Hundreds of Beavers Movie Review

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

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Written by: Mike Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
Directed by: Mike Cheslik
Starring: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Doug Mancheski
Rated: NR [PG]
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this slapstick comedy, a drunken applejack maker must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Verdict
This is a zany movie. It's part Buster Keaton, Looney Tunes, and a video game let's play. All of the comedy is visual gags with no dialog, and it's a movie outside of time as it looks nearly one hundred years old. That's part of what gives this so much charm, it does all of this so well. Because it's unlike nearly any other movie and so entertaining, you've got to check it out. It takes a wild risk and does such an amazing job that exceeds all expectations. I couldn't stop thinking about how creative this is. It's one thing to attempt this genre, it's another to do such an amazing job. It's rare I want to re-watch a movie immediately, but this is one of those exceptions.
Watch It.

Review
I had no idea what I was getting into with this movie. The opening sequence mixes live action and animation into a surreal visual story. It's in black and white, no dialog, and the stylings and comedy of an early silent film. All of the animals are obviously people dressed up in costume. It sounds wild, it is... and it works. It's unlike any movie I've seen, most resembling a Chaplin or Keaton movie. Initially, it's amazing that someone came up with this idea, creatively and inventively mixing media and styles.

Ryland Brickson Cole Tews plays Jean Kayak

Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) is an applejack maker that loses his business in an explosion due to a beaver. He wakes up seeking food, but despite his efforts he can't find anything. He attempts to get rabbit, bird, and even fish. It has the logic of a cartoon, falling icicles follow him and Jean can slingshot across the area. This is a lot of fun. It's clear this uses extensive green screen, but there's a charm to it. This isn't trying for ultra-realistic CGI. It looks exactly as intended.

This movie is risky for a major studio. It's creative for an indy film, and I don't think there's any other way this could be made. It's such an inventive idea. That would be notable by itself, but this manages to spin the idea into a feature length and does an admirable job.

This hapless hunter meets a trapper and begins learning how to hunt, somehow making his way. He slowly figures out how to survive and catch animals. It's gamefied as Jean has to catch beaver to upgrade his supplies and tools. It's overwhelmingly cute, a zany movie with so many gags. You don't see this style of comedy anymore which makes it so enthralling. This builds slowly, from what Jean knows to the objects in the world as he expends his skills. What's at first a gag becomes more as his traps get better and he uses his surroundings and figures out what bait to use for each animal. I think every single gag appears again, with a slight twist or different meaning the next time.

I don't know what I expected going into this, but it defied all expectations. This is a lot of fun, and if anyone tries to copy this style it will be rightfully be called a copy. You can only do something like this once, and thankfully this excelled.