Add Tail Slate
to Your Site/RSS
| Blog: |
| Tail Slate |
Topics: |
| films, movies, television |
John Jarratt is deadly in Wolf Creek.
The buzz surrounding the latest horror/thriller from The Land Down Under for the past month caused expectations to be high for Wolf Creek. Hailed by some as the scariest film of the year, Greg McLean (producer, writer, and director) had some tough shoes to fill. And, unfortunately, nine time out of ten, films with this kind of hype never live up to expectations (cough, King Kong, cough).
As I made my way into theater four, I was upset by the fact that the multiplex decided to screen Wolf Creek in the tiniest theater on their property… complete with super small “big screen”. What’s the deal? I didn’t let this minor inconvenience ruin my experience, however.
Wolf Creek follows three college-aged friends – Ben (Nathan Phillips), Kristy (Kestie Morassi), and Liz (Cassandra Magrath) – on their way to famed Wolf Creek Crater in Western Australia. Once they arrive at the extremely isolated park, the trio sets out on a hike up to the rim, and down into the crater itself.
The following scenes inside the crater are quite breathtaking, and might even be confused for an Australian tourism film. But this picturesque and serene setting leaves the viewer vulnerable to the horrors which follow soon thereafter.
Ready to return to the city, the trio finds that their car will not start. After a mildly humorous scene where the not-car savvy Ben tried to see what the problem is (reminiscent of an old Jerry Seinfeld stand-up bit), the three friends decide to sleep in the car overnight and figure something out in the morning. Before they fall asleep, out of seemingly blind luck, a local happens to stumble upon the scene.
A true “Outbackian”, Mick (who very well may be a friend of Mick Dundee) offers to fix their vehicle for no charge. The kiddies agree to have their car towed back to Mick’s place while the repairs are made. There, all four Aussies share a drink of rainwater and joke around for awhile as they get to know this true man of the Outback. Unfortunately, this is the last time any of the stranded hikers will be smiling or laughing, as their vacation is about to be turned in a living (and dying) nightmare.
The final half hour is jam-packed with chase scenes, cringing instances of torture, and sheer dread. The first hour of the film contains very few instances of moving the story forward, making the climax that much more unbearable. More than one person left the theater during this portion of the film. Whether it was because they hated the film, I can’t say. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had more to do with the unsettling acts of violence displayed on the screen.
My only complaint is that the first half of the film does seem to drag on for way too long. Basically, all this portion of the film does is connect the viewer to the three main characters... which is not a completely terrible thing. However once things get rolling later in the film, this deliberate introduction begins to show how important it was. I actually cared about all three characters – I truly did not want to see anything happen to them.
Granted, McLean probably could have accomplished this in a shorter amount of screen time. This was his first foray into feature films, so I’m willing to give him a pass here.
Wolf Creek has not been received all that well by most Americans, including critics. Many cite the “mind-numbing” and “catatonic” first hour as the culprit. Others bemoan the film for ripping off the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And still others call Wolf Creek "a misogynistic piece of trash."
Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But you know what they say about opinions…
For one, I loved the three would-be heroes. Yes, they were young and inexperienced actors, but it added to their realism a bit. They looked like college-aged hooligans, because that is exactly what they are! To those of you discrediting the film because of the actors’ lack of film experience: who would you rather see… Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise in the protagonist roles? Or how about Tom Hanks as the role of Mick?
Wake up.
I also thoroughly enjoyed how McLean’s writing literally turns traditional clichés of the genre on their heads. For example, the seeds of a love story between two of the characters is planted very early on, and even begins to sprout… but once Mick psychotically enters the film, that subplot is left in the dust. No happy endings here.
McLean did use one tried and true horror element in the scene where the trio’s car decides not to start randomly. Sick of that ridiculous device? Yeah, me too. But there was actually a reason why the car did not start. Did you catch it?
Acting honors here goes to the quite popular Aussie actor John Jarratt as Mick. Known in Australia for his work on both television and film, his role as backwoods madman is quite a departure from his usual fare. But, he is a menacing presence here.
Don’t shy away from the film by the rumors of massive amounts of gore. You won’t find it here. Granted, there are a few instances of intense violence with the requisite blood, but Wolf Creek’s cousin High Tension contains much more gore.
The horror genre has a bright future ahead of it with the likes of Greg McLean, Jeff Wadlow (Cry_Wolf), and Alex Aja (High Tension" target="parent">High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes) all churning out outstanding films. McLean next scheduled film is entitled Rogue, due out in 2007 and starring the aforementioned John Jarratt. Meanwhile, Nathan Phillips will be featured in Snakes on a Plane (read: all-around bad idea).
Also of note was the number of great-looking trailers for some upcoming horror releases. Look for sneak peeks of Hostel, [I]When a Stranger Calls (remake), Pulse, and The Hills Have Eyes in the coming attractions. 2006 looks like it will be off to a running start!
Flick Figures: 3 dead bodies; tires blown out; multiple counts of vehicular wreck; nails through the wrist; fingers slices off; rifle-fu; knife-fu; spinal severing; females bound and gagged; gratuitous emus; gratuitous kangaroos; gratuitous use of Crocodile Dundee lines.
Share on Facebook
- 
-