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.

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.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is an odd, one-of-a-kind story that tells of the relationship between a young black girl and her hobo-style father. The two of them live a hand-to-mouth existence in a kind of shanty town in the Louisiana bayous, but when their world comes crashing down due to a flood they must embark on a journey of survival.I had no idea what to make of this love-it-or-hate-it movie but I enjoyed up enjoying it, for what it's worth. The lack of reason or explanation of events is a little irritating for a viewer who likes concrete facts, but the style of the thing, all magic realist, is quite entrancing. It turns that the fantasy elements of the story involving the huge aurochs is secondary to what turns out to be an intimate story of the little girl and her father. Non-actor Dwight Henry's intense performance makes the film although Quvenzhane Wallis deserves kudos for bringing to life an enchanting central character.

I will begin by saying that I went into this film with an open mind. I was expecting a good movie, some people had told me it was great and some had said just OK. I also have watched this a total of three times just in case I wasn't picking up on something. So, when I say with absolute certainty that this movie is absolute filth I say this from an unbiased position. Some small independent films do a good jib of portraying the raw emotion of the struggle of people through their use of new and unprofessional actors. Let me be clear, this is not one. Each actor does his or her own work bringing the entire film down by offering unnatural lines delivered dryly. All in all, they are extremely unconvincing in their parts. And, if we talk about this using "The Method" then these actors should be really good because this is their life, but it is far from the case. This film whirls you into a dizzying array of shots and weird angles shown from the perspective of a small child. But, this film does just that, it makes the viewer dizzy by using solely hand-held techniques that offer nothing other than nausea. Also, being told from the view of a young child could be an effective story telling technique if done well. Sadly, this film just comes across as unintelligent and portrays the world in a way that disregards all other factors. It fails to even recognize that it is told as if from a young girl, which just seems lazily done and confusing. Adding to this overall negative effect is the weird buffalo things. This film disregards all science and focuses on scare tactics to push its left wing propaganda concerning climate a change on viewers by showing a terrified, cute little girl who is helpless in the shadow of these beasts. They also characterize the people in "The Shower" as beasts. This is because they are self centered and narcissistic and believe that they are impervious to everything. This belief that they are better than their "evil system" is exactly what makes this movie so bad. As an expert film critic, I do not recommend the waste of time that is this movie.