Endangered Species is a 2021 action-adventure film directed by M. J. Bassett. Bassett has long had a passion for conservation, and she wrote and directed the film in part to bring attention to the issue of the illegal wildlife trade and other dangers to the environment.[1][2][better source needed] In the film, an American family must survive when they are stranded in the Kenyan savanna.
| Endangered Species | |
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| Directed by | M. J. Bassett |
| Screenplay by | M. J. Bassett Isabel Bassett |
| Story by | Paul Chronnell |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Andrew MacRitchie |
| Music by | Scott Shields |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Language | English |
A family of four goes on vacation to Amboseli Park in Kenya. Upon their arrival, the father, Jack, complains frequently about the expense and conditions of the hotel. Tension grows between the members of the family as a result of Jack's complaints and his strained relationship with their children. Jack is disappointed in his daughter, Zoe, for her choice to drop out of MIT. Additionally, Zoe has brought her boyfriend, Billy, along with them on vacation, and Jack believes that Billy played a role in getting Zoe to drop out. In their hotel room, Jack also reveals to Lauren that he has recently been placed on administrative leave at his job at Exxon and fears he may soon be fired.
Jack, sensitive to the cost of the trip, chooses to take the family on safari without a guide. During their tour, they ignore a sign and enter a restricted area. A rhinoceros rams their van and overturns it when they unwittingly come between it and its young. During the attack, Zoe dislocates her shoulder, Jack's leg is wounded by the rhino's horn, and their water bottles are shattered. Lauren, who is diabetic, had brought bottles of insulin along, but they are broken as well. The family exits the van and argues about whether to stay with the van or abandon it and attempt to return to the compound. Hyenas surround the family, but leave when the family retreats into the van. Noah and Billy, who are both uninjured, go toward higher ground to attempt to get a phone signal. Noah and Billy note that the environment is threatened by poachers and oil companies, but also that the fault lies with ordinary people who use the vehicles, devices, and appliances marketed by the companies. Noah specifically mentions that cobalt, a component of cellphone batteries, is mined under harsh and often illegal conditions. They see what appears to be a camp in the far distance. Before they get a signal, a leopard attacks them, and Billy is badly injured and dragged away. Noah flees toward the van. After Noah returns, the family decides to abandon the van, fearing that the hyenas will return again in greater numbers.
The family makes progress toward the camp, but before they can get close, they are surrounded by hyenas. Two men come and rescue them, firing guns to scare away the hyenas. They gratefully accompany the men back to their camp. While sitting near their campfire, Zoe notices a bloody elephant tusk and realizes that the men are poachers. Immediately, they tie the family up and plan to kill them. One of the men, Mitch Hanover, accuses Jack of hypocrisy for criticizing poachers while working in the oil industry, which he says is even more destructive to the planet. Mitch argues that he is merely helping indigenous people benefit from their land, rather than listening to foreigners who try to control them. Later, when the poachers' backs are turned, Jack reconciles with Zoe and Noah, tells them he is proud of them, and manages to escape his bonds secretly, freeing Zoe and Noah as well. Jack then runs to create a distraction while Noah and Zoe put Lauren, now unconscious due to her hours without insulin, into one of the poachers' vehicles. The poachers catch up with Jack and kill him. Noah, Zoe, and Lauren escape in the vehicle, and Mitch chases them in another. After a brief chase, Mitch's vehicle crashes. He stumbles out and discovers he is surrounded by hyenas, who close in to kill him. An anti-poaching unit arrives and rescues the family. On their drive back to the compound, they are reunited with Billy, who survived the leopard attack. After their harrowing journey, the family funds and dedicates a wildlife enclosure in the park in memory of Jack.
The film received mostly negative reviews. Reviewers generally noted the film's good intentions in aiming to raise awareness about poaching and other threats to wildlife, while criticizing the script and the film's overall predictability.[3][4][5][6] Variety praised the film's "handsome location shot imagery" but called the story formulaic, hindered even further by an uneven tone as the film's bloody violence clashes with its core of less consequential family drama.[3] Phil Hoad of The Guardian also noted this element, stating, "All the ingredients are here for a dusty, merciless thriller tussling with nature in tooth and claw. But despite the horrific circumstances, Endangered Species remains inexplicably stuck in the perky comic register of a US sitcom."[4] Other critics commented that viewers would find it difficult to sympathize with the film's protagonists. For example, in San Jose Mercury News, Randy Myers described the main characters as "whiny" and "arrogant,"[5] while Richard Whittaker argued that the film's plot seemed to serve as "background noise while they sort out their issues."[6] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 19% based on 21 reviews.[7]
Films directed by M. J. Bassett | |
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