“There are two integral components to any review ofBeasts of No Nation: Its identity as a piece of art and its identity as a product of an industry experiencing post-millennial growing pains. “Netflix presents a Netflix original film,” the credits tell us before ticking off requisite hat tips to the project’s other participating bodies. Strictly speaking, the picture’s release scheme – Netflix has premieredBeasts of No Nation on its streaming service and in theaters simultaneously – is nothing “new.” We’ve seen studios make their movies commercially available on VOD platforms and at the multiplex on the same day in the past (see 2014’s Veronica Mars). But Netflix put their bulk behind the movie’s formation. That, as they say, is a game-changer. Isn’t it?” (Via Movie Mezzanine.)
