Parents' Guide to Grizzly II: Revenge

This is a fascinating artifact more for its backstory than its actual content. Grizzly II: Revenge features Laura Dern, George Clooney, and Charlie Sheen in tiny roles yet gives them top billing, and the film, which was shot in the early '80s, wasn't released for almost four decades. It's a poorly made film with awkward direction (made even worse by the interspersed clips that were clearly shot years later). The editing feels jarring and disorienting, and the movie never fully embraces the kitsch and camp that could've made it genuinely fun or a cult classic.

The tone is all over the place, serious when it should be campy, especially during the concert sequences, where the featured acts seem to be spoofing popular '80s music (some of the lyrics are laugh-out-loud ridiculous). Most of the cast seems unsure of what kind of movie they are in, except for Louise Fletcher, who leans into her villainous traits to create a mustache-twirling energy reminiscent of Nurse Ratched. Other characters, like John Rhys-Davies' poacher, never get the chance to fully embrace the absurdity, which makes some of the more problematic elements harder to watch. Overall, Grizzly II: Revenge is an unsuccessful horror film and a misfire as early star-studded cinema, a lost opportunity for the kind of over-the-top camp it could have been.