Review of Wolf Creek 2 (2013) by Shinyhappypurple . — 19 Mar 2014

I really wanted to like Wolf Creek 2.

So it's a good thing I did!

Otherwise that might've been awkward...

Though the piece has polarised audiences and critics, I don't think anyone is making the argument that it's better than Wolf Creek, which to be honest I agree with. Though in some ways, Wolf Creek 2 is indeed a step up from its predecessor. A stand out thought in this vein is that Mick's ute is personified to the point of practically being another character (a feat which few film makers are able to achieve, try though they might).

While Wolf Creek 2 is most certainly a sequel, it's so different tonally that it's almost like it belongs to another genre. To try and repeat the original would have been a disservice, not only was it practically perfect in its own right, we already saw Mick Taylor peak his savagery, so to try and rebuild from the ground up would mean Greg Mclean and Aaron Sterns were taking no risk, yet spit in the face of the original. Thankfully, this isn't even slightly the case.

Though the highs may not be quite so high as the first outing in 2005, Wolf Creek 2 simply has no lows. There wasn't a single point throughout the film were is didn't find myself either fully enthralled, in total suspense, or raucously laughing. Not too mention Wolf Creek 2's holding the only jump scare to have genuinely taken me by surprise in at least a good few years, probably closer to a decade. A worthwhile point in its own right.

Wolf Creek 2 is being often slated as "more of the same" but I couldn't disagree more. Though Mick Taylor is back, his murderous frivolity apparent from the word go, and yes his victims are still British and/or hitchhikers, and yes a certain factor about the ending is literally identical, Wolf Creek is presented to us in such a different light that we are able to see Sterns & Mclean still have a right to bring this fantastic Australian icon to screens now and in future, and that's not a common enough thing in today's entertainment industry. (On said future, why don't we have Abbot finance WC3 if he's so keen on dissuading foreigners from entering the country? Seems a match made in Heaven to me).

All well-deserved praise aside, I must admit I was a little saddened to see the rating drop from 18+ to 15+ just before the film's Australian release, I've read that this only required the cutting of around two minutes of footage, which will be available come video-release (and I can only assume this release will increase the value of the watch) I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of lacking (one of those many experiences on a piece that is intrinsically difficult to describe) from the theatrical version, which is the film I'm having to review.

79%.

-Gimly.