{"id":15745,"date":"2026-09-23T06:28:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=15745"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:13:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:13:17","slug":"heart-of-the-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2026\/heart-of-the-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart of the Beast * Attempts To Tell A Meaningful Story But Riddled With Frustrating Inconsistencies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-15748\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_GREEN_Online_Teaser_One_Sheet_2025x3000_06.10.26_rgb.jpg?resize=119%2C176&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"119\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_GREEN_Online_Teaser_One_Sheet_2025x3000_06.10.26_rgb.jpg?resize=203%2C300&amp;ssl=1 203w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_GREEN_Online_Teaser_One_Sheet_2025x3000_06.10.26_rgb.jpg?w=405&amp;ssl=1 405w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 119px) 100vw, 119px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Heart of the Beast<\/em> is an upcoming American survival thriller film directed by David Ayer, starring Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons. The movie marks a reunion between Pitt and director David Ayer for the first time since their 2014 World War II epic, Fury.<\/p>\n<p>After surviving a plane crash, a former Special Forces soldier finds himself trapped in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog. Together, they battle the elements and other animals in a harsh landscape that would likely kill any other man or dog.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Valeria M. comments, \u201cI found <em>Heart of the Beast <\/em>underwhelming. Despite its attempts to tell a meaningful story, the plot is riddled with frustrating inconsistencies, and Brad Pitt&#8217;s performance simply isn&#8217;t believable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>See her full review below.<\/p>\n<p>Heart of The Beast<br \/>\nBy Valerie M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aKjNurzRSTk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15746\" style=\"width: 243px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15746\" class=\" wp-image-15746\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_03331R_rgb.jpg?resize=233%2C155&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_03331R_rgb.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_03331R_rgb.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and Odin in Heart of the Beast from Paramount Pictures.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I found <em>Heart of the Beast<\/em> underwhelming. Despite its attempts to tell a meaningful story, the plot is riddled with frustrating inconsistencies, and Brad Pitt&#8217;s performance simply isn&#8217;t believable.<\/p>\n<p>The storyline follows James Belmont (Brad Pitt), a retired special forces operative traveling through Alaska with his retired army K-9, Odin, or Odey. After flying through a harsh lightning storm, James suffers a heart attack, loses consciousness and crashes into the frozen terrain. Stranded in the woods, he and Odin have to navigate nearly 60 miles through brutal Alaskan wilderness to reach the nearest road for help.<\/p>\n<p>Odin is the true star of the film \u2013 delivering a far more expressive performance than his human companion. The one saving grace of the film is its beautiful cinematography by Mauro Fiore, filled with sweeping vistas of rich greens and cool blues.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-15747\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_05111R_rgb.jpg?resize=231%2C154&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_05111R_rgb.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_05111R_rgb.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/>Sadly, the visual beauty is undermined by meaningless plot twists and pseudo-mystery. The first part of the film is primarily a montage of James and Odin moving through the woods, intercut with moments of life-altering injuries that James casually walks off. Billed as a survival thriller, the film pushes the suspension of disbelief way too far. On top of that, James just does things that make absolutely no logical sense &#8212; like getting dry clothes from a water-logged trunk. The pacing doesn\u2019t help it; the opening drags on leaving moments of tension few and far between and frustratingly fleeting. Most disappointing is that we never learn about the key details of James\u2019s life until the final scene \u2013 and by then, it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15749\" style=\"width: 251px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15749\" class=\" wp-image-15749\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_00117R_rgb.jpg?resize=241%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_00117R_rgb.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-of-the-beast-HOTB_00117R_rgb.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15749\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Pitt plays James Belmont in Heart of the Beast from Paramount Pictures.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>His heartbreaking story and meaningful message are lost beneath an endless loop of YouTube-style camping and nature videos. This movie is not horrible, it\u2019s just vacuous. It failed to give me any reason to care for the characters or their story.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is that the bond between a dog and its owner is unbreakable. Note that there is some profanity, various injuries, bloody images and death.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Heart of The Beast <\/em>2.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 through 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters on September 25, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Heart of the Beast<br \/>\nBy Harper B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VdqKRH78L2g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15796 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.cc.jpg?resize=245%2C163&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"245\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.cc.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.cc.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/>Heart of the Beast <\/em>is an intense film that brings a flood of emotions. It\u2019s an action adventure film that gave me an experience like never before.<\/p>\n<p>The story follows a retired special forces soldier, James (Brad Pitt), and a retired special forces K-9, Oden, who set off on a camping adventure in Alaska. Oden and James have an unmistakable bond and are the only family they have. When a storm arrives at their camp site, James decides to fly out on his plane. They crash in the middle of the woods, approximately 58 miles from a road, and have to figure out how to survive together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-15797\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.bb_.jpg?resize=251%2C167&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.bb_.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.bb_.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/>This film intertwines survival skills and lifelong friendships. The scenery and cinematography stand out, especially when they are flying the sea plane around the mountainous area. The film was shot on the South Island of New Zealand, which looks a lot like Alaska. Brad Pitt gives a notable performance as James and his relationship with Oden is very believable. The plot is paced well and makes sense. The background music fits the storyline, especially the song \u201cStand by Me\u201d by Stephen Wilson,which beautifully wraps up the plot.\u00a0 My favorite part of the film is when James and Oden are playing in the field. This scene shows how the relationship between them thrives and cannot be separated. There are many flashbacks and they give us an inside view of their former life in the military.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15798 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.aa_.jpg?resize=238%2C134&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.aa_.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heartofbeast.aa_.jpg?w=681&amp;ssl=1 681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\" \/>The film\u2019s message is that when you fall, you can still get back up. We see James climbing up a hill and falling repeatedly, which symbolizes how you can fall down and still get up and make it to your goal. Please note, this film is very violent, gory, and intense.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Heart of the Beast <\/em>5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters on September 25, 2026.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JFQcDFhNh4o?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After surviving a plane crash, a former Special Forces soldier finds himself trapped in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog. Together, they battle the elements and other animals in a harsh landscape that would likely kill any other man or dog.<br \/>\nKIDS FIRST! Film Critic Valeria M. comments, \u201cI found Heart of the Beast underwhelming. Despite its attempts to tell a meaningful story, the plot is riddled with frustrating inconsistencies, and Brad Pitt&#8217;s performance simply isn&#8217;t believable.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4949,15],"tags":[10823,10821,10818,549,1783,10819,10717,10817,10830,10825,10824,7299,10497,10814,10815,10828,10829,3569,10822,10827,10826,10500,551,1166,9708,10820,10816],"class_list":["post-15745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature-film","category-feature-film-reviews","tag-action-drama","tag-alaskan-wilderness","tag-anna-lambe","tag-brad-pitt","tag-by-kids-for-kids","tag-cameron-alexander","tag-cinema-review","tag-david-ayer","tag-dogrescue","tag-entertainment-review","tag-film-commentary","tag-film-critique","tag-film-review","tag-heart-of-the-beast","tag-heart-of-the-beast-review","tag-heartattack","tag-heartattack-dog","tag-j-k-simmons","tag-k9-dog","tag-kidsfirstreview","tag-movie-analysis","tag-movie-critique","tag-movie-review","tag-movie-reviews","tag-new-release","tag-survival-thriller","tag-valerie-m"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-45X","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15745"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15794,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15745\/revisions\/15794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}