An engaging, dark creature feature set in the Canadian wilderness. There are some nice twists and wrinkles to "Mastodon," which I won't spoil here, that help it to stand out from other "monster in a forest" tales. It's very atmospheric and has a great sense of place, as well as a noteworthy amount of world building for the fictionalized version of the region where the bulk of the story occurs.

There were a few things that I didn't love about it but they largely come down to matters of personal taste, and a few actions taken by characters that at times felt a bit forced or nonsensical to me.

Still, I found the overall experience very compelling and worthwhile, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend "Mastodon" to any fan of intense, bleak horror interested in taking a walk on the wild side. I'm giving this one 4.25 stars, rounded up so as not to underrate it.