Inspired by actual events that occurred in December 1985 where a man named Andrew Thornton [real drug smuggler], a large brown bear consumes a large amount of cocaine that was dropped from a drug plain over the distance of two states. The bear embarked on a killing spree, in an area where several innocent bystanders have stumbled onto the fallen payload, and attacks anyone who goes near the drugs or who is in direct contact with it. This movie has a lot gore and an some brutal kill scenes.
THE GOOD - The special effects and bear CGI are tremendously produced and delivered with stunning visuals. A lot of the gore looks realistic and presents some real painful visuals. There are several stories wrapped up in this movie that makes you wonder exactly where the writers were going with the entire plot. The entire film takes place in the middle of the 80's and there are some interesting tidbits of "you had to live back then" to catch the inside jokes that are spread out throughout the films run. As mentioned before, there is a lot of gore that befalls each death made by the large killer bear. Each story intertwines with the idea that even though there is a drug runner side to the entire story, the bear is the only constant. There are parts in the film where the killer bear takes on the leading role, sometimes crossing into a realm of human characteristics which makes some of killings look silly and too far fetched to believe.
THE BAD - This is a typical 80's slasher film filled with so much schlock, that it gets a little boring at times. There is a ton of bad acting and over acting that makes the comical side of the film seem a little too stupid to follow. Where some actors take the film serious and present some brilliant acting chops to deliver some intensely dramatic scenes, others seems to present no talent at all, and deliver performances that are easily forgotten.
POST MORTEM - This movie would have been better if the writer and director stuck to presenting a more real presentation of the actual events of the Cocaine Bear and how the drugs ended up in the woods in December of 1985. Using that baseline Urban Legend to create this film was just completely absurd.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ [3 of 5 Stars]
