In the world of animal attacks horror films Bear (2010) is
one of the few that claims to use a real bear in the modern age of PETA and CGI
animals. Written by Roel Reine and Ethan
Wiley and directed by Reine the film concerns two couples (Brandan Michael Coughlin,
Patrick Scott Lewis, Katie Lowes, and Mary Alexandra Stiefvater) whose car gets
in an accident in the middle of nowhere.
When they are attacked by a bear one of them pulls out a gun and shoots
it dead. Things just get worse when they
realize that the bear wasn’t alone and that its mate is very much around and
doesn’t take too kindly to the humans coming into its backyard and causing
chaos.
With their car incapacitated the four must try to stay alive
after all their bullets have been spent and they have nothing to protect them
from the second bear other than the safety of their car. There are a lot of conventional horror plot
tropes in the film and the film-makers keep the proceedings moving as the
action with the actual bear is entertaining but unfortunately when the bear is
the best thing in the film it doesn’t really look well for the under developed
human characters or their cliché relationships and complications.
There is some means of substance to be had in the third act,
but it comes a little too late to save the overall mediocre film. If you enjoy bear verses humans (and I do
mean it in that order) then you might enjoy this little film otherwise dull
humans make for a dull film.
