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Wolf Creek 2
R2 - United Kingdom - Entertainment One Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (12th September 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Mick's back with a few days to kill... The deadliest killer of the outback has returned and he’s more sadistic, more twisted and more violent than ever before. From the director of Australia’s most terrifying horror film, “Wolf Creek” comes this brand new sequel that’ll grip you by the throat and have you screaming in fear. Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) is back on the hunt and it’s not wild pigs or crocs that he’s after. Out for the kill, this outback psychopath continues to add to his staggering body count as he mutilates, dismembers and tortures anyone and everyone he lays his eyes upon. When two young backpackers venture into the wilderness, they soon find themselves face to face with evil, begging for their lives and bringing a wake of death and gory destruction with them as they attempt to flee. Armed with his trusty knife, sniper rifle and unquenchable thirst for murder, Mick butchers and crashes his way through the wasteland, loving every bloody moment of the violent carnage. Bloody ripper!
Video
Entertainment One have released Australian horror sequel "Wolf Creek 2" on to DVD for British audiences using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is anamorphic, in PAL format, and is at the higher end of the format's capabilities. The feature was shot using a mix of GoPro cameras for the close-up stunt scenes, and an Arri Alexa Plus with Hawk V-Lite and V-Plus lenses. The scorching heat of the Australian outback can be felt through the colour palette, with the sun-kissed tones and balanced brightness levels immersing the viewer in the environment. Darker colours are also high-end, and bar some slight crush in shadow areas, blacks are deep and inky throughout. Details are about as good as you'll get for the format for the vast majority, especially when it comes to Mick's dungeon, where details are surprisingly pronounced considering just how dark it is. Facial close-ups and sandy exteriors are also worth mentioning. I'm not sure I'm keen on Toby Oliver's cinematography style for some of the mid-distance shot and the way he uses focus, but this transfer is likely to be extremely representative of the film maker's intentions. There are no signs of damage, and there is no excessive edge enhancement or sharpening. Overall, this is a great presentation. We receive the longer "Director's Cut" version of the film, which runs 101:48.
Audio
Entertainment One have provided us with a single Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which is in the original language of Englishh (~95%) and German (~5%). As per the transfer, this is a pretty good audio track for a horror, making full use of the sound field and not relying completely on cheap jump scares. One of the better moments for the audio, is when Mick is using a whip in a violent manner, and the swirl and crack travels around the speakers perfectly. Another fantastic moment in the audio is also a scene which I believe will become infamous, involving some unfortunate kangaroos (I don't really want to say any more so as not to spoil the scene for those who haven't seen it). The score also makes good use of the surrounds and LFE. Overall, channel separation and direction is very good, and there are no flaws to speak of. More could have been done with subtle environmental effects though. Subtitles are available in English and are optional for all English dialogue, forced for the German dialogue.
Extras
We start the extras package with an excellent "Making Wolf Creek 2" documentary, clocking in at 50:59. This documentary takes us through the various tasks at hand in making the movie in chronological order. There is plenty of interesting tidbits here about how certain effects were achieved, and how stunts were set up to be performed safely, without taking any of the impact away. They even tell us about how they used GoPro camera's for several of the shots. The documentary is also laced with interesting interviews from various members of the cast and crew. A cracking addition to the disc. The next extra is a selection of deleted scenes (24:50), which is only available as a play all option. The best of these deleted scenes are those which flesh out the victims a little more, in particular our globetrotting German friends from the opening scenes. I guess most of these were cut for pacing, though it would have been nice to re-insert them via branching. Some narration, or introduction to each scene, would've been welcome. We finish up with some start-up trailers: - "3 Days to Kill" (1:24) - "A Walk Among the Tombstones" (2:22) - "A Most Wanted Man" (2:16) - "Afflicted" (2:21)
Overall
I was a fan of the first "Wolf Creek", and this sequel is a completely new direction and tone. I loved the very dark comic nature and faster paced first half, but found the final act was a little too cliched. Horror fans will dig this release though, and it is worthy of a blind buy for gore hounds.
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