The Cocaine Bear Rip-off From The Kings Of Low-Budget Schlock
If you grew up watching poorly CG animated junk on the SyFy network, you’re surely familiar with the film studio The Asylum, which frequently pumps out so-called “mockbuster” copycats of popular films each year. If you have any experience with these mockbusters, then it should come as no surprise to learn that the studio recently opted to make an ill-advised knock off of 2023’s Cocaine Bear, titled Attack of the Meth Gator, or simply Methgator for short. Though the film may seem intriguing at a passing glance, be sure not to get your hopes up, as Methgator is not currently available to watch on any major streaming service.
Gator + Meth
Now I am absolutely positive that I don’t need to walk you through the intricacies of Methgator‘s plot, but I’ll give you the basics anyway, just for posterity. The film centers on an alligator who resides in the swamps of Florida, which becomes addicted to methamphetamine after a number of citizens dump their drug stashes down the toilet.
As the gator reacts to the meth in highly personified fashion, it embarks upon a violent killing spree, slaughtering dozens of Florida residents and sending stock blood VFX rippling down the streets of the Sunshine state.
The People Behind The Cameras
Methgator was written by the screenwriting duo of Lauren Pritchard and Joe Roche, who previously collaborated on such Asylum outings as Robot Apocalypse, Planet Dune, Moon Crash, and Doomsday Meteor.
Frequent Asylum filmmaker Christopher Ray directed the Cocaine Bear rip-off, as a follow-up to such works as Top Gunner: America Vs. Russia, Circus Kane, and Almighty Thor. As you can likely tell by the titles of the aforementioned films alone, the studio has a real knack for riding the legal line for things like movie names and marketing strategies.
The Asylum
A brief look through the list of films produced by The Asylum reveals that this strategy dates back to the turn of the century, as the studio has been employing these shady tactics since 1999. With more than 500 films in their catalogue,
The Asylum has frequently faced legal trouble for their obvious idea and concept theft, though these entertainment lawsuits often serve as advertisements for their films, which explains why more studios don’t voraciously go after the low-budget organization.
In the case of Methgator specifically, it seems unlikely that anyone from the Cocaine Bear production will acknowledge the film, for fear that they might legitimize the obvious knock off.
A Soulless Mockbuster
Personally, I have mixed feelings about mockbuster movies like Methgator, as some of them can function as the perfect “so bad it’s good” movie for groups of friends to watch and laugh at.
Furthermore, I’ve advocated many times on this site for low-budget films which are made without a lot of resources, as I feel the high price tag of a big studio film shouldn’t be a barrier that prevents passionate filmmakers from telling their stories.
Unfortunately, most Asylum movies are too soulless to be anyone’s passion, and are often produced only to trick people into mistaking these projects for their blockbuster counterparts when they poke out of the 2 for $5 DVD bin at Walmart.
If You Have To Watch It, You Won’t Find It Streaming
GFR SCORE
At the end of the day, Methgator is mostly a waste of time, offering very little in the way of action, stakes, characters, or a fascinating plot. This is a real shame, since the premise could have been a funny take on the Cocaine Bear formula if it was handled with the right vision. If you’re still interested in catching Methgator today, you may be out of luck, as the film is not currently on streaming.
