‘Beast Race’ (2026) Prime Video Movie Review - A Brutal Game Born from a Broken Society

Set around forty-five years after a catastrophic societal collapse, Beast Race unfolds in a Rio de Janeiro sharply divided along class lines, where the wealthy live in comfort and the underclass barely make it. In those conditions, the once-banned Animal Game. Soon enough, it becomes one of the region’s most popular spectacles. Competitors adopt animal personas and must complete a season of races to win big. In this game, failure means sacrificing a loved one as collateral. Mano, a hunter from the marginalized outskirts who’s long resisted the Game on principle until his own sister volunteers herself as collateral. This forces him into the arena to protect her.

Mano’s journey pushes him to physical extremes. But he isn’t alone; he is aided by Nadine, a privileged competitor whose true motives stay murky even as she mentors him through the brutal contests. Their alliance becomes essential not just to survive but to aim to end the system.

The plot is amazing when you look at it from a society’s point of view. The makers have managed to show us well what a divided society looks like and how games like this can have an impact on people who suffer because of it. Each race that the movie features is engineered to throw Mano into chaos that just seems to escalate. The best part? No two contests feel the same. The stunts have been well choreographed. That is another good thing about Beat Race. They are neat and not very gruesome as one expects them to be. They have been well designed and created carefully.

Another great thing about Beat Race is the cast. Matheus Abreu as Mano does a great job. His method acting is by far the best thing that you will have watched. Not only is his dialogue delivery amazing, but also the way he does the action sequences makes him the star of the plot. The rest of the cast, too, does a great job in helping to carry forward the show. 
Other than all of this, the pacing of Beast Animals is amazing. The plot slows down wherever needed and then again gains momentum whenever needed. Honestly, that is one of the best parts when it comes to movies like this. The makers have to be extra careful when dealing with topics such as the one covered here. In that sense, yes, the makers have done their bit of research and given us what exactly we can expect from them.

The only issue sometimes is that the screenplay can feel like it is all over the place. It looks as if it is fragmented and has been collected to make a movie. That is one thing I hoped that the makers had worked a bit more on. There are too many ideas that the writers have had, and in an attempt to make it look good, they did something only they know. But that isn’t an issue that makes Beast Animal a bad watch. Even with all this, the movie continues to remain one of the best watches ever.

Final Score - [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times