It’s out to the woods for a double feature of beasts of the wild. So which was more fun…Bigfoot or the bear?
BEAR WITH US (2016)
Bear With Us is a cabin in the woods meta horror comedy shot in black and white, because, why not? I guess it gets your film noticed automatically these days. It also starts off more meta horror and comedy than it ends up. It just really loses steam as it goes on.
A guy’s plan to propose to his girlfriend while they’re away with friends at a cabin in the woods goes awry when they hear a report about a bear on the loose in the area.
But the bear isn’t their only problem.
A strange hunter shows up (played by cutie Cheyenne Jackson), as does an odd park ranger.
The bear plot is not horror enough on its own, so I was hoping there was going to be a complicated twist with someone in the group turning psycho killer, but it’s essentially just a comedy of errors. The cast is strong and the guys are all cute, I just felt the joke wore thin after a while. Perhaps shaving off 14 minutes and making this an even 80 minutes long could have helped.
The part that really ruins it for me is how the bear—virtually an innocent bystander in the whole dang movie—is dragged unfairly, unjustly, and cruelly into their drama at the end to be treated as the big punch line of the movie.
BIG LEGEND (2018)
It’s a man vs. Bigfoot flick, and while I don’t go seeking out Bigfoot movies, especially when the title is this generic, I checked this one out because the cast included Adrienne Barbeau, Lance Henriksen, and Amanda Wyss.
Yeah, I figured each would probably get only 5 minutes screen time or less, but it also helped that the lead guy looked super hot in the trailer.
The plot is simple. An ex-military man goes back to the woods where he experienced tragedy the year before after he spots a big figure in the background of the photos from the trip.
Once he gets there, we’re treated to a good, fleeting Bigfoot jump scare. And the first confrontation with it is super suspenseful…as is every Bigfoot attack in the film.
The studly main man crosses paths with an older hunter, and they team up to survive in the wilderness as the Bigfoot hunts them down.
While all the scares and fight scenes kick ass, just note that the film does lag a bit between them. It’s so worth it because the monster looks awesome and wreaks horrifying havoc on them. And did I mention the leading man is a sexy beast?
Best of all, there’s the promise of an even more epic sequel. Maybe our leading man will get shirtless next time around.
