Wolf Creek

So when I signed up to be a part of this weekly review, My first thoughts were, Oh yes, I can do this, there are loads of Movies I despised.

Um yeah.

I do believe it was right after I said those words, that my brain was sucked dry, or it leaked, I have vague recollection of stepping in something.
And then, lo and behold, The Man and I sit down to watch this movie. Voila...My Review.

For a little background, I go into a movie, with no expectations. Really, truly. I try not to for the most part. One reason is, my mind is working much different when I am watching a movie.
The phrases of, "Fade In", "Cue", "Int.- Car-Day Idling" "EXT.- Driveway-Night"
run through my head. I have a little stopwatch in my head, "Oh that was too much black", meaning not enough dialogue.
You see, I have this little side thing I do, as I write scripts. Okay, well, at this point, I have placed them all where they landed a while ago. Frustrated with myself and those damn words. Yet, I have been moreinvolved in peer reviews, editing, re-editing , rewrites and polishing...For other screenwriters. And I like it Dammit! :)

Hence, when I sit down to watch a movie, I am constantly referring myself to how the script was written, and sometimes I do realize, hmmm great script awful acting, or what a waste of talent. Usually I hunt down the script, just to see for myself.

There is more to that whole process and the ins and outs. That is for another time. Onward Jeeves:

Wolf Creek. The build up of Based on True Events, was and is deceiving. Maybe due to the fact I am here in the US and have no knowledge of these events. Maybe something was lost in 'translation'?

I walked away from this movie hating it.

First off, the build up of 45 minutes to even get to anything remotely close to "horror" or action, so to speak was over over overdone. There was no real hook. The hook should occur within the first 10 to 20 pages, that's a minute a page.
After 20 minutes, I kept waiting. Thinking in the back of my mind, okay something is going to happen. It didn't.
I have walked out of movies, for this drag.
Some who reviewed it, thought the build up was brilliant, a great way to get to know the characters. Well, IMHO, if you write a fantastic script you can do that in the first 20. It wasn't suspenseful, it wasn't knowledge gathering, it was yawnful(its my word!).
The plot? Different only because its in Australia. Three teens out backpacking, they go to Wolf Creek crater, car engine dies, man comes to help, man drugs them, yada yada.
A scene with some definite cousins to the Deliverance boys in a rest stop, a wasted scene. Established little. Yes it goes back there for a whole 2 seconds later, yet still, added nothing to the film.
Horror? Where?
I adore a good Horror, suspense, dark movie. Not here.
The scenes of torture just flops. If there were more scenes, that ended up on the editing room floor, they should've kept them in. They just stop. The illusion just stops and it leaves you hanging, and not the way a thriller should. I am not advocating for all the slash and dash or the need to see someone being tortured, I am speaking more on the vein of, use the viewers imagination. Use their ability to get freaked out and be uncomfortable. Not here. Meaning, the whole psychological build up just went flat. No edge of your seat, or that waiting for the next horrible(imaginable) moment to grab you, nope.
The Teens(prog.), that story just went haywire and develops into nothing, again just fizzles. For a 45 minute build up, that did nada.
The Killer, there was so much more where this could have gone with character development. There are glimpses, and yes a scene where all the videos are found and there is a hint via Flashback Montages. If you are not a good viewer you'd miss half of it or just get confused.
With the knack for build up, Greg McLean , could've used this to his advantage with the paralyzing scene(Severing the spine), which is inaccurate.
After all is said and done, the ending was predictable. I didn't walk away going "Gasp," or "Get out!" As I did in Saw.
Maybe it is the "based on true events thing"...Maybe it was a story that just did not need to be told.
Maybe it just blew.

In all, I hated it. Hated the ending. There were so many spots that could've been flushed out and brought more to the film. The sequences, and the POV, sigh....It had potential, just not never got there.

Don't waste your Netflix or Blockbuster mailing time, that build up waiting will just be wasted. Nothing to see here...Trust me.


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Previous week : Phantom of the Opera by Mary at The Eleventh. (go, go whatcha waiting for? geeesh)

Peace
Jo



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