While horror movies have never really been known for their cohesive plots (they're mostly a series of vignettes about stupid teenagers and their deadly allergies to sharp objects wielding by homicidal maniacs), the Wolf Creek series stands out as one that is particularly disjointed. While I understand that it was a product of its time (that being when torture porn horror flicks were popular) it never really helped that the series is little more than a bloodletting simulator with limited characters, silly-to-nonexistent plotlines and some pretty scenery to beat. Yes, it did help jump start the career of John Jarrett as the consistent villain Mick Taylor (who really does stick out as great villain despite his limited characterization as a sadistic psychopath), but that didn't stop the movies from being anything but a well-shot reason NOT to visit Australia. Now, apparently running that particular theatrical well dry and wondering where to go, the powers that be have decided to make the whole concept one big canon plotline, add a poorly constructed American protagonist (who's actually Australian) and, basically, make it one big game of cat and mouse. The result? A somewhat endearing effort with enough tension and character development to justify its miniseries but still just as disjointed as the movies.
Look, despite what it may seem like, I really do like this series. Lucy Fry is a fun actress to watch and, considering her very slim resume, its interesting to see her in a role that requires a lot of range for once. And, while I still say that the only reason Jarrett is popular in America is for playing the same damn character over and over, I'm happy to point out that he can still play that played out character as a great villain. Points for keeping my interest for the whole six hours at least.
The problem? The first two episodes are quite literally Eve (Fry) stumbling about trying to figure out her purpose in this whole revenge plot against Mick Taylor and, to be perfectly honest, it makes the character seem stupid and the show to feel much more boring than it should. This problem, compounded by the fact that the series is halfway over before Mick even realizes Eve is after him to begin with, makes the whole cat-and-mouse of the last few episodes feel tacked on and ridiculous.
Nevertheless, its still an interesting series with some clever plot twists mostly held back by its own limited writing and appeal (how many people are really fans of Australian Torture Porn?). I can honestly say I was rooting for Eve the entire time and never felt the urge to watch her come to harm (unlike most of the horror movies I watch where I want to see the unlikeable characters die horribly as quickly as possible). Give it a try. Worst case scenario: you get tired of the Australian dialect and don't ever want to see Crocodile Dundee again (who would want to watch that more than once anyway?).
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