INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Hundreds Of Beavers. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: In the nineteenth century, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
QUICK REVIEW
I typically try to keep my written reviews to once a week, usually reserved for whatever I consider to be the biggest release of the upcoming (or current) weekend. But obviously I watch many other films and, as I always remind you to do so, you can track my thoughts on all those other movies via my Letterboxd. But this morning I watched a screener link sent to me for a very small film that has been picking up steam since the fall festivals last year - and getting major love thrown its way. And with news that it’ll be available to stream later this Spring, I was excited to finally check it our for myself.
That movie is Hundreds Of Beavers, and it ended up becoming the third film this year to garner an A-tier grade from me. Mainly because it really is a call back to days of Chaplin and Keaton slapstick silent comedies, films that are among my favs of all time. The physical comedy and the absurdness make this stand out against most of what you’ll go out to the movies to go see. And it accomplishes this with modern humor and sensibilities, various filmmaking techniques, and nods to twenties silent classics and even a video game reference.
About fifteen minutes in, I wasn’t sure if this was gonna’ be for me. But as it chugged along, it started to win me over the more I looked at it as a modern version of those Chaplin and Keaton films I brought up earlier. The protagonist could be a tad unlikable at times, but I found myself rooting for him to get his hundred beavers and get the girl at the end. I chuckled more than a few times, and I can see this being a hit with younger generations at late night screenings as they eventually discover it and spread the word.
If I have to mention any negatives for me it would be that the runtime is a little long on the tooth, overstaying its welcome by the final third even if I still was invested to see how it would all end for our “hero”. There’s also a lot of jokes about hunting animals in this including jokes about skinning and cleaning dead ones, so if you’re very sensitive to animal violence (Though all the animals are portrayed via puppets and people in suits) you might wanna’ skip this one.
But overall though when you start seeing this on Amazon and Apple, I would definitely give this a try if you’re a fan of slapstick comedy and especially if you’re a fan of Chaplin and Keaton films. I give Hundreds Of Beavers an initial grade of A-.
INTIAL GRADING