Review by Christopher Maynard
Wolf Creek 2
2013
Directed by Greg McLean
Starring John Jarratt, Ryan Corr and Shannon Ashlyn
One of the great things about Wolf Creek 2 is you should know pretty quickly if this is your kind of movie or not. This is a movie with no aspirations to be anything more than an over the top, gore-soaked good time. The only question is this: what constitutes a good time to you? Give it five minutes and I’m sure you will know if your idea of a fun night matches that of the filmmakers. I, for one, was in right away. The opening scene was so good the movie could have completely gone off the rails and I still would have been inclined to give it a mostly positive review. Thankfully that is not the case in Greg McLean’s follow up to 2005’s Wolf Creek.
McLean seems to have learned how to make a sequel by watching James Cameron’s Aliens. While Wolf Creek 2 features the same lead in a similar set of circumstances, everything is amplified and played much bigger. The gore, suspense and, oddly enough, comedy are all ratcheted up for this installment. A lot of sequels try this formula but many fail. Wolf Creek 2 is in no way a failure. I’m certain Greg McLean has made the exact film that he intended to make and I’m glad he has.
The film opens on two bored police officers manning a speed trap. The officers are instantly shown to be characters of low moral fiber and you watch with full confidence they will be getting their comeuppance soon enough. The officers decide to pull over a pickup truck for speeding, despite the fact the truck was not speeding. It would help pass the time and help fill the quotas. The guy they decided to pick on is Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) and if you’ve seen the first Wolf Creek you will know how egregious an error they made. It’s been years since I saw the first Wolf Creek but the second Mick entered the frame I was taken back and knew I was in for something special.
I’m not sure why the makers of this film felt the need to bookend the film with “based on true events” title cards. Sure, this is based on some kernel of truth but it plays out like Evil Dead 2, not 12 Years a Slave. This movie feels so far removed from reality that it’s jarring when it points out it was based in reality. Was this supposed to be an examination of darkness? I don’t believe that for a second. The bookends give a sober feeling that is never on display in the rest of this film. This is really nit-picky because it in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the film. Just kind of ended the film on an awkward note that felt out of place; it was like the title card from the end of Zodiac being put on Rubber.
The fucking kangaroo scene…wow, I have nothing to say but wow.
Wolf Creek 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Here is a different view of this movie by Dusty. He did not love it.