MeinMMO author Marie Friske is a big fan of the “John Wick” series. Now she has seen the latest revenge film, “The Beekeeper”, with Jason Statham in the cinema. This is your (spoiler-free) conclusion about the special beekeeper.
As a huge fan of the “John Wick” films, the trailer for The Beekeeper caught me straight away and I made a pilgrimage to the cinema full of anticipation. I was ready to see Jason Statham as the next Baba Yaga – or at least an equal competitor.
And there are actually clear parallels between the two stories. But in the end, Jason Statham’s character can’t really keep up with Keanu Reeve’s hitman, no matter how hard the film tries.
You can read here where The Beekeeper weakens and why I still felt entertained in the end.
Here you can see a trailer for The Beekeeper:
German trailer for The Beekeeper with Jason Statham
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This is what The Beekeeper is about: The film’s premise is quickly broken down: Jason Statham plays Mister Clay, who is enjoying his retirement as a beekeeper.
But the idyll is short-lived and the former special agent of the secret organization known as “Beekeeper” is so shaken by an event that he embarks on a brutal campaign of revenge – which even takes on national proportions.
Now I understand why the movie is called The Beekeeper
Get ready for some bee shots and even more metaphors about the little animals. And I’m talking about really, really many bee metaphors.
Even to the point that it plays such an important role in the characterization of the main character that I can no longer take it entirely seriously as a viewer.
But with The Beekeeper I have the feeling that the solid hook at the beginning of the film becomes increasingly less important and at the same time the hero’s motivation seems increasingly shallow.
As the film progresses, at some point I don’t really care whether Clay achieves his ultimate goal or not, simply because halfway through the film I’m no longer emotionally invested in his quest for revenge.
The story itself provides an exciting basis and repeatedly delves into different interesting topics, such as cyber rip-offs or the top secret organizations, where I was really excited to find out more. At times I also have the feeling that they really tried to bring in a message or emotional moments between the characters.
Unfortunately, they’re all pretty much lost between all the bee metaphors that the film seems to be clinging to. It feels like every situation or action has to be explained in terms of bee behavior – no matter how absurd the dialogue sometimes sounds.
For example, in a deadly serious briefing by dangerous mercenaries, a villain uses bee behavior to explain to his henchmen what the Beekeeper actually wants to achieve. And even in an emotional conversation, the protagonist just can’t resist bringing his bees into play.
And all the exciting aspects hinted at in the film, such as the secret organization of the Beekeepers, are only dealt with superficially.
Solid action, but it’s missing that certain something
What John Wick has in elegance, Jason Statham’s character makes up for in brutality. The film is rated FSK 18. In addition to the violence shown, at least as many swear words are used as there are shots in the action film.
Especially among the antagonists, some characters can’t get a straight sentence together without garnishing it with numerous swear words.
Similar to how a simple pencil mutates into a weapon in the hands of John Wick, Clay also becomes creative with the everyday tools at his disposal.
The action scenes are quite solid and you can tell that Jason Statham knows exactly what he’s doing when he beats up his opponents with a stoic expression.
But as the film progresses, I miss the increase in intensity – or at least absurdity – in the action sequences. The big finale in particular feels exactly the same as the first fight and apart from one scene, nothing really sticks in my memory.
On top of that, there is no antagonist who even remotely represents a worthy opponent for the protagonist. Here, too, the film tries to give the soulless characters at least a bit of backstory – but I still didn’t care about them in any way. And I didn’t see them as a serious threat to the super beekeeper.
You shouldn’t expect John Wick 2.0, but you’ll still get a lot of action
If The Beekeeper isn’t a “John Wick” sequel, then what is it? I would most likely say it’s a run-of-the-mill action film in which the story is irrelevant and most of the fun lies in enjoying the cool shots and moves of action icon Jason Statham.
Because if there’s one thing the actor can do, it’s to beat up his film opponents. And in the end I still sit relaxed in my cinema seat and watch him take down another bad boy. I felt entertained, but not anymore.
However, I have to say that I could have just as easily watched The Beekeeper at home, on my sofa. The film music is quite nice in places, the image compositions are also okay. But here too I would classify the film as a solid mediocre. So you won’t miss anything special if you wait for the home theater release.
So if you value brutal action and a tough hero, but can ignore a superficial story and flat dialogue, then you might like The Beekeeper.
But you shouldn’t expect a second John Wick.