Wolf Creek

Based on true events supposedly, Wolf Creek is an Australian production that adds its two cents worth to the slasher genre. However, audiences today won't buy too much into "based on a true story/event/life/etc" gimmick, especially if your end credits contain a line that reveals all events in the movie are purely fictional. Right.

Nonetheless this movie takes its cue from disappearing folks in Australia, having more than 30,000 people doing a Houdini, 90% being discovered within the first month of disappearance, and the remainder being out there, somewhere, unaccounted for, gone perhaps.

Oh, there are lots of creeks at the outback, like the Emu's, but our story takes place in the more sinister sounding Wolf Creek (Wolfe Creek actually). But it takes about an hour before the real action began, which is a long yawn. During the first hour, you don't get to see much except tolerate the weak characters on screen, characters you don't care about anyway because you know they are fresh meat, and having that meat pounded is all you care about (otherwise, why bother with a movie like this?)

An Aussie bloke and two of his British chick friends are on a road trip across Australia. Like I mentioned, the first hour is pretty boring as they make their way to various pit stops and attractions, like Wolf Creek Crater, a pretty amazing sight to behold, touted to be a site where a meteorite came crashing down. Just as they are about to leave, their vehicle fail to start and are contemplating spending the night under the stars. To their good fortune, a friendly Samaritan comes along and offers free help.

But there's nothing like free lunch, or is it? It brings back what your mama always tell you about talking and trusting strangers.

It's like Haute Tension (High Tension) shown last year, and Jeepers Creepers combined, with its bogeyman hunter character, but it's no Blair Witch Project in the atmospheric department. The degree of gore is comparable, but not that many scenes because it's pretty low budgeted. In some scenes, you thought that even sicker stuff would be presented, given the array of equipment made available, but alas they were not to be. Which makes one wonder, if we could go even more extreme than writer-director Greg McLean.

Which of course isn't a very good sign if you have ideas that can probably top the writer and director's vision. Either you're a sick sick person, or the movie is mediocre when compared to slasher greats. And it won't do you any favours if you're planning a road trip in Australia anytime soon, and your vehicle happens to break down.