The Beekeeper (2024) User Reviews

Verona Parker is easily one of the worst characters ever written for the screen

[DocteurDream · 5/10 · 30 January 2024]

Verona Parker is easily one of the worst characters ever written for the screen, takes away everything this movie aspires to be. The actress also did a piss poor job and always had me cringing at the unrealistic and unreasonable choices she makes. If you'd delete that character entirely, this movie would've been a whole lot better in the long run.

Subject wise it's a very nice concept of a revenge thriller against scam call centers- but again, the whole govt mumbo jumbo makes it feel a whole run of the mill action BS from Hollywood mid tier movies. If the story had been awhole lot grounded, it would've done a whole lot better imo.

An entertaining, though fairly stupid movie.

[jbkzfhmh · 6/10 · 11 April 2024]

The Beekeeper is a decently violent , sort of moronic Jason Bourne want-to-be. In it we get a Jason Statham who's more entertaining than the turgid "Wrath of Man", but falls short of his' action comedies , like "Snatch", "Expendables", and "Spy".

The action and violence are several notches above many other similar movies (though several floors below the likes of "John Wick" or "The Raid").

The movie tries to pretend it's a cerebral thriller , with commentary on avarice and political dirty dealings, but for the most part is a pretty plain revenge film.

The bad guys are annoying enough you look forward to their painful demises.

If you're looking to watch Jason Statham wander around and kill people , you could do worse.

A Cheesy, Cool Action Flick

[kjproulx · 7/10 · 12 January 2024]

By now, audiences should realize what they are in for when it comes to Jason Statham leading an action film. The Beekeeper is the latest film to continue his long-running legacy of action flicks and it's quite a bit of fun. It's very far from an awards nominee, but for a film I had zero expectations for, and for being as cheesy as it is, it's pretty good. Take that as you will because I will be diving into things that are also pretty bad as well. The cheesiness of this film will turn some people off, but I was able to ignore it. Here's why I recommend The Beekeeper if you want to watch a new action-packed film to enjoy and not have to think too much about.

The "Beekeepers" is an organization of hitmen who take out criminals. Jason Statham plays Adam Clay, a retiree from this organization, who is on a manhunt for everyone involved in scamming a woman he cared for, which led to her suicide. It's as simple as that. There are multiple bosses in this company, so it's like watching a sophisticated video game being played out. The action sequences are well-choreographed and there are quite a few action scenes, so overall, this film was a blast to watch. With that said, the dialogue from beginning to end it pretty atrocious.

If the script had been reworked, I think this could've been a surprisingly great film as a whole. Sadly, the dialogue is full of Bee puns that fall flat almost every time, even with solid actors delivering them. The character arc and dialogue for Josh Hutcherson's Derek Danforth (who is the main villain of the film) is laughable, and not really in a good way. His whiny, self-entitled performance was great and I liked that he was giving this character his all, it's just that, again, the dialogue sucks. The lines everyone was saying took me out of the experience many times. Still, there is a lot of great action, and that's what I wanted from a movie like this anyway. I'm sure the dialogue will have people hating this movie and I'm equally sure certain people will find it hilarious. I'm kind of in the middle.

The Beekeeper is David Ayer's latest directorial effort and as always, he does a great job with action. His touch as a director is always welcomed by me and the neon look to the film was cool as well. It's a cool film to watch and it's aesthetically pleasing. I may be ripping apart the script, but it's just the dialogue. The story itself plays out nicely and has a nice resolution. I was looking for a fun action film and this film delivered that, despite its downfalls. I say check it out.

Statham and action

[Jhissner-1 · 7/10 · 2 February 2024]

Statham 8/10 Action 8/10.

Story 6/10 Agent Parker 1/10

The action and the story are great. Statham is fantastic.

Unfortunately, after that the other actors are bad or worse. Agent Parker was horrendous, shocking that she was even cast. If you can put her acting aside, then it's a pretty solid and enjoyable movie.

The Beekeeper is worth checking out if you enjoy action and Jason Statham. The movie is comparable to some of his better movies: transporter, the mechanic, crank, expendables. Again, for what it is and putting the bad supporting actors aside then it is enjoyable. Enjoy the action!

The Beekeeper: 6.5/10

[tmhansen-22492 · 6/10 · 17 January 2024]

• Plot/Script= 5/10
• Cinematography = 7/10
• Acting = 6/10
• Enjoyability = 8/10
• Notes: Imagine the Equalizer but it's Jason Statham as a beekeeper....that's what this movie was. I can't lie it kept me entertained the entire time, the plot was just a bit weird to me. It almost seemed like a mix of comedy and action with some of these scenes being comically hilarious. The movie is exactly what you expect it to be, nothing more nothing less. It seemed liked the writers & director knew how absurd the plot was and embraced it well. If you looking for a straight action movie with some badass scenes then you will like this movie. Not to mention Josh Hutchinson did a great job playing a character which seemed to be almost identically based of the current President's son.

Provides a decent buzz.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 12 January 2024]

After Fast X and The Meg 2, I swore I wouldn't waste any more of my time on Jason Statham movies, but the trailer for The Beekeeper looked good, so I thought I would give him one last chance. I just hoped that I wouldn't get stung again.

Thankfully, this action flick from director David Ayer is as sweet as honey: it's unpretentious, over-the-top, gloriously violent nonsense that isn't to be taken seriously... the film is all about how many people the star can kill or maim during the 1hr 45minute runtime (the answer: a lot!).

Statham plays Adam Clay, a beekeeper in more ways than one: he looks after bee hives on the farm owned by kindly Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), but he's also a retired special operative known as a 'beekeeper', part of a government programme so secret even the FBI doesn't know about it. When Eloise loses all of her savings to scammers and commits suicide, Adam isn't a happy man and goes after those responsible, the trail leading all the way to the President of the United States (Jemma Redgrave).

Buildings are blown up, limbs are broken, body parts are severed, people are shot, but Adam barely gets a scratch -- those looking for realism should look elsewhere. There's even a scene where a female beekeeper uses a mini-gun mounted on the back of a truck, and mini-guns always equal fun.

At the end of the day, Adam makes the bad guys pay for their crimes, and promptly escapes, presumably to set up some more bee hives (the villains having shot up his earlier ones) and to prepare for the inevitable sequel.

Awesome fight scenes, bad everything else

[FeastMode · 3/10 · 12 January 2024]

I seem to use that headline a lot. I guess it's better than a bad movie with bad fight scenes.

Starting with the good, Statham is awesome as usual. And I loved all of the fight scenes. They are ridiculously fast yet completely clear. It's hard hitting, you can feel the blows. This is enhanced by the beastly IMAX speakers. And with the R-rating, it doesn't hold back. Although it's far from gratuitous.

The bad? Sigh. The non-action scenes, which make up the majority of the movie, range from average to terrible. The quality level feels like a streaming movie, not a theatrical one. I spent much of the runtime uninterested and unengaged.

Everything feels off. The dialogue is weird. The acting is questionable. And there are a bunch of dumb things that strain believability. Like the entire bad guy organization. Or a laugh-out-loud idiotic character decision during the climax. A true "are you kidding me?" moment.

Even the cut to credits felt odd. Like the director just cut in the middle of a shot and said, "screw it, let's go home."

(1 viewing, early screening UltraScreen 1/6/2024)

Statham goes full John Wick and full Equalizer

[banzoozalreviews · 8/10 · 12 January 2024]

David Ayer's "The Beekeeper" has Jason Statham going full John Wick and full Equalizer. This movie is 90 odd minutes of relentless, unhinged, pure escapist fun, with Statham doing what he does best - taking out bad guys like it's nothing and looking uber cool while doing it. He does that here in spades, in the most brutal and ridiculously entertaining ways. Yes, you need to throw believability aside, but if you are a fan of 80s and 90s action thrillers where it's one man against all, you will love this, just like I did. This movie really was a blast and a half, and then some. A great way to start 2024 movie season. I loved it. Pure escapist entertainment.

Entertaining, but over-the-top and ridiculously unbelievable

[dave-1205 · 6/10 · 12 January 2024]

The film's narrative hinges on outlandish scenarios and unbelievable action, often veering into unintentionally humorous territory due to its sheer absurdity of specific sequences.

While films, even those with mature content, can offer immersive experiences, 'The Beekeeper' falls short. Its graphic elements ('18' UK, 'R' US) juxtaposed with its stretched plot create a tonal disconnect that alienates its intended audience, leaving viewers unable to suspend disbelief.

While the film delivers the genre's requisite action sequences, the plot struggles to maintain credibility, often indulging in exaggerated scenarios that feel more amateurish than polished

Stepping out of a well-crafted movie is like emerging from a captivating dream, your mind buzzing with the story's echoes. Sadly, "The Beekeeper" left me thoroughly indifferent.

Horrible Movie. Bad acting and even worse writing

[Neptune165 · 3/10 · 2 February 2024]

Just when you think we have reached the bottom of filmmaking ... there is always something like this flick just to prove you can do a lot worse! It s so bland. The FBI agent was not professional and dressed and sounded dumb, lost mom by suicidal act and that did not play much of a roll after the incident,, the villains sounded stupid, especially the dip shots from the call centers. The story idea was great, Jason was awesome but the rest of the actors failed to bring it home. This movie is a terrible revenge story. The idea that Beekeepers are the most elite, well-trained, best equipped one man army is so over-used. The most unbelievable part is that he is hunted by mercenaries, law enforcement, and other Beekeepers. The acting is terrible, the storyline is worse.

A keeper

[sbweightman · 8/10 · 12 January 2024]

A really enjoyable revenge action film full of fast paced action and corny bee-related dialogue. Although the character's backstory has been done many times before, the plot has some modern ideas and modern villains which are easy to hate and the strong moral message was quite refreshing. Good acting from a good cast of characters and whilst some of the henchmen are a bit silly, their larger than life presence adds some surprises into what is otherwise pretty standard fare. Good pacing, music and fight scenes keep it entertaining throughout, although the start is pretty slow and the ending rather abrupt.

Good action and stupidity

[ssvfolder-1 · 6/10 · 12 March 2024]

Action flicks aren't known for their plots. That being said, is it possible to finally have at least somewhat plausible plotlines? I mean it's just so... stupid, I can't really .... My almost 80 year old parents know more about computers than these morons in the movies and many more examples of that.

The action is great, as usual in Statham movies. That's why I even considered to write a review. It's everything one might expect from his action flick. As always he is the one who carries the movie throughout, and despite all the stupidity, it actually works. You probably need to be pretty drunk, but when you are, it's actually fun.

So, as a one time entertainment, it's actually worth it.

Mindblowingly bad acting

[dam-24421 · 1/10 · 31 January 2024]

They forgot to write a script? Or bring their head along in this movie?

Nothing seemed to work, acting, storyline, everything was so rushed. The actors were incredibly bad, especially Parker. That must be some of the most cringe, b acting I have ever seen. It was unwatchable, I stayed in the cinema because I had my little brother with me, and wouldn't be rude and interfere with the other people in the cinema.

This movies gets -3/10

Way too cheesy and cringe. David Ayer this is a redo, better luck next time. My sincere condolences for the people watching.

Just another movie for the money, so sad.

Jason Statham and David Ayer are back

[masonsaul · 7/10 · 13 January 2024]

The Beekeeper isn't as tight or condensed as the films it borrows from thanks to an unexpectedly dense mythology but it really delivers where it counts. It's essentially Jason Statham beating people up for 100 minutes and it never gets old. Thankfully it doesn't really sequel bait however more of these would definitely be welcome.

Jason Statham is never bad even when he's in a dud like a few of his recent films. Even so, it's nice to see his talent and physicality employed in something actually good. Jeremy Irons has the ability to deliver exposition about beekeeping in an engaging manner and Josh Hutcherson is actually awake for this one.

Similarly to Statham, David Ayer has had a few misses so it's equally rewarding to see him back doing what he knows best whilst showing he and his team are really good at hand to hand combat. The score by David Sardy & Jared Michael Fry is a huge part of why this works, treating the dumbest twists with the utmost seriousness.

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 the beekeeper, Jason Statham does it phenomenal

[kmkevinn-64733 · 6/10 · 12 January 2024]

The Beekeeper buzzes with intensity as it unveils a gripping tale of vengeance that transcends personal vendettas to impact an entire nation. The film takes you on a relentless journey with one man, a former operative of the enigmatic 'Beekeepers.' What begins as a brutal campaign for personal justice quickly escalates into a high-stakes thriller with national consequences. The storytelling is a masterclass maybe mediocre in suspense, weaving a web of intrigue and unveiling layers of a clandestine organization. The protagonist's journey from a solitary avenger to a player in a larger, more dangerous game is both compelling, almost average and chilling. The Beekeeper delivers not only on the promise of riveting action but also explores the shadowy realms of power and conspiracy, making it a must-watch for any fans of gripping thrillers with a touch of espionage intrigue. The 6/10 is appropriate.

Action more interesting than story

[lewatsfilm · 7/10 · 11 January 2024]

The story revolves around a notorious secret agent codenamed "The Beekeeper" (Jason Statham) living a peaceful life. However, his past catches up with him when his close friend is murdered. Driven by revenge, Clay must take on the dangerous secret organization he once left behind and uncover a high-level conspiracy.

The Beekeeper is a solid action experience that combines strengths and weaknesses worth considering. The action presented in the movie does steal the show, although some viewers may wish for more suspense and violence (gory/bloodier) than what is shown.

In terms of plot, some viewers may feel that the main character Clay (played by Jason Statham) is often lucky. While this is common in action movies, some viewers may feel that it makes the storyline too predictable.

But in the end, it still offers an enjoyable experience at the movies, being a good choice for those looking for entertainment without too much critical analysis.

UnBEElievably Dumb

[Brillfury · 2/10 · 13 January 2024]

Look,I love a good action flick as much as anyone, and Jason Statham is usually awesome. But sadly director David Ayer delivers what will probably be one of the worst movies of 2024. Ayer made one great movie over 20 years ago (Training Day) and also delivered a good flick in Fury, but everything else he makes is horrible. I will admit I did get a kick out of how dumb and goofy this movie is, and laughed a lot. Statham's character is like a cardboard box, it's so boring. Yes his fighting scenes are very cool but he's played awesome characters before that also had a bit of kick. In this movie he gives us nothing.

Phylicia Rashad looks fabulous and gets about 5 minutes of screen time. Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson do a great job but their talents are wasted in this movie.

The plot starts out really promising...who wouldn't love to see a revenge action movie where the evil call centers get justice? But sadly the premise is wasted.

Oh if you love hearing the word "Beekeeper" and references to bees you'll love this.

The dialogue in this movie is so corny. It's almost like a satire of action movies at some points.

In David Ayer's world, nothing works like it actually does in the real world. It is so goofy the way he portrays everything. And this is something he does in a lot of his movies. Just dumb fictional versions of everything from presidents to agencies to how classified programs work. But I do understand they have to make movies and sometimes make everything really stupid to be entertaining. But this movie takes the cake. For instance, call center scams are a real thing and there are many YouTube videos showing how they operate. But in this movie, the call center office is the most over the top clown spectacle you'll ever see and the actual scam is a ludicrous fictionalized version of how they actually work.

The two main FBI agents are portrayed goofy AF and their dialogue is nearly unbearable.

Statham's character, the beekeeper, doesn't want you to steal from old people but he has no qualms with murdering about 50 federal law enforcement officers in the course of the movie without batting an eye.

So if you are about 13 years old this movie will be the coolest thing you've seen but anywhere over that and it's just too dumb. Maybe when it's on streaming it might be fun to watch and make fun of on a rainy day.

Surprisingly entertaining

[Bateman_Reviews · 8/10 · 12 January 2024]

I was going into this with little to no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised that everything in this movie was so satisfying. I felt 0 sympathy for any of the villains or scammers in this movie and it was euphoric to see them get their due reckoning. Of course Jason nails it and makes ever kill and brutal take down very satisfying

One thing I will say is that the lore behind the Bee Keepers was interesting enough to keep my attention though corny with the hive talk at times it works as world building. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of action movies and likes satisfying conclusions.

Good action, incredibly silly

[mikelpcl · 6/10 · 3 March 2024]

Statham knows how to fight. The action is great.

The dialogs and the plot... oh my God. This was all written by a 15 year old as a weekend project.

It's all beyond ridiculous.

Even Statham's usual delivery can't salvage the "zinger" phrases in this movie. Not even that.

Still, the action is good.

Watch it for the action. With beer. With friends around, making fun of all the silly and teenage-amateurish dialogs.

You'll walk out thinking that you should not have enjoyed this horrible movie, and that you can also be a Hollywood screenwriter. Easily.

By the way, they spent 40 million to do this... I can only imagine Statham walked out of the movie loaded.

They forgot to write the script

[olcare · 3/10 · 10 January 2024]

I mean, I don't know what to say; it feels like the movie's script was randomly written without any thought. The events are so poorly explained that I couldn't believe it while watching. I have no idea how they shot it. I'm addressing everyone who watched and gave good ratings: watch it again, life is not that simple.

I want to mention Jason Statham. The only good thing in the movie is Jason. He is more than an actor; he's an excellent athlete, continuing this for years and elevating all the action scenes in every action movie. In some fight scenes in this film, extras stand there taking hits flatly, and it's entirely the fault of those who planned the scenes.

There's no recognizable plot; the character just walks straight into the president of some made-up country's house, kills 30 people, and we watch this for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The FBI is portrayed as if it's a village organization; the detectives hang out like it's their dad's farm. It's unbelievable. They wrote a movie without sitting down and thinking about these details; it's astonishing.

The Beekeeper program is constantly mentioned in the film, but what is it? What do these people do? How were they trained? What hardships did they endure? None of it is there; they just expect us to believe in a name. There's nothing about how the top-secret deadly agents of the government are trained.

Money theft and the presidential race are portrayed like child's play. These are not people you can easily reach; to blow up a building or enter the president's mansion, you need an incredibly good script, and this film has none of that.

The acting is also bad, except for Jason Statham. There's no good performance except him. The character's motivation is bad too; killing 100 people because a woman who treated him well while beekeeping shot herself. We should have seen a 3-5 minute segment about their intimacy.

I don't know what else to say; it just goes on and on, complete bulls**t. I'm thinking about David Ayer's early works, and nowadays, each film he makes is dragging everything further down. The screenwriter, Kurt Wimmer, has also messed up; he wrote it thoughtlessly. I'm eagerly anticipating the film's complete failure at the box office. Definitely a waste of time..

Easy 10 for me - Even if I'm in the minority I highly recommend

[UniqueParticle · 10/10 · 11 January 2024]

So glad I got to see an early screening in imax on 1-6-24 just couldn't review yet. Anyway such an enriching thrill ride to satisfy any action fan of badass one man army types kinda like John Wick with a different style to it! I've been a fan of Jason Statham for a couple decades now and this is one of his best. The writing is magnificent too Kurt Whimmer is perfect for in depth action extravaganza.

For an autistic person that's been scammed numerous times Beekeeper hit the spot; I absolutely loved the way everything played out. Well directed, crystal smooth writing, amazing story and top notch action; highly recommend I'll definitely want to own in 4K!

Doesn't deserve the bad reviews

[lisaaltmiller · 7/10 · 20 February 2024]

This film doesn't deserve the bad reviews. If you are going into an action movie thinking the plot is going to be perfect, then maybe action isn't your genre. If you're going into it wanting to be entertained, with lots of fight scenes and things blowing up, then you'll enjoy this movie. Think of something along the lines of The Equalizer meets James Bond. It'll even make you laugh a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a sequel or two. Is Jason Statham a great actor? No. But is he great in action films like this, that are written for someone like him, yes. It's an entertaining.fast watch.

How not to copy John Wick

[kuner-59029 · 2/10 · 14 January 2024]

The Beekeeper attempts to copy the John Wick formula to the point of plagiarism.

The setup is virtually the same. Statham, playing himself as usual, is retired and extremely dangerous ex-assassin, member of a secret group called "Beekeepers". He get pulled out of retirement over a seemingly minor incident, and the conflict escalates.

A woman he sells honey to (played by the mom from the Cosby Show) commits suicide after having her savings stolen by a scammer company.

He takes revenge for her, but oh no, the company belongs to the president's no-good son (similar to the Russian Mob boss's son in the John Wick original).

He fights his way to the top through many neon-lit setpieces until he reaches the final boss. The end.

However, unlike John Wick, there is none of the fascinating world building, none of the flair, none of the great music editing, much of the acting is awful, and so the whole thing comes apart at the seams. Tonally, the film never hits the mark. Scenes variate between overacted and ridiculous to boring, slow paced and TV series like. Every time the narrative switches to a female FBI agent, the air is sucked out of the movie, and energy comes to a grinding halt.

The use of music is awful. It alternates between Batman knock off cello and contrabass strings, which don't fit at all, to house and electronic in scenes where it doesn't fit either. It worked in John Wick, because it was woven into the story. John Wick was either in a night club, or the music was played on the Assassin's radio station. Here it just comes out of nowhere.

There are a few good kills. The car off the drawbridge early on is excellent. The final boss fight was decent, but not over the top enough to be memorable.

Overall, this is a poorly made film that you will forget the moment you finish it. It's barely watchable, but I deducted points for plagiarism.

Very entertaining, especially if you're a Statham fan.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 3 February 2024]

Adam Clay on the surface is a calm character, a man who keeps brees, but underneath he's part of a network of powerful, dangerous killers known as Beekeepers. One day a friend of his is taken by scammers, he vows to take revenge.

Once again, I find myself thoroughly entertained and very satisfied by one of Jason Statham's high octane, action films.

It's way over the top, and some of the dialogue is beyond abysmal, so corny, but the core essence is rather emotive, who hasn't been annoyed recently, hearing of some elderly person being scammed out of their life savings.

Some of the talk about bees is honestly cringe worthy, but that's the charm of the film, it's not trying to take itself too seriously.

Lots of great action scenes, very well staged, and Statham is just so cool.

On the debit side, Agent Parker isn't a particularly good character, and some of the American accents are a little dodgy, Jemma Redgrave's in particular is a little dodgy.

I really did enjoy it.

7/10.

Classic Jason Statham

[alwinsup · 7/10 · 2 February 2024]

A good none brain thinking action movie. Plenty of things happen during the movie. Good amount of action, story line, acting, build-up time, etc, etc.

Jason Statham, as always, delivers his A-performance. At first I was doubtfull; will it not be a movie that is put togheter in less then 4 weeks? However it has a decent quality. People clearly thought about the story line before shooting it. The extra deepness of the story arround the ''bee-keepers'' instead of just acting the average middle class guy gave it a nice extra touch.

Just buy your snacks and drink and relax a bit! You will have a good easy time!