Wolf Creek

Based on the Wolf Creek movies: "Wolf Creek (2005)" and "Wolf Creek 2 (2013)" which I liked so I had high hopes for the series, but unfortunately it didn't quite deliver.

It has it's moments particularly in the first and last episodes but the road there is a bit sketchy with far too many detours adding multiple characters to the mix which takes away from the main story.

John Jarrat is back as the bad guy Mick Taylor and that's great but for some reason the creators doesn't think that he's enough of a threat in the series so they randomly throw in a biker-gang as well.

Lucy Fry is our heroine in the saga, everything about her just screamed "model" to me when I saw her, from the lack of emotion in expression down to her walk, so it was unsurprised when I now googled her and found out that she in fact was a model before she took up acting.

I mean she's not at like Claudia Schiffer level of acting or anything but the character she plays undergoes a transition that need to be dealt with by an actress with a little more experience.

A direct quote from hers in real life is "I am enough - you don't need to do anything. The simplicity of how easy acting can be." And that would explain why her performance became what it is and I would probably tell her to rethink that idea.

Anyway, overall the series is okay but in the end somewhat pointless and it could have been a lot better if they didn't lose focus as often as they did.

Just finished S2! Really loved both seasons. A great find! Hoping they do a 3rd series!

Series 1 got off to a great start but then it was just...meh. A fairly uninspiring female lead, incompetent police, completely unrealistic scenarios, a cast of walking cliches. Has its moments but overall, pretty disappointing.

Series 2 I really liked. A diverse cast of characters, some humour, and much more Mick Taylor.

I'm hoping Season 3 will maintain the quality of season 2 or improve on it.

Mick Taylor is a hidden gem in the serial killer horror genre. An Australian marksman who prowls the outback looking for unsuspecting tourists to unleash his brand of sadistic torture and psychological mind games upon. This monster of a human is played to perfection by John Jarratt, and from his dirty hat to his terrifyingly sardonic laugh, you don't disbelieve for a moment that this guy is bad news. This TV mini-series had a lot of potential to become a yearly vehicle showcasing Mick Taylor's crusades against a wide variety of victims. The first season delivers a modicum of brilliance you'd expect from another Wolf Creek installment, followed by inconsistencies and unnecessary plot points that drag down what we really want to see in Wolf Creek - Mick Taylor in his native glory.

The premiere's pre-credit sequence sets up the season in a superb fashion. It mirrors some of the greatest moments from the Wolf Creek films; Mick Taylor sharing an innocent chat with his unknowing victims, cracking jokes, laughing inappropriately, and sharing hunting stories to earn their trust before he strikes. Unfortunately, nothing else in the season lives up to the first twenty or so minutes. The final showdown in particular is an enormous disappointment, feeling highly derivative of the movies and severely lacking in tension. This is mainly because the final episode delves into Mick's backstory, a huge no-no for horror villains. In fact, the flashbacks to Mick's childhood reminded me a lot of Rob Zombie's Halloween, which is a terrible, terrible thing. We don't need to know Mick Taylor grew up in a broken home (i.e. why he's doing what he's doing) for him to be scary. He's already bloody terrifying. The less we know about him, the more psychotic he seems, and the finale sucked all the intrigue away by force-feeding us his backstory through broken flashbacks and breaking the tension building in the main narrative in the process.

Aside from Jarratt's arresting performance, the acting is nothing to write home about. The protagonist is bland; she runs into forgettable characters in her journey to search for the man who killed her family. The officer investigating the case could have been handled much better, and he's given subplots that do absolutely nothing to advance the plot (e.g. his family life). As it is, the only reason to watch Wolf Creek is to see Mick Taylor, and aside from the beginning and end, you don't see very much of him. It makes me yearn for Wolf Creek 2's approach of having the entire story revolve around him, since that's far more interesting than him sitting on the sidelines for the majority of the story while we follow a boring heroine run around the continent searching for him.

Hopefully the second season, or third movie, gives Jarratt the screen time he rightfully deserves. I'd support a Luther-esque approach in a second series; maybe have Mick terrorize a certain set of victims for a couple episodes, then move on to another group for the next two, then another, etc. Following one character for over five hours is simply not engaging enough, especially when one of horror's greatest and most charismatic antagonists is involved. If you're a fan of the Wolf Creek movies, I'd recommend watching the first episode and stopping there. It's not a bad series by any means, it just hasn't found its proper footing yet. Hopefully it's given the chance to; or maybe Mick Taylor is just better suited for the big screen.

I was leery of watching this series but found it to be far better than both films. There is quite an arc from Episode 1 to Episode 6 and gives the young protagonist ample opportunity to shine as a kind-hearted, smart, yet tough deliverer of justice. There is something so satisfying, watching a character grow the way Eve does. Along the way in the narrative, she has to toughen up even more and grow up quickly to achieve her objective. And there's hardship and a lot of pain along the way.

I appreciated that this is not merely a slice and dice horror series (the films are fine and offer an effective urban legend, but the overwhelming gore and terror wore me out), but something with nuance and back story. The episodes give you time to really care about the people involved in Eve's journey. And how refreshing there is a love story that transcends physical lust; more like two souls that found each other but ultimately couldn't be together.

As to the acting, mostly quite good. Lucy Fry, who has the gravitas and strength of a young Robin Wright, excels as Eve, out to avenge her loss. She is ably supported by a number of characters, particularly Dustin Clare as Sullivan, the police officer compelled to help her at any cost, a kindly female truck driver, and an escaped prisoner who becomes an ally. John Jarratt does his usual believable, sinister performance as the game-playing butcher, Mick, the guy you never want to run into in a dark alley, the Outback or anywhere else.

Great job.