taranpannu01 So I'm reviewing this movie 4 years after it's release. I did not see it 4 years ago, I saw it tonight on TV. (27/12/16). The reviews for this film are amazing, 86% on rotten tomatoes. 7.3 on IMDb. 4/4 by Roger Ebert. So why did I not enjoy as everyone else did? As always, a pro's and con's list.PROS -Dwight Henry is mind blowing in this film. He had me captivated, scared, sorrowful and was in my opinion much better then Quvenzhane Wallis, who was good too, but Dwight Henry deserved an Oscar Nomination much more then her.The Music is outstanding, emotional and filled with triumph and woe. Outstanding. Once again an Oscar Nomination would've been nice.Originality, this movie certainly is original. Balancing old filming techniques (We'll get to some of them later) with an original script to keep it leveled.Overall these three pro's allowed this film to get a 6 in my books, now onto the cons.CONS -Shaky cam. Oh my god the shaky cam was unreal. At first I enjoyed then my eyes hurt then I felt sick. I was actually glad the channel I was watching it on had ads, I needed a break from that shaky cam.Confusion. Now maybe I'm dumb or didn't understand the film. But a lot of it had me confused. Why and how did Hushpuppy and the other kids get to the boat. Why were they going to a small town with a brothel?. How did they get back? What was the point of that whole bit. I was very confused at this. I think I will need to watch it a second time.Underwhelming. The reviews for this called it a "masterpiece" a "cinematic triumph". Now I DID shed a tear at one point. When Wink and Hushpuppy share final words brought me to a tear or two. But other then that, I didn't feel any emotional connection with THE STORY, not the characters but the Story. Yes they were in a deprived community but I just didn't feel as emotional as some other reviewers did/do.Overall, I have mixed feelings of this film. The story is kind of confusing, some moments are pointless and odd (The point of the Aurochs failed to hit me) yet moments with Dwight Henry and the music lifted me. But I just didn't love it as others did, maybe it was because I did not understand it as well as others. On paper, this sounds like my kind of film and I have been DYING to see it. This film definitely disappointed me, which I am really sad about but it is not by any means a terrible film, I just feel that the reviews and the hype may have been to much and I was just underwhelmed. But my hat goes of to Dwight Henry. Amazing performance, you were robbed of an Oscar my friend.

Ramirez1981 Perhaps the most important thing about this film is what it can teach young filmmakers about vision and budget.Sometimes you really CAN make a film with non-union talent and really score a KNOCKOUT! Does a filmmaker need to spend millions on pricey talent? NO!Does a film need recognizable actors to have a cinematic impact? NO! Can non-union talent OUT PERFORM union actors? YES! Beasts of the Southern Wild was one of the finest movies of 2012.You simply couldn't improve this film.It is absolute perfection!I wish all movies were this engaging and enjoyable.Lesson learned.

Adam Peters (86%) A real trip into another world that by rights should have have replaced the likes of the (un)amazing Spider-man movie or maybe a CGI animal kids movie mutiplex fodder as one of the top grossing films of 2012. But it didn't, and that's sad because there's more energy in the first ten minutes of this than all 348 hours of the transformers movies. At times during watching I wondered whether this could be a five star movie, sadly it only comes close, but at least I had to think about it. This, quite unlike anything I've ever seen, manages to be both very grim and very sweet at the same time. Much of the direction feels like you're watching the world through little Hushpuppy's eyes and it's a real magical, poignant, and at times funny experience. Slight issues of the big pig sequences that don't really need to be there, but this is a low budget art movie that everyone should watch because it's so unique, well made, and above all else entertaining.

atlasmb "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a film about relationships. The relationship between a young girl and her father. The relationship between the people of a somewhat primitive society and the land they live off. And the relationship of every part of the world to every other part.A young newcomer named Quvenzhane Wallis plays the part of Hushpuppy, the daughter of Wink (played by Dwight Henry), a man who feels an imperative to make a "beast" of her so she can survive after he is gone.This is a good example of magical realism, where magical beings and happenings exist in the everyday world. The symbolism is intriguing, but not necessary for the narrative of the film to succeed. The real "magic" is the relationship between the two primary characters, to say nothing of the accomplished acting of these two newcomers, one only six years old. If the love sometimes seems buried deep below the surface, it is always there and powerfully strong. Obviously, this film is not for everyone. But the acting alone makes it a must see for me.