Beasts of the Southern WildMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

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Must Go!
Written July 14, 2012
Beutiful, raw and emotional-parable for understanding

by wolfober

The Beast of Sourthern Wild offers a parable about the survivors-ship in A Katrina like disaster from the eyes of child. Living in the wild of submerged back water bayou, this child shares her experiences of love, loss and strength. A beautiful and sad film, powerful in story and cinematography.
- 10 out of 15 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written July 16, 2012
Beast of the Southern Wild

by RBryan1011

A pretty phenomenal story and bit of story telling. It is amazing that the two main characters were new actors/actresses since they played great roles and the need to develop more independent films similar to this. In this age of pure garbage from an entertainment perspective or minimal creativity and imagination it is great to see that there are still some master story tellers and creative people out there making great movies. All kudos has to go to the director and producer of this movie for taking such a bold step in the release of a great movie focusing on such an area with unlimited cultural richness.

This is a movie that will not be watched by most Americans that do not want to explore new adventures and love to keep their heads in the sand of comfortability without challenging themselves. For those limited in imagination and creativity...Stay comfortable and boring my friends!!! For those that want to see, taste and smell everything life has to offer keep making new movies.
- 36 out of 67 found this review helpful.
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Written July 23, 2012
Review Beasts of the Southern Wild

by Aryamani

I enjoyed very much the child's perspective througout the move and the mesmerizing acting skills of the little girl. However the story did no quite convey a clear message.
- 14 out of 23 found this review helpful.
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Oh No!
Written August 13, 2012
Beasts of the Southern Wild

by Phyllis Freeman

First, the trailer is deceptive. The trailer makes it look like it is a "feel good, inspirational" movie for kids. Wrong. It is a gritty reality movie about people who are very poor alcoholics living in squalor in the swamps of Louisiana pre and post Katrina.
Second, why is it that movies have million dollar budgets but can't afford a tripod? I would have loved to actually have been able to watch the movie, which did have amazing visual footage, but I spent most of my time with my eyes closed, battling being queasy. The film was done with 80% closeup shots that imitated what one would see if they were watching footage of a kid's birthday party if it was shot with a hand held camera by a drunken relative going through detox. What possible reason did the director have for making the film unwatchable. I even moved to the very back row of the theater to minimize the bouncy camera action. Even my teenage children complained that it was difficult to watch.
- 10 out of 16 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written July 7, 2012
young special

by godstevies

Hush Puppy is the new girl champion of the silver screen. What a powerfully adorable performance. This is love on the highest level of strength.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written August 17, 2012
A Realistic Account of Something Many of Us Don't want to See

by Givenchy28

Wow...first and foremost I don't know where the main character Hush Puppy (Quvenzhane) got her acting skills, but SHE IS AMAZING...My best advice is open up your mind and don't go see the movie expecting to "feel better about myself because other people have it so bad" The best parts are realizing how there is joy in situations that don't seem like they should be joyful, and the realization that home is truly where your heart is. While slow moving at parts, stick with it and you will be rewarded in the end.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written July 16, 2012
Great art film

by veedwards

Loved it! It will stick with me for a long time to come. Visually arresting, Plausible, yet inventive story and amazing acting by the adorable 5 year old lead, Quvenzhané Wallis (now 7 y.o. I believe). Although she's very young, I could very well see her ending up with a best actress Oscar nom.
- 11 out of 18 found this review helpful.
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No
Written August 12, 2012
Do NOT see Beasts of the Southern Wild

by SineWave

Special effects: boring
Unanswered questions: dozens
Plot: nearly nonexistent
Acting: the only worthwhile aspect of the film
Bottom line: not worth the price of the ticket
- 7 out of 10 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written July 15, 2012
Great Beasts

by

One of the most visceral and personal movies i've seen in a long time.
Great images and imagery to tell a very moving story like real movies makers tell stories.
These guys deserve a lot of credit for getting this done so well and gambling on the unknowns to make it work.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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No
Written July 19, 2012
Beasts of the Southern Wilds

by KC_123

This is not a movie for kids, despite it's rating and trailer. My 13 and 11 year olds were upset and confused. The movie romanticized poverty and ignorance. Its treatment of environmental issues was foolishly simplistic. We found it relentlessly depressing.

The choice of the choppy, hand-held camera work made the cinematography distracting. Maybe it is supposed to feel more gritty and real, but the movie didn't need any help there. The nausea-inducing filming did nothing to enhance to our experience of the movie.
- 21 out of 38 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written September 3, 2012
Must go! Must see!

by dstdiva

Can't remember the last time I saw a film that I enjoyed so much! The characters are downtrodden Louisiana water dwellers, but they are fiercely independent and wouldn't change their lives for anything. The "star" of this movie is the little girl/narrator, Hushpuppy. You will LOVE her! I can't say enough good things about this movie. The themes are so much bigger than the movie itself. Go see it!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written August 11, 2012
Beasts of the Southern Wild

by madmeigan

This is a brilliant film. I would like to meet the minds that conceived of and so beautifully and convincingly crafted the character of this little girl, and the world in which she lives. The screenwriter and director reveal an intelligence and sensitivity that are seldom seen in American cinema (or seen without extensive searching).

It does indeed have some heart-wrenching moments, and I left the theatre red-eyed. BUT...I am a mom-of-two who put off seeing this movie exactly because I dreaded the wrenching...and I'm GLAD I finally went. There is also laughter and fascination enough to balance the pain. Do yourself a favor and go see this film!
- 8 out of 12 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 10, 2013
Possibly the most enchanting film

by NiniChickenBetty

Like being swept up to a fairy tale, a myth, a dream, a hallucination. But it wasn't craziness. There is a gorgeous story here. Extraordinary on the big screen. MAGIC.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written February 22, 2013
Meh.

by

It's one of those films you don't really now how to explain when it's over. To intellectuals, that's gold. "You don't get it?! That's unfortunate because it's the best film of the year." To normal people it's interesting, but that's about it. I like the opinion that was pushed of "to each their own." These people had a lifestyle that they lived and liked, who are we to come and tell them that ours is better? I really appreciated that. Other than that, you find yourself feeling sympathetic to the dad later on after you hate him at first for actions you can't bring yourself to accept. You also wonder what the big deal about the 11-year old girl is. I've seen kids act before and, while she's fine, she's nothing extraordinary. This was highly recommended to me by two people at work and I can't really figure out why it has struck a nerve with so many people. Seriously, why is this up for best picture and not "The Dark Knight Rises?"
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written July 19, 2012
Beasts beautiful

by everyweek60706

This is one of those movies you want to see a second time because the first time you're on the edge of your seat wondering where this is all going. It's not unlike Winter's Bone in it's depiction of poverty and the isolation it brings. Social workers, anthropologists, and medical practioners should see this film. It's rated PG-13, but I don't think you'd want to take your kids unless you're trying to scare them. The squirels scene in Winter's Bone was tame in comparison. The music and score will stick with you too.
- 12 out of 20 found this review helpful.
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