“The Beekeeper” is a Generic Bee Themed Action Flick

David Ayer’s new movie “The Beekeeper” is a generic action movie that can’t seem to separate itself from the rest of the hive.

“The Beekeeper” follows Adam Clay (Jason Statham) as he jumps back into action as a member of a secret organization known as Beekeeper and goes on a one man quest for vengeance after his elderly friend Eloise’s (Phylicia Rashad) death. As he delves deeper into the conspiracy behind her death a nefarious plot of nationwide proportions is brought to light.

This was a run of the mill action movie. It didn’t do anything new and played it very safe with the characters. Jason Statham plays the retired secret government employee with pro fighting skills against the overconfident college age millionaire played by Josh Hutcherson. There is no new ground tread and the entire plot is incredibly choreographed to the point you will most likely be able to guess the multiple twists and even the ending.

The action set pieces were very solid and entertaining to watch. They were well choreographed and Jason Statham’s normal energy during action scenes is still very present. They fully leaned into almost outlandish territory at some points and it really helped the fun factor of the movie. Towards the end there is a fight scene that was by far the best one in the movie and is put together incredibly well.

On the other hand the performances were not solid, but were very entertaining. Everyone plays caricatures of people from the retired action hero to the millionaire and even the hard boiled cop. The script is honestly just bad and holds back every performance from a very star studded cast. It almost feels like a robot wrote it and it relies too heavily on telling instead of showing, typically with a witty bee themed one-liner. These one-liners act like the honey that holds the movie together and makes it fun to watch as the generic story plays out.

“The Beekeeper” isn’t the greatest action movie, but it has its moments. It’s a lot of fun to watch with friends and has many moments that are unintentionally very funny. If you want to watch a basic action movie that is an entertaining watch or you really like bee themed movies check this one out.

Directed by David Ayer

Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Jemma Redgrave, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, Bobby Naderi, Taylor James, David Witts

Rated R

Runtime: 105 minutes

My Rating: ★★½