The Beekeeper - Movie Review

The Beekeeper is a fun action romp that proves that Jason Statham is still one of the true masters of kicking ass on-screen. After the glorious mess that was Expendables 4, the Stath goes back to his roots in an actioner that's more grounded in its approach to reality.

Although the John Wick influences are aplenty, it doesn't really reach the JW franchise's "alternate universe" levels of surrealism.

The film finally brings its villainy to the 21st century, now making internet scammers the target of Statham's wrath - which makes for some absolutely satisfying on-screen carnage. Josh Hutcherson is having a fun time playing a smarmy douchebag (totally against type) running the entire operation, and it's a shame that he and the Stath don't really cross paths much action-wise.

Though its presentation of action on-screen is a huge improvement over its peers in the revenge sub-genre, there are still too many instances of shakycam editing that just ruins the flow of some fight scenes. We'd have loved to see Statham kick ass in a clear way (like Keanu Reeves in the John Wick films); maybe in the next film, Jason?

However, all those flaws don’t bring down The Beekeeper; in fact, it gives it a quaint charm of its own. At the end of the day, This film isn’t masquerading as a pretentious “work of art.” It knows that it’s a schlocky action flick that asks its audience just to sit back, relax, and enjoy the Statham-induced mayhem.

And that’s ultimately what we appreciate in movies like this - the chance to just shut our “reviewer” minds off for a couple of hours and watch the fireworks go “boom.”

Cinegeeks Rating : B+

The Beekeeper is showing on January 10 at SM IMAX !

Watch the trailer here: