Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.
For in-depth thoughts on Cocaine Bear, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Cocaine Bear arrives on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment almost exactly five months after the Blu-Ray debut of the film in April. We criticized the lack of a 4K UHD Blu-Ray option at the time, and apparently, the studio had a change of heart. The new 2160p HDR10 transfer may not be a night and day difference in quality, but those rolling with the format will appreciate the stellar gains in depth of color, encoding and crisp detail. There are no unsightly instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here, and some of the lingering digital noise on the Blu-Ray release is nowhere to be found.
The color palette is enhanced thanks to the HDR10 to capture a deeper level of nuance presented within the subtly ‘80s aesthetic. Black levels are fantastic with a stronger sense of detail in shadows. The highlights do not showcase any blooming in this presentation. Skin tones are natural across the entire cast even when blood starts coating it as attacks increase. The level of detail in this presentation is unbelievable, especially when it comes to the textures found all throughout the forest. All of the minute aspects of the costumes and production design are on full display in all lighting conditions. Universal has delivered a dynamite transfer for this 4K UHD Blu-Ray, and the decision to finally give fans what they want works out well.
Audio Quality
The Dolby Atmos track is a slight upgrade from the DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track from the Blu-Ray, but the enhancements mainly come from the overhead components. These channels flesh out the environment a little more to make things feel a bit more immersive, especially helpful when walking through the forest. The core of the track is powerful and never fails to bring the crazy action to vivid life. The soundscape on display here rarely lets up with a formidable design from beginning to end.
This film starts out on a noisy airplane with a rip-roaring soundtrack in the background, and things rarely let up from there. There are sporadic character moments sprinkled throughout, but the film stays pretty active. The soundtrack is a nostalgic delight, and it comes through with great fidelity. Dialogue comes through clearly with none of the information getting buried by the sound designs. All of the effects have a distinct sense of direction within the mix with noises really springing to life. The movie uses environmental sounds to impressive effect, and the track retains firm detail even in the increasingly chaotic developments. The track gives the film the weight and complexity it deserves. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided for the 4K UHD disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director/Producer Elizabeth Banks and Producer Max Handelman have a blast delivering an entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss how they came to cast various members of the ensemble, what they wanted to accomplish tonally, how they chose to adhere to the truth of the story and diverge when necessary, the loss of Ray Liotta, the lighting choices and more. This is a really fun listen for fans.
- Alternate Ending: A nearly minute-long alternate ending in which a certain character makes a return appearance with a thirst for vengeance.
- Gag Reel: Two minutes of goofing around, forgotten lines, laughing fits and more are provided here.
- Deleted & Extended Scenes: Nearly five minutes of unused material is provided here featuring Sari doing some dirty work for the paramedics, Ranger Liz doing some more flirting and more amusing moments.
- All Roads Lead To Cokey – The Making Of Cocaine Bear: A nine-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss their excitement for the project, the real-life events, the direction of Elizabeth Banks, the tone of the movie, bringing the bear to life and more.
- Unbearable Bloodbath – Dissecting The Kills: An eight-minute look at the carnage caused by the titular bear including the gory special effects, the stunt work and more that creates the thrills on screen.
- Doing Lines: A four-minute piece in which various members of the cast read excerpts from the script.
Final Thoughts
Cocaine Bear delivers on the promise of its premise with a spry, insanely fun journey from beginning to end. Those who were inundated by the marketing had many of the best moments spoiled, but the film itself does go pretty full throttle with carnage and comedy that mostly connects. The tone does not ground this one firmly in reality, and the movie is all the more fun because of it. The ensemble seems to be having fun portraying these ridiculous, distinct characters, and they all work well with one another. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a fantastic A/V presentation and some fun special features. If you simply want to see a bear do cocaine and kill a bunch of people in a horrific manner, you should get what you want out of this. Recommended
Cocaine Bear can be purchased on 4K UHD Blu-Ray directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.