The Beekeeper Movie Review Rating: 2.5/5
The cast includes Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Phylicia Rashad, Jemma Redgrave, and Minnie Driver.
Director: David Ayer.
What’s good: Jason Statham is Jason Statham.
What’s Bad: It over-promises on its selling point, that is, the action, but under-delivers at practically every level.
Toilet Break: When you don’t see Jason Statham performing Jason Statham things.
Watch or Not?: With zero expectations when enjoying a Sunday supper after failing to find something to watch.
Language: English.
Available on theatrical release.
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes.
Adam Clay is a beekeeper, but not just any beekeeper; he is the protector of the ‘hive’, a superbly talented assassin secretly selected by the US. He’s someone who can go ‘John Wick’ even on John Wick, if he wants to.
He is a loner with no close relatives, but there is only one woman who has ever looked after him; she is the one whose home he rents for a honey farm. She is fooled by an online scammer, who defrauds her of all her savings before committing suicide. Clay learns about this and embarks on a trip to destroy these men’ lives.
The Beekeeper Movie Review: Script Analysis
Kurt Wimmer’s story is as simple as it can get, despite being exceedingly foolish. As expected from a David Ayer-Jason Statham collaboration, the action sequences are a mixed bag.
Gabriel Beristain’s (The Spanish Prisoner, Blade II) camerawork does not go as far as films like John Wick and The Gentleman in terms of jaw-dropping action moments. These films benefited from their style, whereas Beekeeper does not.
The Beekeeper Movie Review: Star Performance
Jason Statham plays Jason Statham, the angry, not-so-young protagonist who can demolish anything that stands in his way of doing what he wants to. Much like Dwayne Johnson, he has carved out a niche for the films that he can handle.
Emmy Raver-Lampman seemed promise at first since she was so near to the film’s major conflict, but as time passed, she faded into obscurity. Josh Hutcherson, as the billionaire brat of an uber-rich businessman, does good; yet, he lacks charm.
The Beekeeper Movie Review: Direction & Music
David Ayer does his best to replicate the John Wick world in his own unique style, but he falls short in one important area: style. The humor in between works incredibly well, although it is too limited to notice.
Dave Sardy and Jared Michael Fry’s music is genre-appropriate and does the job just fine. It becomes noisy in places, as you’d expect from a picture like this.
The Beekeeper Film Review: The Last Word
Overall, it’s entertaining in chunks, but the faster you expect to have fun, the faster you forget about it.
