Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks and from Lord Miller Productions, is a campy, twisted, and hilarious film that is so bad, it’s good. After directing chick-flick-type movies such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Charlie’s Angels, this project is a step in an entirely new direction for Elizabeth Banks. Released Feb. 24, Cocaine Bear grossed 23.1 million dollars over its first weekend at the box office, much more than expected, surpassing Marvel’s Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantamania. It’s no mystery why this happened; the movie plot of a bear on cocaine is intriguing.

Loosely based on a true story, Cocaine Bear highlights the day that 75 lbs of cocaine were dropped out of a plane and into a Georgia forest. After a bear inhabiting the forest gets its paws on the drugs, chaos ensues. This series of misfortunes affects the families and drug dealers in and around the forest as the bear wreaks havoc on their lives.

The acting throughout the film is impressive. Actors pull off completely serious deliveries of some of the most ridiculous lines in cinematic history. Especially amazing was how well the child actors (Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery) were able to achieve this.

Throughout the film, there is an underlying theme of parenthood and the importance of being supportive of your children. While unexpected, coming out of a movie titled Cocaine Bear, this theme is definitely present. Throughout the film the parents continue to learn valuable lessons about how to protect their children, whether they are fighting off a bear or a human.

On surface-level, the comedy in this film is exceptionally well done. With fast-paced and witty lines in the middle of a bear attack, viewers are sure to laugh and feel suspense throughout the entirety of the movie.

The CGI in Cocaine Bear is remarkably realistic. Rumored to have weighed 500 pounds, the bear model perfectly resembles a real bear. The film also has a substantial amount of hyper-realistic gore, which is both disgusting and believable.

The one possible downside to Cocaine Bear is that it is exactly what it sounds like. The entire plot is about a bear on cocaine. While there are some light underlying themes and character backgrounds, this movie is not deep or thought-provoking by any means. This could, however, be a refreshing change compared to most movies today, which are often confusing for audiences. Viewers may want to see a movie that is stupid, funny, and straightforward, and that’s exactly what Cocaine Bear is.

Although Cocaine Bear definitely does not have any Oscars in its future, this movie is worth the watch. Viewers will leave the theater confused by why they spent one hour and 35 minutes of their lives on this strange movie, but happy that they did. Between the hysterical dialogue, believable special effects, and ridiculous film premise, Cocaine Bear earns four and a half out of five feathers.