Movie Review: ‘Wolf Creek 2’

Film: Wolf Creek 2
Directed by: Greg McLean
Starring: John Jarratt

There was a not a lot left at the end of Wolf Creek to warrant the creation of a sequel, but filmmaker Greg McLean has pulled off something akin to a flawed miracle with Wolf Creek 2. It’s bigger, slicker, and far bloodier than the original, but it also expands the universe found in the first film in ways that are wacky and – for the most part – genuinely entertaining.

Opening with the same informative cards about the average number of people who go missing every year and how some are never seen again, Wolf Creek 2 dances briefly with retreading familiar territory before blazing a whole new path of stylistic terror with an opening sequence meant to shock and horrify. Mick Taylor is alive and well, but a couple of bored cops make the mistake of trying to pin him with a phony speeding ticket in the middle of the Australian outback. Mick does not react well, and before the title card flashes across the screen Greg McLean has made it known the tone and pace of this sequel will be much tighter and faster than its predecessor.

It’s hard to describe the central story of Wolf Creek 2 without giving away major twists, but let’s just say the main characters you’re introduced to at the beginning of the film are not the only ones you will meet. There is a German couple backpacking through Australia and, much like the college-aged kids from the first film, they find themselves sleeping under the stars on the grounds surrounding the world famous Wolf Creek crater. Mick Taylor arrives in the dead of the night to offer them a ride into town on the basis of a phony law that he claims the kids are breaking by camping at the crater and soon after all hell breaks loose. Fighting, bloodshed, knives, car chases, explosions, rifles, and all sorts of similar chaos ensues as our protagonists try to escape the monster of Wolf Creek, and for the most part all of it works in a way that is just crazy enough to be entertaining without being downright ludicrous. Sometimes, however, things toe the line of absurdity in ways several film goers will no doubt find too laughable to endure (3 words: Army of kangaroos). 

The real highlight of the film is John Jarratt’s performance as Mick Taylor. The first film kept the true nature of his rugged onscreen persona in the shadows, but here his pitch black soul is brought front and center. He’s more than a quiet and sadistic psychopath – he’s a goddamn mad man with a sense of humor as sharp as his knife, who just so happens to love his country too much for his own good. He wants to keep Australia pure, in addition to other things, and Jarratt’s portrayal of his twisted mental state is never anything less than enthralling.

On the downside, Wolf Creek 2 often struggles to decide how seriously it wants to be taken. The early moments are dark and grisly, but around the halfway point things take an almost mainstream/thriller turn that could land with the production value of a SyFy channel original series. The story’s desire to be bigger throws all concern for plausibility out the window, but not until its delivered enough grisly sequences to establish Taylor’s insanity, and that transition in tone leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not the wrong move, per say, but it’s hard to not feel like it could have been handled better.

There were moments I absolutely loved Wolf Creek 2, but there were admittedly a few times I found baffling as well. It’s a classic direct-to-video/VOD sequel (which will see a limited theatrical run in May) in the sense it is good enough to be worth recommending to genre fans with similar tastes, but it lacks the commercial appeal needed for large scale success. It won’t be remembered in two years time, and no one involved will likely win an award for their participation, but those who love a bloody romp through the outback will find plenty to enjoy during its 106 minute runtime.

Score: C+

Written by: James Shotwell

James Shotwell
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One Response to “Movie Review: ‘Wolf Creek 2’”

  1. Brian Lion says:

    Finally, a score I can get behind. Such an awesome opening but there are too many awful moments along the way.