WOLF CREEK
Starring:
Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi and John Jarratt
Writer/Director:
Greg McLean
Running Time:
99 mins
Out now to buy on DVD
and Blu-Ray
HD DVD 10/12/07
"This is a knife"
Mick
Driving through the Outback to get to Caines, Ben (Phillips), Liz (Magrath) and Kristy (Morassi) make a stop at Australia's largest meteorite crater in Wolf Creek. When they return to their car they discover that it will not start. Faced with spending the night in the car, the trio are relieved when Mick turns up and offers to help them out of their predicament. Gratitude soon turns to fear when they discover that Mick (Jarratt) isn't as helpful as he first seemed.
Teenagers led to the slaughter as they travel through the remotest areas of the country has been the plot of many a horror movie but can 'Wolf Creek' bring something new to the premise?
With the tag line 'based on true events' this, like many horror movies before it, try and add more to the fear when you think that this actually took place. The problem is that when you watch the film you realise that the filmmakers have taken a few liberties with this statement.
The remoteness of the Australian Outback is a location can be exploited as a horror setting. The barrenness and the feeling of isolation is enough to strike fear into anyone but when you add in a killer that preys on unexpected passers by you are moving into very familiar territory. The story for 'Wolf Creek' is very similar to many other slasher films that have gone before it and unfortunately the filmmakers do nothing to make it standout from the crowd. There is absolutely nothing new here and if it wasn't for the Australian accents you could be back in remote deserts of America all over again.
The film also takes a very long time to get going. After over an hour's worth of road movie clichés and character development that really doesn't give you much of an insight into travelling companions, we finally meet Mick and the action finally starts. The character of Mick is very much the stereotypical Australian that most people who live outside of the country expect to meet in the Outback but then he turns very nasty. Actor John Jarrett plays the role with great aplomb and seems to be having fun in the role which makes the final third of the movie all that more watchable. Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi do there best as Ben, Liz and Kristy but the script and lack of real character development lets them down.
'Wolf Creek' does nothing to remove the notion that you have you seen this in a form or another before. While the final third of the movie does get the pulse racing slightly, the lack of real character development means that you are not invested enough in the character to care what becomes of them. Still it does do enough to put you off driving through the Australian Outback.
PICTURE & SOUND
The Blu-Ray release is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen High Definition 1080p with a Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 surround sound, the movie is presented well because of the fact it was produced using High Definition Digital technology. The DVD is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
BONUS FEATURES
Commentary from Greg McLean,
Matt Hearn, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi
The director, executive producer and two female stars come together to
talk about the production of 'Wolf Creek'. This is a fun and chatty commentary
for a horror movie, with the four reminiscing about the low budget production
that brought horror to the Australian Outback. They talk about the changes
from the original idea to the story and what changed during the actual
production and post production of the piece. This is a good and informative
commentary from people that are clearly very invested in the film.
Trailer (1.40 mins/Standard
Definition)
Watch the theatrical trailer for the movie
The Making of Wolf Creek
(49.43 mins/Standard Definition)
Writer/director Greg McLean, executive producer Matt Hearn, producer David
Lightfoot, director of photography Will Gibson, production designer Robert
Webb, makeup FX supervisor Rick Connelly, editor Jason Ballantine and
stars John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath
take you behind the scene of 'Wolf Creek'. This documentary offers a fascinating
insight into production of an extremely low budget movie. Over the course
of a five-week shoot, we see how the film comes together, as the cast
and crew reveal how they became involved with the project and what is
was like working with first time director Greg McLean. The characters
of Liz, Ben, Kristy and Mick Taylor are also cover as the actors and director
talk about the evolution of the characters and sense of evil John Jarratt
had to create for his role as Mick. This is an excellent documentary that
reveals how inventive low budget filmmaking can be.
Deleted Scenes (5.58 mins/Standard
Definition)
Entitled 'Nathan at the store- G'Day', 'Kestie in bed with Nathan' and
'Cass down the well', these deleted scenes suffer from a lack of an introduction
or commentary to explain why they were removed.
Teaser Trailer (1.00 mins/Standard
Definition)
View the preview of 'Wolf Creek'
Meet Mick Taylor: An Interview
with John Jarratt (20.56 mins/Standard Definition)
The star of the show answers questions about his satanically evil character
and regales you with stories from the set. He reveals how he became involved
with the project and what drew him to the role. He also discusses his
career to date and what it was like working with first time director Greg
McLean. The actor also talks about what it was like to play someone so
evil and what it was like watching his own performance on the screen.
Cry_Wolf Exclusive Clip
(3.40 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch a clip from the upcoming Optimum Pictures release, the low budget
horror movie 'Cry_Wolf'.
OVERALL
With the film been shot in High Definition the transfer to Blu-Ray was going to make this low budget movie look even better. While the extras maybe the same as the original DVD release, they cover all aspects of the film's production. This High Definition version is well worth picking up if you don't own the original DVD.
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