Time: 108 Minutes
Cast:
Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Jean Kayak
Olivia Graves as The Furrier
Wes Tank as The Master Fur Trapper
Doug Mancheski as The Merchant
Luis Rico as The Indian Fur Trapper
Director: Mike Cheslik

I really didn’t know what to expect from Hundreds of Beavers. I saw people praising it highly within film circles on social media, and it seemed like some sort of odd and quirky comedy to me. Still, I decided to give it a chance and it was far better than anything I was expecting.

Hundreds of Beavers has a straightforward plot and is largely dialogue free, and it’s very easy to follow what’s happening on screen. With the black and white cinematography, slapstick humour and minimal dialogue, it does seem like its specifically harkening back to the silent film era at first glance (specifically with Charlie Chaplin movies). However, Hundreds of Beavers is a blend of old and new influences; yes you can see Chaplin and Buster Keaton here, but you can see the more cartoonish influences (like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry), and even internet sketch comedy and video games. Hundreds of Beavers largely relies on visual and physical comedy is on display and it’s incredibly well done. There is such a constant stream of gags that you’d think that it would get old after the first 30 minutes, but they make it work throughout the entire near 2 hour runtime. It helps that it is paced really well, it doesn’t lose momentum and keeps things going without feeling tired. There are plenty of recurring gags, but many of them end up surprisingly serving a purpose in the plot or having some other payoff. A lot of the humour is admittedly silly, but at the same time is so smart about it. While the overall story is familiar and you can probably figure out how it ends, the places that the movie goes (as well as some of the jokes) are anything but predictable, which is why I think it’s worth going into Hundreds of Beavers knowing as little as possible.

All the actors played their parts quite well. However, it’s the lead Ryland Brickson Cole Tews who’s the standout performer, he is hilarious and does some excellent physical comedy here, especially with his reactions to everything.

Director Mike Cheslik really made the absolute most of the lower budget. I really liked the black and white cinematography, and again you feel that it’s somewhat throwing back to the silent film era (while also helping the film considering its lower budget). So much of the comedy is visual and it’s conveyed excellently on screen, and the editing and effects are top notch. There’s also some excellent set design and costumes, especially with people dressing up as various animals.

Hundreds of Beavers is an incredibly creative and enjoyably silly and hilarious comedy. One of the most surprising movies of the year, definitely worth checking out and worth going into blind.