Everyone possesses darkness, but The Beast Within shows what happens when it refuses to be tamed. Though Kit Harington is one of the leads of this movie, make no mistake, it’s very much Willow’s story. Caoilinn Springall carries the film well.
She makes Willow the sympathetic and dynamic heroine that it needs.
It’s told from her perspective so we enter this world from her eyes. It’s all her view, her parents, her life, her home, and their world. For The Beast Within to work, it needs a compelling young actress.
The film acts as a platform to showcase Springall’s talent and potential. She’s one to watch and should be added to the growing list of very talented young actors.
The entire Beast Within cast creates captivating characters. It doesn’t create perfect people, and some behave in unlikable ways, but that feels true to the complexity of humanity and the occasional reactions to a dangerous situation.
The actors make this movie shine.
With other actors, the story may not grab you as tightly, especially because it’s a slow-burner film that needs your full attention.
The slow pace relies heavily on the characters to grab and connect you to this story. And The Beast Within picks four perfect actors to lead this somber, dark fairytale.
Slow-burn films work best when trying to build tension, and that’s exactly what The Beast Within wants to do.
It creates tension and confusion as the audience tries to understand what’s happening with Noah. That angle works because we are seeing the story through Willow’s eyes.
Her confusion is our confusion.
Perspective is one of the strong elements of The Beast Within. If you remember that Willow is the one guiding this story, it helps bring things into focus.
The confusion isn’t a mistake but a choice to emphasize Willow’s inability to make sense of her father’s behavior.
The movie doesn’t quite provide answers to every question but that also seems to be a choice to illustrate the child-like perspective. You don’t fully understand the complexities of adulthood…especially during a time of pain and despair.
Parents try to shield their children from a lot and that’s reflected in Imogen’s nurturing manner. She makes sure Willow has a happy childhood despite the chaos surrounding her.
Noah doesn’t immediately appear and that helps build him up as a big bad wolf, and Harington is the perfect actor for that type of role.
The rasp of his voice and wolfy features help him embody this man possibly turning into a werewolf.
His dark aura also nicely contrasts with the lightness of Imogen. Willow begins to see him as this haunting figure in her life, while her mother brings the sun.
What kind of lets The Beast Within down is the ending. Not the actual ending, but the final confrontation and action. It feels rushed and plays heavily with the confusion elements.
You don’t quite get all the pieces to understand how things escalate so fast.
This makes the ending feel disjointed and does not quite match the tone of the earlier parts of the film.
The beginning feels like a Victorian Gothic in the best way. It has a narrator who you don’t know whether she’s telling us what’s really going on or falling into a state of madness.
The fact that this narrator is a child makes it more fascinating as a story potentially taking inspiration from Gothic novels.
Willow’s confusion pairs with the idea of world view shifting as she ages. Her child-like innocence is beginning to fade and the world is becoming darker. This includes no longer seeing her father as necessarily the hero.
The final act plays more like an action thriller, which is an understandable choice. The film needs some action.
It just feels a bit misplaced after delicately building to the conclusion.
The Beast Within plays with the audience by allowing the horror to be filtered through the eyes of a child. This adds a layer of complexity that not all scary films possess. This makes the film engrossing as you’re trying to understand this world along with Willow.
The Beast Within premieres in theaters on July 26.
