Endangered Species
By Jeffrey M. Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Well-meaning but aggravating safari tale has blood and gore.
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What's the Story?
In ENDANGERED SPECIES, Lauren Halsey (Rebecca Romijn) and her family arrive in Kenya for a long-dreamed-of safari. Her husband, Jack (Philip Winchester), has secretly lost his job and is concerned about money. Son Noah (Michael Johnston), daughter Zoe (Isabel Bassett), and Zoe's free-spirited boyfriend, Billy (Chris Fisher), are along as well. They meet Mitch (Jerry O'Connell), who warns them of elephant poachers. Trying to cut costs, Jack decides to go on the safari without a guide, drives through the gate without checking in, and then drives off the main trail. The family stops to photograph a mama rhino, who then charges the vehicle to protect her baby. With their vehicle smashed, their water spilled, and the diabetic Lauren's insulin ruined, the injured, lost family must now survive the savage wilderness -- including a pack of hungry hyenas.
Is It Any Good?
Well-meaning but too ridiculous to really work, this misfire of a family-bonding safari adventure is packed with frustrating characters, poor choices, and cheap-looking CGI animals. Endangered Species seems to have gambled its emotional arc on Jack's redemption. Unfortunately, he's so aggravating and despicable from the outset that it would take far longer than 101 minutes for most folks to really forgive him. He's immediately established as a weaselly oil company man who's whiny and yet arrogant, and it's not long before we learn that he has a problem with his son's homosexuality. He also hates his daughter Zoe's boyfriend. Zoe, for her part, has taken to calling him by his name rather than "Dad" out of a lack of respect, and it's easy to agree with her.
The family's predicament is entirely Jack's fault, due to his poor choices (no guide, failing to check in at the gate, going off-road, etc.). Other obvious plot elements, such as bringing along easily breakable glass bottles of water, not taking enough insulin for Lauren, etc., are further confounding. O'Connell overacts in a role that ought to be more menacing than it is, and the entire movie has a strange, quasi-comic tone, with the vague, off-putting feeling that we're supposed to be laughing from time to time. Perhaps the worst thing in Endangered Species is the fake-looking animals, with one exception: a beautiful bit of footage (not filmed for this movie) of a leopard rousing itself from sleep that might be worth the price of admission by itself.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Endangered Species' violence. How did it affect you? Is it realistic or more fantastical? What did the filmmakers show or not show?
How are alcohol and drugs depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences for using them? Why does that matter?
Is Jack redeemed? What kinds of lessons does he learn over the course of the movie? Are they lessons to be taken to heart? How?
What does the movie have to say about poachers, oil companies, and businesses that negatively impact the environment? Is there a positive takeaway on this subject? If so, what?
Movie Details
- In theaters: May 28, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: June 1, 2021
- Cast: Rebecca Romijn , Jerry O'Connell , Philip Winchester
- Director: M.J. Bassett
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Female actors
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Wild Animals
- Run time: 101 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language, some violence and bloody images
- Last updated: June 2, 2023
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