About.com Rating

Released on Christmas Day (yes, really) in 2005, Wolf Creek didn't make a big splash at the US box office, but over the years, it's earned a cult following in America and in its home country of Australia as an influential early entry in the so-called "torture porn" movement. Nearly a decade later, now that torture porn is old hat, has the belated sequel Wolf Creek 2 missed the boat?

The Plot

As backpacking German tourists Rutger (Philippe Klaus) and Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn) hitchhike their way through the dusty, isolated Outback, they're blissfully unaware of a predator who's been eying them: xenophobic serial killer Mick Taylor (John Jarratt).

While camping one night, Mick strikes, and his elusive prey flag down a British passerby named Paul (Ryan Corr), who immediately becomes Mick's next target. In a truck, on foot and even on horseback, the sadistic killer pursues his prey through the desert, eager to add more victims to his ever-growing list.

The End Result

Wolf Creek 2 is an inferior but still entertaining sequel that's more cartoonish in nature than its predecessor. The extreme violence is still here -- perhaps even more so than in the first film -- but it comes off as less shocking and more like splattery fun. With the first film having established Mick Taylor as a raging psychopath, the sense of mystery -- and thus most of the fear factor -- is absent this time around. He appears in most of the scenes right out in the open, often delivering a one-liner as if he were Freddy Krueger in one of the latter, lighter Elm Street sequels. Wolf Creek 2 is really a showcase for Mick: see him in a pickup, see him in an 18-wheeler, see him on a horse, see him with a knife, with a gun, with a whip, with some sort of power tool I can't really identify because who am I, Bob Vila?

It's all Mick, all the time -- and it's hard to blame writer-director Greg Mclean; he is a compelling, if repugnant, character.

Partly because of the cartoony nature and partly because torture porn has worn thin, this sequel isn't nearly as weighty as the emotionally exhausting original. For an extended period, it actually plays less like torture porn than like an action-y hybrid akin to Steven Spielberg's Duel, as Mick gets behind the wheel of multiple vehicles and gives chase on the dirt roads of the Outback. However, as with the first film, Mick's character does afford the opportunity for some social commentary by way of his flag-waving patriotism and rabid xenophobia that leads him to target any foreign tourist that crosses his path.

Jarratt continues to excel in his role, cementing Mick as a genuine horror icon, and the rest of the cast perform admirably in roles that are essentially just fodder. The writing is thin when it comes to characterizations, as it seems like there's more to Paul than we're privy to (Why is he even in Australia anyway?). We're first introduced to him as he's trying to talk to his girlfriend on the phone, but he's disconnected and she's never mentioned again. Other plot details are a bit bothersome -- how is an 18-wheeler faster than an SUV? -- and the ending tries too hard to tie into first film, but frankly, horror fans looking for gory deaths and a touch of sadism probably won't care a whole lot about the script's shortcomings. As far as those genre requirements go, Wolf Creek 2 delivers just fine. It's just not as shocking or as impactful as it would've been in 2005.

The Skinny

• Acting: B- (Jarratt continues to embody Mick Taylor with charisma and menace.)
• Direction: C+ (Fun but lacking the scares and edgy grit of the first film.)
• Script: D+ (Shallow characters and a drawn-out, gap-filled story.)
• Gore/Effects: B (Splattery fun.)
• Overall: C+ (Although shallow and overly derivative of its more significant predecessor, it's an entertaining fright flick that delivers the gory goods.)

Wolf Creek 2 is directed by Greg Mclean and is not rated by the MPAA. Release date: May 16, 2014 (on demand April 17).