Something's missing... But I can't quite figure what. A movie like Wolf Creek should have impressed me, especially during a time when the film industry is being flooded with films lacking not only originality, but any filmmaking skill at all. We're being subjected to remake after remake, as it seems that Hollywood has run out of original ideas. Wolf Creek should have been a breath of fresh air. But, as I mentioned, something was missing. Perhaps my intentions were too high... Perhaps. However, I believe that the film just wasn't as good as it could have been.

The story, which is 'inspired by true events', is barely that. I think using the term 'inspired' may even be stretching it. I encourage you to check out killeroutback.com.au for a little more information on the actual murders that partially inspired this story. After watching the film, you will realize how much of the film is a product of fiction, as there can be no documentation of the significant events that take place in this story. The story, put as briefly as possible, involves a group of vacationing hikers who, during the last few weeks in Australia, decide to check out the Wolf Creek meteor crash landing site. Their trip to the landing site of which the film draws its title, results in a night of torture for the hikers involved.

The early scenes in the film, leading up to the capture of the hitchhikers, are great. They paint the characters as people, and they are interesting in their own right. There is also a scene in which two of the central characters share a kiss - a sharp contrast to the subject matter of the last half of the film. The kiss is very touching to watch, and is the most moving part of the entire film. I was more affected by this scene, than any of the terror which was to follow. Likewise, the performance of John Jarratt, as Mick Taylor, the films antagonist, is far more terrifying when the character is first introduced. Once his real motives are revealed, the character seems less believable and far less frightening.

I mentioned that Wolf Creek could have been a breath of fresh air in a genre that's struggling for any semblance of originality; however, it bears far to many similarities to other "Based on a True Story" horror films. With every music cue, my thoughts went back to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the finale also seems as though it was taken partly from the original Chainsaw.

I also feel the need to warn you that Wolf Creek is only loosely based on a true story. Very loosely. But this is the case with most films claiming the events actually happened. A more fitting description would be 'a work of fiction, which draws its inspiration from a genuine occurence'. That occurence being Australia's 'Backpack Killings'.

I think I would have been more satisfied if there was something of substance to this film. There isn't. While the relatively slow paced first half made an effort to establish character, the second half becomes a different film entirely. Its purpose becomes to shock with extreme acts of violence. What director Greg McLean doesn't seem to realize is that we've seen all this before. It's nothing new. Rather than shock with what is rather weak violence, the audience should be asked to invest a certain amout of emotion into our characters, this would make the psychological impact that much stronger. Unfortunately, during the last half of the film, our characters have little to no interaction with each other, and a very small amount with the killer. They become less characters, and more set-pieces, to be disposed of when the director feels appropriate.

I hope Greg McLean directs another film, but this time, I hope he realizes that a film without significant characters is only a sequence of scenes strung together, resulting in a general reaction of "Who Cares?"