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Grizzly II: Revenge

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Grizzly II: Revenge (sometimes stylized Grizzly II. Revenge, also known as Grizzly II: The Predator and Grizzly II. The Concert) is a 1983 American action thriller horror film that was not properly released until 2020. It was directed by André Szöts and is a sequel to the 1976 film Grizzly directed by William Girdler and David Sheldon. The film is about a giant grizzly named Tawanda who seeks revenge after her cub is killed by poachers. It stars Steve Inwood, Louise Fletcher, John Rhys-Davies, Deborah Raffin and Deborah Foreman; actors George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen, who were all relatively unknown at the time, all had small roles in the film.

Grizzly II: Revenge
Poster shows images of Charlie Sheen, George Clooney and Laura Dern. Below them is a giant grizzly bear in a fierce attacking position. Within the bear image is a concert stage with a big explosion in the background and below is the film's title.
Film poster
Directed byAndré Szöts
Screenplay by
Produced bySuzanne Csikos Nagy
Starring
CinematographyJean Badal
Production
company
GBGB International
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release dates
  • February 17, 2020 (2020-02-17) (Hollywood Reel)
  • January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08) (VOD)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Originally filmed in Hungary in 1983, the release was put on hold for many decades. The film premiered at the 2020 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and was released on January 8, 2021 through video-on-demand.

Plot

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In the vast Yellowstone National Park, grizzly bears and other wildlife roam free while hikers and campers abound. The National Park Service is charged with the protection of the park and its wildlife, and the rangers are always on the lookout for poachers. The park is preparing for a major rock concert to be held over three days in Grover Meadows and expects 50,000 people in attendance. At the ranger station, Chief Ranger Nick Hollister is briefing the rangers on the upcoming event.

Harvey, a poacher, is hunting for a grizzly bear and ends up killing a cub and wounding its mother. The grizzly bear, seeking revenge, viciously attacks and kills Harvey. Nick and Pete, the Head Park Ranger, relay the news to Eileene Draygon, the Superintendent of Summit. They press Draygon to halt the concert for everyone’s safety, but Draygon declines to get involved.

Back at the ranger station, Samantha Owens, director of Bear Management, is adamantly opposed to killing the grizzly bear. She insists on locating the bear and tranquilizing and relocating it with the help of Bouchard, the world-famous grizzly expert from Canada. Three teenagers, Ron, Tina, and Lance are hiking through the park to the concert. They enter grizzly territory, which is restricted, and set up camp without any clue of the terror they will face. Later that evening, they are attacked and killed by the grizzly bear.

The next morning, Nick, Pete, and Samantha find the bodies of Ron, Tina, and Lance, which heightens concern for the concert scheduled the next day. Nick demands that his men find and kill the grizzly bear. Running out of options, Nick drives to see Draygon and gives her a report on the new killings. Nick again asks for help, but Draygon again refuses. Meanwhile, in the forest, Pete finds the other poachers and wants to take them into custody. Instead, they attack Pete, leaving him unconscious. The grizzly bear finds Pete and chases him into a cave, where she kills him.

As concert day comes, Charlie, the concert manager makes the final arrangements. Large crowds are arriving. Meanwhile, the poachers are also creating traps by digging large holes and planting sharp and deadly sticks into them. The grizzly bear roams the forest, finds the poachers, and kills them easily. The chase then continues; Nick and Samantha, the rangers, and Bouchard, all scatter to track down the grizzly bear. The grizzly bear finds its way to the concert grounds. The concert goes on and the crowd enjoys the cutting-edge English rock bands.

Backstage, Bouchard encounters the grizzly bear and stabs at her, but the grizzly swipes Bouchard with her arm and kills him. Nick has to act fast. He gets the grizzly bear’s attention and lures her to her side of the concert stage containing the high voltage, which the grizzly bear falls into and is killed. Draygon acts as if the dying grizzly bear was part of the action. The concert audience cheers and applauds and does not know the truth about what happened.

Cast

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Production

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The principal photography with the tentative title The Predator was completed in 1983. Joseph Ford Proctor, the producer, left the scene after the first day of the shoot and there were no funds to continue the film. Suzanne C. Nagy, the co-producer, found an investor, and the principal photography was therefore finished in 45 days. At a later time, she found out that Joseph Proctor was in jail for a non-related business transaction.[1]

Release

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An unauthorized bootleg version with the workprint appeared on YouTube in 2007 from a bad quality VHS recording.[citation needed] This version was the subject of a The Cinema Snob (as presented by Brad Jones) episode in March 2010, which soon after saw a letter sent by Suzanne C. Nagy (owner of the title Grizzly II and its sequel rights) that requested this "horrible review" removed, for which Jones complied.[2] Nagy did not remove the workprint until 2018.[3] At that time her company, GBGB International, was already working on the completion of Grizzly II: Revenge.[4] The movie was finished in January 2020 and entered into various film festivals until the company decided to enter into a licensing agreement with Gravitas Ventures.[5] As of August 2020, Gravitas Ventures represents the movie worldwide and released the film on video on demand, DVD and Blu-ray on January 8, 2021.[6]

Various magazines and websites such as The Ringer[7] and Empire magazine[8] have released articles regarding the movie's production, release halt, and the steps it took to finally give it an official release almost four decades later. Other articles and interviews published are on MovieWeb,[9] Bloody Disgusting[10] and Birth.Movies.Death.[11] Producer Suzanne C. Nagy also did an interview on the film that can be seen on The Good, The Bad, and The Sequel Podcast YouTube channel.[12]

Critical reception

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As with the first film, the critical reception was negative. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 8% based on reviews from 12 critics.[13]

Dennis Harvey from Variety refers to the film as an "incomplete mess". He criticizes the top billing notices of George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen despite each only appearing on screen for a few minutes and the poor-quality special effects, especially for the bear attack scenes, calling them "cheesily abrupt, poorly disguising faulty effects work". He also finds the film's music score to be random sound pieces spliced together and not coherent.[14] Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times calls out the film's directing as "touching incompetence". Catsoulis finds the dialogue dopey, the tone uncertain at times and the demise of the mother bear to be disappointing and needing a better send-off.[15]

Film festivals

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The film was first screened at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival on February 17, 2020.[16] Since then, the movie has been shown at various film festivals, including the Monmouth Film Festival,[17] Lisbon International Horror Film Festival,[18] Knoxville Horror Film Festival,[19] Chicago International Film Festival,[20] LA Crime and Horror Film Festival,[21] and Popcorn Frights Film Festival.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Altman, Larry (25 January 2012). "Former resident gets 5 years in tax fraud". Daily Breeze. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  2. ^ "Grizzly II: The Predator".
  3. ^ "Grizzly II (found workprint of unfinished thriller film; 1983) - The Lost Media Wiki". lostmediawiki.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Nikolas (2020-02-19). "[Trailer] Long Unfinished Sequel 'Grizzly II: Revenge' Has Been Completed And Set For Release". CryptTeaze. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  5. ^ "Grizzly II". Gravitas Ventures. 2020-11-24. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  6. ^ ghermanns (2020-12-02). "Gravitas Ventures Unveils Release Date of Grizzly II: Revenge!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  7. ^ Raftery, Brian (2020-08-31). "What Do George Clooney, Nazareth, and a 16-Foot Mechanical Bear Have in Common?". The Ringer. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  8. ^ info0638777 (2020-11-20). "EMPIRE: The True Story of Grizzly II". Grizzly II. Revenge MOVIE. Retrieved 2021-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "'Grizzly II: Revenge' Trailer: Long-Lost Horror Sequel Is Finally Getting Released". Movieweb. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  10. ^ Squires, John (2020-02-19). "Long Unfinished Sequel 'Grizzly II: Revenge' Has Finally Been Completed by Producer Suzanne Nagy [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  11. ^ Todd, Andrew (2020-02-19). "After 38 Years, The Legendary GRIZZLY II Is Finally Finished". Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  12. ^ Interview w/ Producer Suzanne C Nagy (Grizzly II: Revenge). www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  13. ^ "Grizzly II. Revenge (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  14. ^ Harvey, Dennis (January 9, 2021). "'Grizzly II: Revenge' Review: An Infamous Abandoned Film Gets Finished … Off". Variety.
  15. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (January 7, 2021). "'Grizzly II: Revenge' Review: Bear Atrocity". New York Times.
  16. ^ "HRIFF 2020 Program Guide". hollywoodreelindependentfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  17. ^ "Monmouth Film Festival | Grizzly II. Revenge". Monmouth Film Fest. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  18. ^ MOTELX (26 August 2020). "Complete programme of MOTELX 2020 revealed! - News // MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival". MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  19. ^ "2020 Knoxville Horror Film Festival". Cinematary. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  20. ^ "Drive-in Films". Cinema Chicago. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  21. ^ "Festival Lineup - Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival". lacrimehorror.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  22. ^ "The Craft | 5/17/19 | 10:00PM | Savor Cinema". Popcorn Frights. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
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