iller bear movies are nothing new to the Horror Nation. In 1976 the film Grizzly set the standard for all killer bear movies. More recently, Unnatural and the unfortunately real-life documentary Grizzly Man has shown that these gorgeous creatures should be admired from a very safe distance. Director/Producer Elizabeth Banks tackles this popular sub-genre with a story based on the real life tale of a bear who engulfed cocaine. The real life story ended in tragedy as the bear died from an overdose. Banks takes us into a frightening scenario where the beast of the forest actually encounters some nature lovers. Giving the absurd plot some serious clout are Hollywood icons Keri Russell and in his last performance, Ray Liotta.
Two international explorers encounter an oddly acting bear while trekking the wilderness of Georgia. The bear has devoured a copious amount of cocaine, which was dropped from a smuggler from his private plane. Dee Dee and her buddy Henry decide to skip school to go paint in the forest. The kingpin responsible for the cocaine, Syd White, dispatches his son along with trusted associate to recover the expensive white colored cargo. Once Sari, Dee Dee’s mother, discovers her daughter has skipped school, she ventures to the state park to retrieve her delinquent daughter. A park ranger along with a supervisor assist Sari in her search. Along with a misfit bunch of forest bullies, the motley crew of characters are all about to run into one of the most vicious beast the wild has ever seen. Coked out of its gore, the greedy ferocious fur ball shreds anything that comes into its path.
Horror comedies are one of the hardest things to pull off. This is where Cocaine Bear suffers. The Horror Nation will be more than satisfied with the amount of bloody carnage that splatters the screen. Comedy buffs will enjoy more than one fantastic one liners that are coupled with several comedic set pieces. However, the film jumps from serious in tone to comedic entirely to sporadically. Banks does not hold back on the horror with several great kills. The performances are all solid with young starlet Brooklynn Prince stealing the show from her much more experienced co-stars. The effects team does a fantastic job creating a truly monstrous bear, which attacks with reckless abandon throughout the film. The script from Jimmy Warden is choppy and confusing. Audiences will come to see a film that is as ridiculous as its title suggests. Admirably, Warden attempts to put too much of a dramatic tone in the work, which causes the film to take long sidetracks that destroys the pace. Cocaine Bear would work much better as a straight horror or straight comedy film. Instead, the viewer feels more lost and abandoned than if they were in a massive state park, at night, and alone with a bunch of naughty nocturnal creatures.
Scream Score: 7.2/10