David Ayer’s “The Beekeeper” was not a cinematic masterpiece, but I really enjoyed the characters and the simplistic story.
“The Beekeeper” released in theaters Jan. 12 this year to mixed reviews. Some felt the movie was dreadfully boring while others enjoyed seeing scammers get their just desserts.
It’s no “John Wick,” but for what it is, “The Beekeeper” is a fun action movie.
One detail I found really enjoyable was the use of the “Beekeeper’s Manual” and the references to bees. I felt these references were used well and they were not overdone. The “Beekeeper’s Manual” is a simple handbook for general beekeeping, but the way the characters use it pushes the story along by colorizing Adam Clay’s (Jason Stathom) driving motive.
The references to the bees were key because the audience doesn’t get to know Clay very much before he starts doing what he does best, protecting the hive.
“The Beekeepers” as an agency was something that could have definitely been expanded on. On the one hand, in canon, the agency is unknown to the public but is infamous to larger governmental agencies like the FBI and the CIA. Keeping the agency mysterious lets the audience fill in their own ideas about the Beekeepers.
It would have been interesting to see different ways the Beekeepers work. One way they could have done this was through the Beekeeper that took Clay’s place when he retired. I wish she had more time in the film.
Another highlight of the film was the characters. Though they weren’t the main focus, they were still funny and memorable. My favorite character was Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), a morally-grey, hungover FBI agent.
Despite that, Ayer did not do much with the characters.
I would have loved to see them develop the complex platonic relationship between Parker and Clay. It would have been nice to see Parker struggle between her desire to see her mother avenged and her duty to arrest clay.
Though the characters were fun, the plot of the movie left a lot to be desired. Many have called the film a “John Wick” rip-off due to Clay having a similar motive to John Wick.
When you boil both movies to their essence, the narrative hook is the same, bad guys harm the protagonist’s loved one and he has to go kill them. However, this can be argued for many other films as well, like “Taken.”
There are many differences between “John Wick” and “The Beekeeper,” the main one being the characterization of the protagonists of both movies.
John Wick is a warmer character who is respectful to those who have not wronged him. He does not intentionally bring harm to any of the characters who have not wronged him.
Clay, on the other hand, tends to leave a lot of collateral damage and leaves many innocent people caught in the crossfire. However, he is targeting a much broader group than Wick. He also isn’t as respected as Wick and becomes a target for three different government organizations.
“The Beekeeper” had a lot of potential because of its interesting world building and characters but it fell a bit flat. I am disappointed but I am not surprised. Action movies are not usually known for their in-depth character development.
Overall, “The Beekeeper” was not perfect nor a cinematic masterpiece, but it was interesting and I enjoyed it. If they had cut out one or two antagonists and focused more on Clay and Verona Parker’s (Emmy Raver-Lampman) character development, this movie would have been aces.
As it stands, I give this movie 3 out of 5 mustangs.
