Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
Cocaine Bear
(Universal Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
Any movie that begins with the text “based on true events” can be taken with at least a grain of salt. In the new horror/comedy “Cocaine Bear,” we as an audience try not to question the authenticity of the story since only something like that could happen in the 1980s. Actress Elizabeth Banks directs this film from an original screenplay by Jimmy Warden, but be prepared for the madness that follows.
Taking place in 1985, it begins one night when a drug runner (Matthew Rhys having a blast in his small cameo) dumps bags of cocaine from a plane before accidentally getting himself killed. His father, Syd (Ray Liotta in his last on-screen role), orders his son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) and his buddy Daveed (O’Shea Jackson) to retrieve all of it that they can find. Some of the bags end up at a Georgia state park, where a big black bear has started sniffing up the good stuff before becoming a raging killing machine and is already eating up some hikers. Now Eddie and Daveed will have more than trouble collecting the good stuff, especially while being pursued by an out-of-state police sergeant (Isiah Whitlock Jr.).
Meanwhile, single mother Sari (Keri Russell) is also in the state park searching for her rebellious daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) and her friend Henry (Christian Convery), who played hooky from school for a fun day in the park. She gets help from Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale), although she’s too preoccupied trying to impress naturalist Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson).
Once the bear starts attacking them, it’s up to both Sari and Henry to summon the courage to find Dee Dee, who’s trapped in the bear’s cave. It won’t be long before these trails converge, and the bear is still high and hungry for more.
The movie is just as crazy as the title makes it sound. Not only does it live up to the advertisements, but it gives B-movie fans plenty to indulge in its violence. The true star of the show is the bear itself, basically a CG junkie roaming through the woods like a slasher villain on a sugar high. The good folks at Weta Digital did a good job giving the creature some emoting in the face especially when its eyes keep bugging out hilariously. While the bear is CGI, the bloody violence remains mostly practical, which gives the film that right amount of edge it was going for.
Even though Banks was going for an 80s movie look including a fun synth score by Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame, the script itself could’ve used another run-through in terms of its characters. Every one of the main characters were written like a mixed bag of caricatures meant to be fodder for the bear to attack. This kind of thing works fine in a slasher film, but in a movie like this, they could’ve written some more relatable and realistic main characters like in Jaws or the recent Godzilla films. Then again, if you’re seeing this for the bear alone, it’s worth your time more.
The movie is also notable as the final film for Liotta, who passed away last year shortly after completing his scenes. With shades of Henry Hill from “Goodfellas,” his tough guy persona helps to bring life to his one-note villain role and what a way for him to leave us on. The rest of the cast are perfectly fine trying to bring energy to their less-than-stellar characters.
On the flipside, “Cocaine Bear” could be the beginning of a new sub-genre of “killer animals on drugs” movies (including The Asylum’s upcoming Meth Gator), which would make the old 70s sub-genre seem envious. With that said, it’s a good start and more fun watching with a group of friends. If anything, it could also make a good double feature with something like “Jason Lives-Friday the 13th: Part VI” for silly terrors in the woods.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for bloody violence and gore, drug content, and language throughout)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
