Joshua Riverton (Josh Eisenberg), former head of sales for the global chemical plant De Pointe GBH, is struggling to find answers after his daughter, Nicole (Nicole Krasnenko), falls ill from an unknown sickness. Josh blames his former employer due to their ecological negligence and scours online publications and forums as her health deteriorates.
Behemoth wastes no time and takes off right out of the gate. The film begins with Josh out for a late night jog when he encounters what looks like a ram with decaying skin chasing him through the streets of San Diego. He evades it after a while but is still a little frazzled. The decision to use what looks like handheld cams aid in placing you in the moment.
He has an estranged relationship with his wife, Amy (Whitney Nielsen), partially due to Nicole’s condition but judging by the flashback shown, it can also be Josh’s propensity to be a bit of a workaholic. He spends no time with Amy at their home, and the little that he does is never enough to console her from the gravity of the situation.
After attending a protest rally aimed at one of De Pointe head honcho Luis Woeland (Paul Statman) in an attempt to get answers from the sources, things start to take a turn when Josh gets shot. Behemoth is the directorial debut of visual effects wiz Peter Szewczyk, known for his contributions to the Harry Potter and Star Wars franchises, and it shows.
Satanic creatures and gory mutilating scenes are littered throughout and aren’t for the prude or faint of heart. The chilling lighting and set design and most of the practical horror aesthetics truly get brought to life by DP Andres Solorazano’s engaging shots. The acting talent by Nielsen, the scene chewing Statman, and Hamilton Matthews were definitely the highlights when the film needed it.
The film ends with some visuals that although looked very detailed and well executed as revelations are made about De Pointe, also has a bit of a lackluster twist as characters' fates are revealed as well. Aside from some mundane dialogue and clunky acting, Behemoth was interesting to look at and was akin to something you’d enjoy while flipping through channels on a cozy Halloween night.
--Michael Omoruan