If you've ever wondered what would happen if a 500-pound bear consumed 70 lbs of pure cocaine, then Cocaine Bear is the flick for you.
Produced and directed by Elizabeth Banks, the dark comedy loosely follows the true story of a bear who accidentally eats a massive amount of cocaine, before going on a drug-fuelled rampage in Georgia.
It's only been released this week, but critics are already raving about its comedic value and thrilling subject matter on Rotten Tomatoes.
Cocaine Bear features a fantastic mix of both well-known and up-and-coming celebrities - including Ice Cube's eldest son O'Shea Jackson Jr., Keri Russell, Brooklynn Prince, and the late Ray Liotta in one of his final performances before passing.
The movie takes inspiration from an incident in 1985 when a 175-pound bear managed to ingest a whole duffel bag of cocaine after it was dropped out of a plane piloted by a former narcotics officer and convicted drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II. The plane was reportedly too heavy, so the pilot threw the duffel bag out of the plane before jumping out himself, per The New York Times. Unfortunately, his parachute was faulty so he died. Talk about a rough day at work...
Three months later, the black bear was found dead after presumably overdosing on cocaine, given that it was found alongside 40 opened plastic containers of the drug, according to The Independent.
The Washington Post does note, however, that this flick diverges slightly from the truth, taking some creative liberties. Firstly (spoiler alert), the original 'cocaine bear' - which is on display at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Kentucky - was not known to have killed anyone while high on drugs. Moreover, what exactly happened from the moment the bear consumed cocaine for the first time to the moment it died of an overdose is unknown.
So far, the movie has gone viral on social media - especially since the first trailer dropped on YouTube, where it has over 16 million views. Hundreds of viewers have taken to the comments section to voice their praise for the flick, with one person writing: "No more remakes of old movies. We need more like this."
Someone else chimed in: "Honestly, we need more crazy ass movies like this. No deep "oscar-worthy" s**t, we got bunch of them. Just laid back, blood and gore, crazy animals, comedy!"
"Finally a movie with top of the line CGI and a rich well-written plot. The way the comedy flows into the horror makes for an exceptional experience, leaving family’s just on the line of wondering what they just watched. Perfect use of an A-List actor who, since Goodfellas, has never not been taken seriously. Just an outstanding casting and downright masterpiece revitalizing confidence for Hollywood in this uncertain time. Oscar winner for sure!" another added.
"This movie actually brings some horror b-movie vibes of the 1980s, gory and funny AF in that sense. And I'm surprised Ray Liotta made an appearance in this film before his passing. Also, the fact that Cocaine Bear is inspired by a true story, that's pretty hard to believe. Be definitely lookin forward to seeing this one in the theaters for real," a further comment read.
Cocaine Bear is set for official release this Friday (February 24).