Cocaine Bear 2023 Movie Review
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Bear, Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta.
Cinematography: John Guleserian
Streaming: Theaters
Synopsis:
After a 500-pound black bear consumes a significant amount of cocaine and embarks on a drug-fueled rampage, an eccentric gathering of cops, criminals, tourists, and teenagers assemble in a Georgia forest bear that ingested nearly 75 lbs. (34 kg) of lost cocaine.
Cocaine Bear 2023 Movie Review:
Cocaine Bear is a dark comedy inspired by a true story of a bear that consumed 40 kilos of cocaine dropped by a drug smuggler in 1985. The film follows the bear’s rampage as it terrorizes a small town in Georgia.
The film is a fun and absurd B-movie that does not take itself too seriously. It balances horror and humor with some gory scenes and witty dialogue.
The cast is great, especially Martindale the sheriff who tries to stop the bear, and Liotta the drug lord who wants his stash back. The bear itself is impressive, thanks to motion capture and CGI effects
Eight characters are introduced throughout the film, with each given significant time to develop their story and motivations. This takes a lot of time away from the main attraction, the cocaine bear.
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There are almost 45 minutes where we are focused on these “secondary” characters, without any action or appearance of the cocaine bear. This section was pretty slow-paced and started to lose me, but once the bear is re-introduced, the film gets significantly better.
The paramedic scene was super (My Favorite Sequence). There are some messed up kills that do not shy away from the blood and gore.
Some of the effects looked to be prosthetics as well, which always have an especially disgusting appearance to them does not explore much of the social commentary or satire that could have been derived from its premise. It could have been more daring and outrageous in its tone and style.
Verdict:
Overall – Cocaine Bear is an entertaining and ridiculous film that delivers what it promises: a cocaine-fueled bear on a killing spree. It is worth watching if you are looking for some mindless fun.
