Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Crocodile Dundee II Blu-ray Movie Review

A real wild one.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 12, 2014

Note: "'Crocodile' Dundee II" is currently only available as part of a double feature two-pack with "'Crocodile' Dundee."

There's an unwritten rule of thumb in the world of movie sequels: top the first one by making the second a bigger, more involved version of the first. Nobody knows that better than James Cameron, whose sequels Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are proof of the theory's validity. They're two of the finest sequels ever made, arguably better than the originals, and they blend together precision filmmaking and focused storytelling with audience-pleasing action. "Crocodile" Dundee II gets it half right. It's a significantly bigger film than its predecessor, but it's nowhere near as good and, more, almost nothing like the original. Aside from keeping the primary actors and building on their characters and their relationship from the original, the sequel looks and feels completely different. That's not a death sentence -- the movie is somewhat fun at face value -- but it's a far cry from the charming simplicity that made the first such a huge success.

Man of action.

It's been about a year since Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee (Paul Hogan) made waves in The Big Apple. He's stayed behind and made something of a life for himself, living with squeeze Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) and passing the time by dynamiting fish in the waters around New York. He's ready to settle into a job and make something more of his time in the city, but little does he know his time will soon be occupied by danger and adventure. When Sue's ex-husband runs afoul of some Colombian drug lords and photographs an execution, he goes on the run and mails the photographic evidence to Sue. She's in turn kidnapped. Dundee secures the letter and sets out to rescue his girl before she meets a violent fate.

The film's larger scope is met with a slower pace. It's emphasis on action and danger is met with a decline in humor and heart. "Crocodile" Dundee II sacrifices everything that made the original a memorable, lasting, almost infinitely viewable little gem and squanders it on what amounts to a light Action movie with almost no value beyond the surface. The film keeps the two leads from the original and reverses the chronology -- here starting in New York and winding up back in Australia rather than vice-versa -- but is otherwise almost completely unrecognizable from the first, particularly when it comes to tone. The film still finds a little bit of humor here and there as Dundee maneuvers through the city, but the emphasis quickly shifts once the driving force action is set into motion. Expect a few decent stunts and several moments of manufactured tension but little in the way of heart and character development.

To further aggravate the tonal shift, the cast seems almost fully disinterested. There's hardly any life to the performances and certainly none of the charm that helped shape the original into a borderline classic of casually fun cinema. Here, the film's serious air removes all of those, and other, qualities in favor of the action. Paul Hogan robotically maneuvers through the part, handling the role's physical requirements nicely enough but failing to recapture the charisma that made his character one of the standouts from the 1980s. Linda Kozlowski likewise seems content to go through the motions. The villains are stiff and completely forgettable. It's a rather dull, uninspired film all around, as much of a disappointment as the first film was a pleasant surprise.

Crocodile Dundee II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Crocodile" Dundee II arrives on Blu-ray with a good, though somewhat flawed and aged, 1080p transfer. Unlike the first film's Blu-ray transfer, this one's a little more evenly presented, lacking the smoother stretches and softer edges in favor of a sharper image. Grain is slightly spiky but consistent in texture. It helps establish a rather pleasing film-like surface and accentuate finer details around the frame. Paramount's transfer reveals with rather good attention to detail all of the clothing intricacies to be seen on Dundee's outback-style attire. City textures and earth terrains are also well defined. Colors are bold and bright, whether light blue police paint or lush green vegetation. Black levels are fine, and skin tones don't appear to betray natural shades. The transfer does contains quite a bit of wear and tear, showing a good bit of debris and light speckling throughout. Light noise and a few minor edge halos crop up from time to time as well. Overall, it's a good transfer, certainly not one on the cutting edge but a solid effort for something of a budget catalogue title release.

Crocodile Dundee II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"Crocodile" Dundee II features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, unlike its predecessor's 2.0-channel affair. Paramount's presentation is nothing extraordinary, but the added sense of space and somewhat heightened clarity help make the experience a bit more enjoyable. Musical delivery won't dazzle but it's solid enough, presenting decent spacing and clarity. Ambient sound effects, too, help define various environments, including a shopping mall, city exteriors, and Australian brush. The scene with Dundee and a man contemplating suicide in chapter four is a particularly good example of the track's ability to nicely immerse its audience into the world. Action sound effects are suitably strong, including several instances of gunfire. Dialogue plays evenly and clearly from the center. It's not a showstopper, but this soundtrack carries the nearly three-decades-old film nicely enough.

Crocodile Dundee II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"Crocodile" Dundee II contains the following two supplements:

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (SD, 5:25): On-set footage combined with talent interviews snippets.
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:55).

Crocodile Dundee II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Crocodile" Dundee II proves itself a serviceable time killer but never comes close to recapturing the magic found in the original. And that's a shame. Too much stone-faced action and too little feel-good humor and romance make this sequel one of the lesser follow-ups of the past several decades. It's a fair watch in a vacuum but fans of the original will likely be disappointed, particularly those who enjoyed the first for its light tone, charm, and emphasis on characterization and contrasts. Paramount's Blu-ray release of "Crocodile" Dundee II features good video, decent audio, and a couple of throwaway supplements. Rent it.