Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I'm surprised at just how low a rating 'Crocodile Dundee II' has received. I thought this was a solid and fun sequel to the classic original. In many ways, it actually outdoes the first film. There's more action, more humour and, in my opinion, a better and more developed plot that relies less on individual gags.However, it doesn't quite match the first film for charisma and is missing that special something that so many loved about the original. As a sequel though, it works well and has just about everything you could want from an adventure/comedy film. Crocodile Dundee is a brilliantly entertaining character and the film as a whole is fun and very enjoyable. This is an underrated sequel and I can't quite put my finger on why so many people didn't like it.

Australian outback expert (Paul Hogan) protects his New York love (Linda Kozlowski) from gangsters who have followed her down under.Whether this film is better than its predecessor is a matter of debate. Unlike other series where one film is clearly better than another, people seem to be split on this one. But only half of them are right: this film is better than the first one.Why? Because there is more action, and there is a lot more humor. The suicide jumper, the gang, Leroy Brown, the addition of the aborigines... this movie sucks you in where the first one could not. Not to say the first was bad, but it had Mick far too preoccupied with romance when he should have been getting into more shenanigans. Here the romance is just assumed and plays no major part in the plot.

Croc 2 is passable, but terribly disappointing, where this time, we're granted a bit more screen time in the outback, in vice versa mode to it's original, where somehow it felt a little bit disjointed, if almost slowing to a halt in many areas or coming across as just amateurish, and this is mainly when our notorious icon is back down under. Journalist (Kozlowski) has stumbled onto something big in the drug empire, or has shot too much. She's kidnapped by a Columbian drug-lord, Juan Fernandez, who better for the role, as we've seen him real slimy scum sucking other roles. When she's freed by her Croc man, and a little help by not the savoriest of entourages, she's faced with a choice of testifying against Mr Bad, or go to back to the outback and lead the mice to the cheese. It's when Hoges and his woman return to Oz, does the real movie take begin, with the baddies hot on their trail, aided by some unscrupulous ocker types. Here it is, where Hoges really works his magic, with his crafty tricks, luring the baddie in, one by one, aided by snappy dialogue, where here there are slow and stupidly inactive moments, like the chasm baddie hostage scenes, that come off as terribly dull, where really the action was better earlier in New York. The comedy is there but it's more scarce in a sequel that sadly doesn't gel, ans it's too uneven and lacks the chemistry and ingredients that made the original such an 86' hit.5.5/10

I enjoyed the first film and while this sequel isn't as good, it is very enjoyable. I agree the story is predictable, parts of the comedy don't quite work and the film is overlong. But... there are entertaining parts, especially Paul Hogan's outback approach to urban life, Hogan is every bit as likable as he was in the first film, the scenery and photography are excellent, the direction is solid on the most part and I think if there is something it improves on from the original it is brisker in pace than the first was. Linda Kozslowski is nice too. So overall, not as good as the first but entertaining and better than the third by a landslide. 7/10 Bethany Cox