The Beekeeper (2024)

A ridiculous but wildly entertaining January pulp action film and John Wick ripoff with Statham as a stoic beekeeper vigilante; gleefully blunt filmmaking and colorful casting make it fun trash.

The critic calls it an enjoyably idiotic, bone-crunchingly gory revenge caper that hits the guilty-pleasure zone like old straight-to-video action. It revels in its own ludicrousness, with dynamic direction from Ayer offsetting the stodginess.

A delirious action thriller full of bee puns where Statham plays a literal beekeeper protecting society from scammers and corruption; entertaining but ultimately forgettable.

An unusually kooky, funny-terrible conspiracy thriller where Statham grimaces through a bonkers beekeeper-assassin premise; the best kind of bad movie with decent action direction.

The critic finds the film an underwhelming revenge thriller that fails to capitalize on its bee motif. They single out the lack of actual bees or bee-related action as a major disappointment.

The critic calls it a gratuitous and formulaic action film with inventive but stomach-churning fights, criticizing the one-note lead and senseless plot, while noting the strong villain cast.

The film is witless action trash that overuses bee puns and analogies to the point of absurdity. The action is inconsistent and the characters underdeveloped.

Statham delivers a compelling minimal performance as a vigilante ex-commando beekeeper avenging a phishing scam that destroys his friend; the film is scattered and politically timid but shines in its action sequences and Statham's presence.

The critic finds it a serviceable, enjoyably silly January action thriller full of bee puns and bone-crunching set pieces. Statham’s knowing, low-stakes performance and Ayer’s trashy energy make it a medium-reward time-waster for the right audience.

The critic finds the film just dumb enough to be diverting, thanks to Jason Statham's physicality in the action sequences. Ayer's self-serious direction and the literal bee metaphors are noted as limitations on what could have been more playful fun.

The critic says Statham needs a decent action movie and wastes his talent and charisma in this vacuous B-list effort from David Ayer. There are flickers of greatness in the action scenes and ironic performance, but the dated premise and pulp execution disappoint.

The critic praises Statham and Ayer for delivering a wild, entertaining B-movie action film that balances grittiness and silliness, with Statham's commitment making the action cinematic.

The critic finds the film enjoyable for its fun, creative action, bee puns, and Statham's performance, though noting some plot issues; it grows on the viewer as breezy genre fare.

It delivers enjoyable Jason Statham action sequences and some interesting world-building around a secret organization of assassins, but narrative stumbles and a failure to match the John Wick formula make it less than the sum of its parts.

The critic views it as a standard B-movie action vehicle that will satisfy fans of Statham's mid-market output but criticizes the choppy editing, nonsensical plot elements, murky production design, and clumsy metaphors comparing society to a beehive.

The critic finds The Beekeeper delivers exactly the kind of undemanding, fun Jason Statham action vehicle audiences expect. They single out the well-pitched silliness, crunchy fight scenes, and over-the-top villain for praise while noting the script's weaknesses.