Cocaine Bear (2023) Review

 "Bears can't climb trees."
-Henry



A drug-runner drops his supply of cocaine on Blood Mountain, but before anyone can reach it, a bear finds it and quickly gets hooked.  Now, everyone on Blood Mountain is in danger as the bear searches for more nose candy and it will kill anyone that gets in its way.


What Works:

You know what?  I'm just happy this movie got made.  It's such an insane premise.  I know it's partially based on a real incident, but the fact that a studio allowed this film to be made is still pretty wild.  

The bear attacks are the best parts of the movie.  There are some really fun and crazy moments with the ambulance chase probably being the highlight.  This is what we wanted to see in this movie and on that front, Cocaine Bear delivers.

The gore is also solid.  A lot of it is CGI, but all of it is over the top.  Sure, I'd prefer practical effects, but if you're going to go digital, at least make it over the top.  We get some absolutely gnarly kills and it's awesome to see.

Finally, the characters are a pretty fun group.  Sure, none of them are exactly complex and none of them have much in the way in characters arcs, but most of them are at least funny and there were a couple I actually was hoping to see live.  There was enough to get me at least partially invested in the characters.


What Sucks:

The narrative as a whole is pretty loose.  There isn't exactly one main protagonist or any real character arc.  I think if the narrative had been a bit more focused, it would have been a stronger film.

The 3rd act was also a little bit underwhelming.  Sure, it had one gnarly kill, but there isn't anything nearly as exciting as some of the earlier action.  This is the climax of the film!  Make it memorable.

Finally, some of the CGI didn't look great and not all of the humor landed.


Verdict:

Cocaine Bear was a fun time with some awesome sequences, great gore, and fun characters.  It needed a stronger narrative and a more exciting 3rd act, but it's still worth seeing and definitely original.

 7/10: Good 


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