Review of Wolf Creek (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Spectacular on-location shooting and a relatively strong build-up that allows us to become familiar with our vacationing trio can't save this film from becoming just another unimaginative, uncomfortably misoginistic disregard for audiences' sense of intelligence and taste. What a shame. I was really hoping Wolf Creek would have something to say, but the only thing to be heard is a hollow echo of other recent torture-happy horror miscues that preceded it. Wolf Creek is thinly disguised as a serial-killer film: the backstory to our villian is begrudgingly and blandly offered up only because the director recognizes the need for some kind of plot-structure. To him it only stands in the way of more emotionally empty, artistically and morally destitute torture/rape material. To the audience, however, this should arrive as a frustration. John Jaratts performance is strong. Strong enough that far more attention ought to have been given his character and backstory. Instead he's quickly turned into a one-dimentional vehicle for terror. The lead actress turns in a strong performance too, far better than the film deserved. Unintelligent, uninspired choices cost this film dearly, in a way that no amount of technical skill could make up for.