What would life be like without an occasional rotten movie? The title tells all in this weak variation of the vintage 1977 killer whale movie "Orca" about a whale that wreaks vengeance on the fishermen that destroyed its mate and baby. In the lackluster "Grizzly Rage," four obnoxious teenagers recklessly careening through the woods strike a grizzly bear cub accidentally and kill the little fellow. No, the filmmakers don't show the cub getting clipped. Only after they have smashed headlong into a tree and done permanent damage to their 4X4 Jeep Cherokee do they discover the critter. Surprise, surprise, the cute girl, Lauren Findley(Kate Todd of "Saving God")cannot get a strong enough signal on her cell phone to summon help. Actually, she objected to their thoughtless plans. Specifically, the guys used the winch to break a chain and trespass onto private property deep in the middle of nowhere littered with ominous looking barrels that would appear more appropriate in a toxic waste dump. The producers never connect the dots here about the toxic waste dump and the bear. Suddenly, an angry momma bear emerges and comes after them. I gave this movie one star because they rely on the old, stand-by suspense scene where the vehicle refuses to crank until the last second.
Director David Decoteau, who has helmed such low-budget schlock as "Sorority Babes in the Slimball Bowl-O-Rama" as well as "Frankenstein & The Werewolf Reborn," is up to his usual nonsense. Basically, this rarely scary horror chiller boasts three dudes, a sexy babe and a hulking she-bear (a male named Koda) in the forest. Decoteau shows the bear howling, walking on all fours and then rearing up on its back legs, but you rarely see anything but the wrecked vehicle in the same shot with the critter. When the bear is merely stalking her prey, Decoteau provides us with a slightly wide-angled 'bear cam' perspective like they do for the human killer in a stalker movie. When the momma bear does attack, all we see are its paws and claws in close-up. Nevertheless, you know that those belong to a man in a bear costume.
Not only do these teenagers lack a shred of sympathy, but they also have no common sense. After their Jeep overheats, they separate and wander off into the woods searching for water to cool their vehicle off. Meanwhile, you find yourself rooting for the bear. Unfortunately, this carnivorous bear takes its time showing up and possesses little personality. Of course, the momma bear eats them all. The first casualty--Ritch Petroski (Brody Harms of "Adam & Evil")occurs about 20 minutes into the action, and the shook-up survivors tear off in their Jeep and then have second thoughts about leaving their poor mauled friend behind. They wreck their Jeep again, rolling it down an incline, but manage to recover despite some injuries to themselves. One of them decides to pull on his jogging shoes and run for help. Guess who he runs into? Guess what you'll get watching this half-baked epic? No, no bears or bear cubs were harmed in the making of this forgettable film. Where was Daniel Boone when these kids needed him?
Director David Decoteau, who has helmed such low-budget schlock as "Sorority Babes in the Slimball Bowl-O-Rama" as well as "Frankenstein & The Werewolf Reborn," is up to his usual nonsense. Basically, this rarely scary horror chiller boasts three dudes, a sexy babe and a hulking she-bear (a male named Koda) in the forest. Decoteau shows the bear howling, walking on all fours and then rearing up on its back legs, but you rarely see anything but the wrecked vehicle in the same shot with the critter. When the bear is merely stalking her prey, Decoteau provides us with a slightly wide-angled 'bear cam' perspective like they do for the human killer in a stalker movie. When the momma bear does attack, all we see are its paws and claws in close-up. Nevertheless, you know that those belong to a man in a bear costume.
Not only do these teenagers lack a shred of sympathy, but they also have no common sense. After their Jeep overheats, they separate and wander off into the woods searching for water to cool their vehicle off. Meanwhile, you find yourself rooting for the bear. Unfortunately, this carnivorous bear takes its time showing up and possesses little personality. Of course, the momma bear eats them all. The first casualty--Ritch Petroski (Brody Harms of "Adam & Evil")occurs about 20 minutes into the action, and the shook-up survivors tear off in their Jeep and then have second thoughts about leaving their poor mauled friend behind. They wreck their Jeep again, rolling it down an incline, but manage to recover despite some injuries to themselves. One of them decides to pull on his jogging shoes and run for help. Guess who he runs into? Guess what you'll get watching this half-baked epic? No, no bears or bear cubs were harmed in the making of this forgettable film. Where was Daniel Boone when these kids needed him?