poses as a gun for hire, winner of last week’s rté super garden competition dies, molly martens is released from prison in north carolina, woman (23) who died after dog attack at her home in co limerick named locally, in almost 40 years of teaching, i have yet to find a teacher who prepares leaving cert students by ‘rote learning’, limerick dog attack: what is an xl bully and how dangerous are they, latest stories, karen harrington fails to have conviction for murder of santina cawley (2) overturned, icc admit new york pitch used in ireland v india game not up to the mark, number of ‘foreign’ people in irish jails well below european rates, hunter biden’s sister-in-law threw away gun amid fear of his drug addiction, trial hears, molly marten is free to move on now, leaving behind a trail of nightmarish violence.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Information
• Cookie Settings
• Community Standards