The Animal Kingdom (2024) Movie Review – Visually Interesting But A Mostly Uneventful Two Hours

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Plot Summary

It isn’t clear why, but throughout the world, people have slowly begun to mutate into animals like snakes, birds, and wolves. Francois, for example, has slowly watched his wife transform and even attack their son, Èmile. But, being loyal to his wife, even when she is put into a holding facility and physically begins to barely resemble human form, he uproots his family to be close to her.

Èmile is not necessarily happy about this, but just as he gets settled, even starts to have reciprocated feelings for a girl named Nina, he learns the mutation is genetic. Thus leading him to try to hide what he is going through, fear what may become of him, and seek out other mutated people, known as critters.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Notable Fight Scenes
• Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
• Miscellaneous: Body Horror, Drinking, Smoking

Characters and Cast Members

Character Name	Actor Name
Francois	Romain Duris
Émile	Paul Kircher
Nina	Billie Blain

Character Description(s)

Francois

A cook by trade, Francois has found it challenging to handle his wife’s transformation, his son being a teenager, and the rising fear and prejudice people have for those who are becoming anthropomorphic.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Mood Indigo.”

Èmile

High school-aged Èmile is having a hard time adjusting to everything. His mom is turning into something resembling a werewolf, his dad has uprooted them to the south of France, he has to contend with new peers at school, and to top it off, he finds himself slowly becoming just like his mom.

Nina

Nina is a girl in Èmile’s class who has a near-instant crush on him. But things get hard as he changes, and she has to find ways to justify or understand him, even when he pushes her away or acts weirdly.

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Good If You Like

• Films featuring mutants not related to the X-Men or comic books

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On The Fence

Nina and Emile’s Relationship

In many ways, one of the best things about “Animal Kingdom” could be Nina and Emile’s relationship. With her having ADHD and him being weird as he slowly transforms, they sometimes make a cute couple.

However, as much as the film pushes her diagnosis to make her more willing to look past Emile’s actions, like when he licks her, amongst other odd, done in public moments, sometimes it is difficult to believe or accept any girl, eccentric or otherwise, would so easily forgive a guy’s actions, no matter how cute she thinks he is.

It Is Toned Down Compared To What You Might Be Used To

While “Animal Kingdom” produces wonderful visual effects that mainly look practical regarding character’s makeup and transformations, unfortunately, that might be the most notable thing regarding the critter aspect of the film.

“Animal Kingdom” exists in a world where the government just learned this is becoming a problem but isn’t at the point of treating critters as an epidemic. So while they are responding and common people are beginning to split between integration and extermination, there isn’t that energy or oomph to make you feel like anyone is in significant danger.

For some, this could cause issues, for it makes it so there is no sense of urgency and pair that with no established end goal, and it makes you wonder what is the focus of the film? Is it to watch an altered spin of your usual coming-of-age tale as Èmile eventually becomes a wolf? Maybe the idea is supposed to be love, despite how someone looks, is innate?  

There is never any talk of a cure because it is the early days. So, as the film fills out its two-hour time length, you’re constantly left wondering, what are we building towards?

Which is why the ending may feel lackluster to you.

Background Information

Film Length	2 Hours 8 Minutes
Date Released	March 15, 2024
Where To Watch	Video On Demand
Director(s)	Thomas Cailley
Writer(s)	Pauline Munier, Thomas Cailley
Based On Work By	Pauline Munier
Genre(s)	Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Non-English (French)
Content Rating	Not Rated

How To Watch

Watch “The Animal Kingdom” via Prime Video.