I quite liked it (spoilers)
I didn't expect anything from this movie, had not heard about it, had not looked it up before watching, sort of had the idea what to expect.
And I just rather liked it.
It is not a masterpiece, not a movie to remember for ever, but for me the scene with the bear saved it.
The attack was just so horrific and genuinely scary/exciting, that it almost, a little gave me that tension and fear I remember from watching Jaws the first time.
The prelude and what came after were all not that exciting but I liked the main characters, they weren't annoying and I sort of liked their relationship so I didn't mind their whole story.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, walk walk walk, avoid bear, find canoe, safe.
It made me wonder if it was based on a real story, because if that is the case you can get away with a "and then the hero just got saved" ending.
But I would have gone a little bit further.
Not very original perhaps but well other movies just show it works when you add more close calls, scary moments, etc.
I might have for instance let the Irish chap be really nice (not a bit creepy) and join them, have the boyfriend a bit annoyed because it might mess up the proposal, have a bit of fun rivalry, then the 3 of them get lost and not just the boyfriend but also the Irish chap get killed by the bear, that will get you one more horror scene.
And although perhaps stretching things a bit, I might have had the girl kill the bear.
Give us viewers a bit of 'yeah well done, we got revenge' idea.
An original ending would be difficult.
I think letting the viewers belief she's not going to make it and then let some campers find her, or a hunter or maybe she just bumps into a very cosy cute family scene (perhaps reminding us viewers of the family she might have turned out to be if her boyfriend had not been ripped apart by a bear) and they call for police and medics.
I know, not very original perhaps, but a bit more satisfying than the current ending.
Then again... I might have gone for a darker ending...
Letting her kill the bear, but knowing that her wounds and her being lost will also mean she is going to die.
Or maybe she kills the bear, it falls on top of her and she lies there under the heavy beast, covered in blood, heavily wounded, knowing she will die there.
But she grins, after all she got her revenge.
Her last act is putting his ring on her finger...
Yes I know, I like melodrama ;)