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Although I feel taking almost an hour for character development was going a little overboard, this is still quite the movie. The last 45 minutes of the movie definitely make up for anything that was wrong with the first half.
People who compare this to The Descent, please get in touch with reality. The Descent was a cheap b-movie(even the director seems to agree with this) with a cheap cliche ending. Wolf Creek was meant to be as realistic as humanly possible, and it pulled it off without obvious cliches.
The only comparison between the two is they both start out slow. About 80% is nothing but collage kids having fun. Personally, though, I love the slow horror almost as much as the fast-paced action/gore in the Saw series. But it's a matter of taste, though. Avoid this like the plague if that style bores you.
The killer-dude reminded me of myself. We both do the same awkward stare and have the same funny-then-brutal personality. You have got to love the dude. He beats cliches like the killers in Mr. Brooks and Disturbia.
Lastly, and most impressively, the camera is done indie with amazing cinematography. The effect makes it look almost like perfect real life, unlike the stylistic lenses in most movies. I've rarely seen anything like it.
How's the gore? It's not as toned-down as movies like Untraceable, but it's not as extreme as Saw III, either. It's realistic and subtle. The fingers scene still makes me smile.
Overall, amazingly fun movie. But only for certain people. A lot of hardcore horror fans won't dig it, but I certainly did.
I have read BD review after review comparing all kinds of other movies to this one, and I cannot understand it. I've seen this movie a few times, I even owned it once, and I don't see the appeal. There's nothing scary or unpredictable in it...in fact, i don't even think it's a horror movie. Now granted, it was 'based' on a real story, and to its credit, the cinematography and acting were good. But the story was boring. There was no suspense, just a few cheap scares. I would never recommend this as highly as others do, it's just not entertaining. So, for one of the few times that this will happen, I disagree with BD, greatly, and I really don't think anyone should get their hopes up about this one.
I first saw this movie on Starz and, the day after that I went and brought it.
The first hour of the movie was slow and dreadful and boring. But once it got to where the girls were captured, running around and trying to escape got better! This movie was terrifying because of how realistic it was!!!! I really only have one thing to say about this movie: AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the first half is a bit slow, but that adds to the realism and makes the last half all the more shocking. the villain is memorable and funny, and hopefully we'll see him again in a sequel/prequel. over all it's a great movie, similar in style and feel to the original TCM. if you are over the age of 15 you should have enough patience to get through the slow first half, and appreciate it afterwards.
I agree with the BD review that the movie started slowly for the first hour. I was yawning through it just waiting for some excitement to happen. However that is the only thing I agree with. I did not find it unpredictable. It was obvious who the killer was. The worst part about the BD review is that it goes on to state that the movie is realistic and could happen to everyone. About an hour into the movie after being atacked by the killer the two female characters are able to disarm him by knocking the killer out. In typical bad horror movie cliche fashion they do not kill the villain when he is vulnerable. Predictably the killer arises, but this is where I had to stop watching the movie. Two problems came into existance. First the killer was not charismatic or iconic i.e. Freddy Krueger like. Second now that the two dumb female characters did not kill the villain I found myself feeling that I no longer care if they live. I no longer cared who wins. These two ditzes deserved to die. So I turned the movie off and will not watch it to this day.
Two young girls, Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) are on an Australian road-trip with Ben (Nathan Phillips) a city boy from Sydney. One of their destinations is the massive meteor crater located in the Wolf Creek National Park. After making the hike to the center of the crater, they return to find that their car will not start. After accepting the fact that there was nothing that could be done to immediately remedy the situation, especially with the night quickly approaching, the disheartened trio settle in for a night spent inside the car. As night envelopes them, they are discovered by a friendly bushman named Mick (John Jarratt) who, with his truck, offers to tow them to his garage. There he would fix their car and then send them on their way. With no other viable options to choose from, the three decide to take Mick up on his offer. However, once back at Mick's camp, these three youths find that Mick is not that nice of a guy. In fact, he is the most vile, evil human being they will ever have the displeasure of meeting.
Based loosely on the Backpack Murders of Australia, Greg McLean has created an extremely brutal, unflinching film that displays a serial killer that ranks with some of cinemas most repulsive characters. Wolf Creek deviates from the normal framework a film like this could have easily draped itself over, and instead echoes Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its' choice to take it's sweet time before showing its true colors. The camera follows these three travelers as they go from party to campsite. The two girls are convincing and actually seem to have a past history. With two noticeable different personalities, they seem fleshed out to a point that their actions seem natural and believable. Ben, the lone male in this group, is just as convincing as a happy-go-lucky type of guy who just wants to make sure the girls have a good time, as evident by his always trying to make the best out of a bad situation. But not surprisingly, it is the protagonist of Wolf Creek who steals the show. Greg McLean could have created a menace copied from recent slasher\horror films. A killer that spouts one-liners as if on stage at a comedy amateur hour, or even has the audience rooting for him because the audience could care less about the characters he is killing. But the character of Mick is one nasty customer. He is utterly despicable and repugnant. He is also played with uncanny believability. A combination of a few serial killers wrapped up in a Crocodile Dundee personality, Mick is one of the most realistic serial killers to be played on screen for some time, and really makes you think of the fate that has befell the victims of some of the worlds real-life monsters.
The cinematography of Will Gibson gives Wolf Creek an overall strong look and captures the open, desolate beauty of the Australian Outback with its ability to dwarf, engulf and in some cases hide anyone who decides to venture into it. These natural features effectively cut off our characters from any semblance of civilization with the only obstacles between the them and possible help is the expansive, desolate landscape between them. This nightmare scenario turns even worse when later, as night falls, our victims are chased into the endless terrain without the benefit of direction or light. No aliens chasing a hapless crew through endless corridors of a space-ship, or psychos wearing goalie masks chasing nubile females throughout the numerous rooms of a house, Mick is a bushman and tracks his prey with an ease and level of comfort that a seasoned hunter displays when hunting game. This attribute makes the character of Mick even more terrifying and detestable as it is clear that he is enjoying every single second of torture he deals out. The repulsion sinks deeper when the knowledge hits that this monster has done this many, many times before.
With some extreme violence and a 'head on a stick' scene that will surely make the most jaded horror fan wince a little, Wolf Creek delivers the goods. Some will argue that too much time is used before getting to the goods, as McLean could have just as easily nixed the introduction of Mick and finished off the movie as an indie love story, but Greg McLean uses the dynamics of these three youths personalities to lull the viewer into a since of safety. A film of this nature rarely takes the time to flesh out the players and try to get the viewer to actually connect with them, to possibly even like them. In doing this, the time that was used for character development is well spent and extremely effective as it makes watching some of the events that unfold even more horrifying. This is aided by McLean breaking some of the guidelines movie audiences have been accustomed to when watching a horror title that involves a psycho and his young victims. Not content in delivering yet another by-the-numbers serial killer movie, Mclean makes sure that the viewer is never quite sure exactly what to expect next and the way the events unfold may surprise even the most avid horror movie fan.
Critics have made numerous comments on the apparent misogynist slant of Wolf Creek, that the creator of this film seemed to take delight in the nightmare-ish way the females are treated. While it is true that the events these three youth face in Wolf Creek are horrific and at times, offensive...but for anyone who follows the details of the cases that this movie is based on, they are also quite realistic.
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