Cocaine Bear: Jaws with Fur and a REALLY Bad Habit?

Okay, so I just saw Cocaine Bear. Let me preface this by saying, I went in expecting a schlocky good time, and it mostly delivered. But afterward, I started thinking... this ain't just a stupid gorefest, is it? Hear me out. That opening scene, with the duffel bags of coke tumbling out of the plane? Total Jaws vibes. Remember the barrels in the ocean, the foreshadowing of something big and dangerous lurking beneath the surface? Same deal here. Except instead of a great white, we got a bear with a nose for Colombian marching powder. And then the characters start interacting. The kid skipping school, the park ranger, the drug dealers... they're all archetypes, sure, but they're archetypes that mirror classic disaster flicks. You've got the innocent caught in the crossfire, the authority figure trying to maintain order, the bad guys getting their comeuppance. Even the way the gore is handled felt kinda tongue-in-cheek, reminiscent of some of the wackier stuff from the 80s. Like, it's violent, but it's cartoon violent, ya know? Not sure if that's a good thing or bad, just sayin'... Here's my theory – and I know, it's a stretch – what if the director was intentionally playing on those classic disaster movie tropes? What if the whole thing is a commentary on how we're all just pawns in a bigger (and much dumber) game? The coke is the MacGuffin, the bear is the external threat, but the real story is about how these people react under pressure. Or maybe I'm just overthinking a movie about a coke-fueled bear. Probably that. Bottom line? It's no Citizen Kane, but it's a fun ride if you're in the mood for something over the top and a little bit ridiculous. Just don't go expecting Shakespeare. Honestly, I'd watch it again, maybe after a couple of beers...or, you know, a Diet Coke. Heh See ya.