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Bear

3/10

Stars: Patrick Scott Lewis, Mary Alexander Stiefvater, Brendan Michael Coughlin, Katie Lowes, Bart the bear

Director: John Rebel

Bear is a bore. Two holidaymaking brothers, at odds with each other, but with wife and girlfriend in tow, for some reason veer off the road into woods and break down. Hearing bear noises in the undergrowth, they go to investigate (as you would) and disturb a grizzly (surprise). Filling it full of holes (and using all their bullets), they return to the (now repaired) car, only to be stranded after a rear axle breaks. The bear's father/mother/mate then appears and terrorises the trapped quartet, eventually grabbing one and eating her before returning for seconds.

No real tension or scares here, as the movie (slowly) struggles to reach feature length between bear scares, by means of fights between the brothers. At one time, the men are fighting each other on the ground while Bruin attacks the surviving woman in the car!

The photography sometimes seems confused between nighttime and day - some 'nighttime' scenes are obviously shot in daylight, including one where the fugitives are hiding in a huge cylinder which could easily be entered by the bear from one end, instead of scrabbling at gaps with its claws. Dialogue is little help. Sample. 'You're pregnant! You're pregnant? You mean, with child?' It's pretty much un-bearable.

David Quinlan

USA 2009. UK Distributor: Metrodome. Colour.
79 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 02 Jun 2010