The Beast Below
Directed By: Chalit Krileadmongkon (The One-Hundred)
Starring: Golf Pichaya Nitipaisalkul, Fang Dhanantorn Neerasingh, Palm Supachai Suwanon, Gena Desouza, and Tap Pongtap Anurat.
Often kaiju films are ridiculed for being unintentionally funny. The dubs are too goofy, the suits too hokey, or the suspension of disbelief not vibing with audiences. The audiences laugh at the kaiju film, not with it. Then, a film like Leio: The Terrible Giant aka The Beast Below comes along with a deliberately funny creature feature, and completely flips the script.
When a Thai pop star’s career is ruined by the typical rockstar anecdote of drug consumption, he returns home to his grandfather’s estate and line of work. While on his self-reflection journey, a competition is announced by Thailand’s biggest internet influencer – whomever discovers groundwater in the harsh desert scenery first, wins one million dollars! Thus, businessmen, tycoons, and our fallen-from-grace pop icon are on the chase for that precious hydration. Cars and trucks line up and scurry the desert, almost in a Mad Max fashion, to quench their thirst, and their wallets. Unbeknownst to them, a massive, angry lizard lurks in the caves beneath the surface.
The colorful cast of characters is the standout within this self-described “adventure comedy”. The main protagonist is a bland, vanilla dude, but he’s surrounded by the whackiest of slapstick cutouts, making the film much more fun to watch. For example, the group of stoners who exemplify their pacifism in saying “we make love, not war”, followed by them blasting away at the titular monster with their giant handguns. My favorite, though, is the overweight drilling tycoon, who spends most of his time being a hotshot rich dude who creepily hits on women every waking moment, followed by his extreme cowardice in the face of the giant monster attack.
A specific scene with this character that stood out to me was in the aftermath of the original rampage sequence. He escapes the rampaging beast by hiding in a car. Noticing that it has fallen asleep, he sneaks out of the vehicle, flipping the bird at it, and declaring “F*** You!”, before accidentally waking it up with his car alarm. Another laugh-inducing, memorable moment is early in the drilling contest. A skeevy, perverted man is bragging about what he will do with the cash prize, citing “I’m gonna bring my girlfriend out in the moonlight, just to do her!”, with the creature biting his head clean off immediately afterwards.
Scenes like the two examples above brought great laughter out of me, and it was fun to hear the crazy, raunchy comedy come out of these characters. Of course, noting these two sequences, this film is not for kids. There’s lots of blood and guts, and lots of F-Bombs throughout. It’s a great comedy for adults to enjoy. The comparison will most likely be made by audiences watching this film to 1990’s Tremors, so much so, the film is already self-aware of this fact. One of the characters makes a quip about having “seen a movie like this with a gigantic worm that eats you”, whilst the beast emerges to attack from underground!
Overall, it’s quite refreshing to see a legitimate, intentional kaiju comedy. I really enjoy those types of films, and it provides copious amounts of entertainment. If you want a good time at the movies, but not really in the mood for something serious and artistic like Godzilla (1954), this is a great one to sit down with and enjoy with friends. Per our earlier press release on the site, there is an English remake in production, coming from UK-based SC Films International. The film, released in Thailand as Leio: The Terrible Giant, was a smash hit in its home country, and now, it’s available in retail stores and digital, to entertain audiences across the globe.
Where to pick up The Beast Below:
Walmart
Vudu
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon (DVD)
