'Wolf Creek,' Aussie for suck

"Wolf Creek" is a horror movie that, like most horror movies, you'll either love or hate. And like most horror movie fans, I give them a chance because I rarely dislike even the most asinine of horror delights, mostly due to how exaggerated or unintentionally comedic they often turn out to be. Unfortunately there was none of that in "Wolf Creek." It's a horror movie that takes itself seriously, which is why its many shortcomings made it very displeasing to watch. \nI couldn't enjoy this movie for several reasons, but the main reasons were the mundane nature of the killer, the sheer stupidity of the female characters, the unsatisfying sequence of the events and outcome. "Wolf Creek" tells the story of two young British women and an Australian guy that decide to take a three week road trip through Australia's Outback, in search of a massive meteor crater that's located at Wolf Creek. \nThe travelers arrive at Wolf Creek where they marvel at the crater, but as they prepare to leave, find that their car and watches have stopped working. Fortunately for them, at the moment at least, a brawny and scraggly man finds them while driving by and offers to repair their car. He tows them to his place, which is farther than they anticipated. Some banter is exchanged between the travelers and the man, but things grow awkward when one of them makes a reference to "Crocodile Dundee" about him, which is later superfluously quoted by the killer in a shameless fashion. The tourists spend the night there and when they wake up the next morning, find themselves bound and in jeopardy. \n"Wolf Creek" attempts to be unconventional and original by making the insignificant character the hero, but it doesn't fit or work. The reasons female characters in horror movies survive is to show they can be a step ahead of the male killer through swift and clever actions, and in a way, also deserving after enduring so much trauma. "Wolf Creek" does exactly the opposite. I found myself yelling at the characters because the women had more than enough opportunities to defeat the villain. One can argue that the women may have been too frightened to think clearly, but no one on that much adrenaline would think twice if the killer's passed out and they're in a tool shed with weapons all around. \nThis is the movie that Roger Ebert gave zero stars, largely due to its misogynist undertones, which are apparent in its dialogue and focus on the women's torment. After being captured, the male character isn't even shown escaping until about 10 minutes before the movie is over, right before he conveniently finds safety. The only reason I didn't give this movie a failing grade is because of Will Gibson's striking cinematography, which salvaged this movie by doing a fantastic job of capturing the desolate atmosphere of Australia's incredibly vast and remote Outback regions. As far as based on a true story goes, it's really just inspired by. And the only amusing thing about this movie was probably a character towards the end of the film that resembled Jean Cousteau.