MOVIE REVIEW: GRIZZLY NIGHT

On 12 August 1967, in Montana's Glacier National Park, the unthinkable happened: On the same night, nine miles apart, there were not one, but two fatal grizzly bear attacks.

Director: Burke Doeren

Cast: Brec Bassinger, Lauren Call, Jack Griffo, Charles Esten, Ali Skovbye, Oded Fehr

Release Date: January 30, 2026 US/February 2, 2026UK

Genre: Drama

Rated R for grisly images and brief language.

Runtime: 1h 27m

Review:

Grizzly Night, Burke Doeren directorial debut, is a solid but uneven fact-based creature feature that steadily finds its footing as it goes along.  Doeren takes full advantage of shooting on location to establish a sense of the landscape where the ensemble cast of characters find themselves on this fateful night.  Inspired by a true event known as the "Night of the Grizzlies,” there’s an unsteady sense of what kind of tone they are shooting for especially early on as its verges on schlocky creature feature thanks to thinly written characters and performances that vary wildly in terms of quality.  It gives the false impression that the film is going to be an all-out carnage machine which it never actually becomes as we are witness only to early moments of the attacks with some of the gorier elements taking place offscreen.  The focus here is much more on the rescue efforts that happen after the fact with a handful of familiar character actors balancing out some of the younger, less experienced performers.  Oded Fehr, Charles Esten and Brec Bassinger bring some dramatic weight to the production with each delivering solid work in limited screentime.  Lauren Call, who plays botanist Ranger Joan Devereaux, starts off a bit shaky but settles into the role over the course of the film which gives us a sense of the character’s emotional journey through the traumatic events.   Oded Fehr brings the right amount of calm and empathy as Dr. John Lindberg, who is trust into a lifesaving situation with a moment between him and Bassinger serving as an emotional highlight in the film.  There’s a steep drop off from there as the final act feels rushed, giving very little time to the unfortunate effects that nearly wiped out the grizzly bear.  Grizzly Night ends up being a passable docudrama that could have done a bit more with the subject matter if it had taken a more thoughtful approach to its scripting and overall themes at play.  

C

MOVIE REVIEW: FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES

 

Plagued by a violent and recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein

Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd

Release Date: May 16, 2025

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language.

Runtime: 1h 49m

Review:

Final Destination: Bloodlines breathes some new life into the dormant series thanks to directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein embracing the goofy, gory fun of the concept along with a series of cleverly designed death traps.  The Final Destination films have always had a sinister sense of humor which the better entries have used to great effect.  Lipovsky and Stein use a barebones family drama to give the film a bit of connective tissue and stakes which works in spots but noticeably lags in others, leaving you wishing for some tighter editing since the deaths are stars of the show.  The good news is that they prove more than capable of delivering some tense, funny and splatter-filled moments of mayhem that will leave you laughing more than anything else as they manage to make the most mundane items look lethal.  They smartly play with audience expectations by using a handful of well-placed misdirects to give the film an air of uncertainty.   They benefit from a cast who clearly understand what type of film they are making and fully embrace the absurdity of it all even as they recite their clunky dialogue.  Kaitlyn Santa Juana leads the main cast of meat puppets with a serviceable but forgettable turn.  Brec Bassinger fares better in the opening flashback sequence during the funhouse destruction of a new tower restaurant.  Richard Harmon and Owen Patrick Joyner have a fun brotherly chemistry together which the film takes full advantage of during their big set piece.  Tony Todd cameos as the sole recurring character in the series, William Bludworth, with the film giving him a rather touching sendoff both onscreen and off.  It all makes for a return to form for the Final Destination series with Bloodlines ranking in the top three with general ease.  

B-