Cocaine Bear (2023) - I wanted to like this more

I told someone I'd just watched 'Cocaine Bear' and they asked me what it was like.  I kind of pulled a face and said, 'It's okay.' I could leave it there, but I'll do my best to explain my reasons.

I love cheesy, low-brow entertainment and the title of this film should give me everything I want (i.e. it's right up there with 'Snakes on a Plane).  The premise of a wild bear, accidentally ingesting an entire block of illegal substances and then going on a murderous rampage is a recipe for sheer stupid dumb popcorn fun.  And it is... sort of.

It never seems to want to commit to its (natural?) stupidity.  There are far too many characters all pursuing their own goals and not enough bear on smack.  I get it - the budget wasn't that big and computer generating a realistic-looking animal is hard to make believable at the best of times, let along when you're trying to make it look like it's indulging in certain human vices.  So the bear probably isn't in it as much as most people would like it to be.

That's a drawback, but if the humans were funnier then that would be something.  But the writers seem to feel the need to try and weave in deeply dramatic moments with meaningful character arcs.  All well and good in more of a serious film, but here they just aren't necessary.

I've got so many black comedy horror films in my DVD collection that, if I was in the mood for something in this genre I'd put one of them on rather than watch 'Cocaine Bear' again.  But if I was on a plane and there was nothing else to watch, this definitely isn't so bad that it's impossible to sit through again - and take enjoyment in the enjoyably daft scenes.

6/10