Films like Saving Private Ryan make us feel like we're there in the midst of all of the horrifying events. Wolf Creek is not a thing like Saving Private Ryan in most respects, of course, but at times it did make me feel as though I was in the middle of an inescapable and horrific 'nowhere', in the unforgiving Australian outback. The back-packers did a great job. Mick was good, though I wasn't entirely convinced of sickoness.
Too many so-called horrors I've seen feel like they're trying to give a taste of horror without showing genuinely terrifying material. Wolf Creek is raw and harsh. I see that some reviewers feel it crosses some line. Well frankly, those reviewers should get into another line of work: such reviews are a thinly veiled attempt at censoring what they find distasteful.
--Spoilers ahead--
There were a few little things that limited the film for me. One was that the "this could be real" spin the makers tried to put on the film would have been fine if only a little less license were taken in the storyline. Saying something is based around true events promises to make a film seem more compelling. The makers seemed to want their cake and eat it to. The film suggests mass murders somewhere not too far (by Australian outback standards) from Wolf Creek. There was an eye-witness who could identify the wacko (Mick) and who would have been picked up fairly soon after escaping (he wouldn't have lasted long in that environment). How Mick was supposed to have disposed of relevant evidence in a day or two is beyond me. Another limitation was the watches stopping. What was that about? It had nothing to do with anything (and if it did, it would have detracted from the film anyhow).
On balance, it was one of the most enthralling horrors I've seen. Difficult to watch at times, but that, I think, is the whole point.
Too many so-called horrors I've seen feel like they're trying to give a taste of horror without showing genuinely terrifying material. Wolf Creek is raw and harsh. I see that some reviewers feel it crosses some line. Well frankly, those reviewers should get into another line of work: such reviews are a thinly veiled attempt at censoring what they find distasteful.
--Spoilers ahead--
There were a few little things that limited the film for me. One was that the "this could be real" spin the makers tried to put on the film would have been fine if only a little less license were taken in the storyline. Saying something is based around true events promises to make a film seem more compelling. The makers seemed to want their cake and eat it to. The film suggests mass murders somewhere not too far (by Australian outback standards) from Wolf Creek. There was an eye-witness who could identify the wacko (Mick) and who would have been picked up fairly soon after escaping (he wouldn't have lasted long in that environment). How Mick was supposed to have disposed of relevant evidence in a day or two is beyond me. Another limitation was the watches stopping. What was that about? It had nothing to do with anything (and if it did, it would have detracted from the film anyhow).
On balance, it was one of the most enthralling horrors I've seen. Difficult to watch at times, but that, I think, is the whole point.
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