Force of Nature: The Dry 2

A significant Australian made hit in early 2021, The Dry was both a critical and commercial success as the tale of Eric Bana's softly spoken federal agent Aaron Falk returning to his isolated hometown to help solve a murder of an old friend resonated across a wide spanning film going community, with many thankful that author Jane Harper's creation had more coming for them with her book series having multiple Falk entries planned.

A victim of last years Hollywood strike that saw its August 2023 release postponed until recent weeks, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (an unfortunate title if there ever was one for multiple reasons) finally arrives with Bana and director Robert Connolly on board once more but sadly this time around much of the goodwill and good work that the first Dry entry left us with is gone here on a drab and damp next instalment that makes one wonder if Falk's cinematic adventures are going to be short-lived from here on out.

Far removed from the dusty and dried out surrounds of the first film, Nature finds the sleepwalking Bana and new zombified version of Falk venturing out into the Victorian mountain ranges to help with the search efforts for Anna Torv's Alice, an informant of Falk's who has gone missing in the rugged wilds during a corporate retreat that includes such colleagues as Deborra-Lee Furness's Jill, Robin McLeavy's Lauren and Richard Roxburgh's shady CEO Daniel and while the landscape we and Falk find ourselves in now have a flavour and energy, much of what happens in this wannabe Agatha Christie-lite tale is far from engaging.

Suffering from a central mystery that isn't entirely gripping and a procedural that is like a robotic progression of ticking a few boxes before climaxing in a far from memorable fashion, the core of Nature's problems stem directly from the material it's adapting and Connolly and Bana's inability to infuse that with any extra movie magic that would have made this well-budgeted Australian production anything but a pretty but extremely minor distraction.

The Dry found success in its mix of cinematic qualities rarely found in local productions, interesting main and side characters and a murder mystery that gripped from the first frame, all ingredients that aren't found in Nature, with the film failing to ever engage to a high level as we trudge along our way through mostly dialogue themed interactions with a bunch of fairly unlikeable and undeveloped characters we come to care very little about.

Initially set up to be what could have been an iconic new addition to Australian cinema history it's sad to see Falk the character and Bana the performer with so little to do here and despite some attempts to create more engagement through flashbacks and one of the most bizarre serial killer subplots I can recall, the story of Falk and his future potential don't seem so appealing moving forward after a bright initial start.

Final Say -

Well-filmed and full of possibilities, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is a nothing more than major step backwards from the original 2021 outing and a mediocre effort from all involved, potentially halting the cinematic universe of Aaron Falk in its tracks.

2 hazardous waterfalls out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Not as good as the first film ...I think , mainly because the missing lady , was annoying and unpleasant , just couldn't feel anything for her ... Otherwise , not bad ...Kind of satisfied the urge I have lately to return to the old fashioned style of cinematography , when films were more about character development and acting than special effects and non stop action . This film ,definitely , achieves that : there was almost no violence or fights or car chases, or , for that matter -casual nudity or sex . That's why for me it was a pleasant reminder of the days once and for all gone ... I mean , I love some crazy action , but sometimes just want to sit quietly and enjoy a bit of a cerebral thriller )

Who doesn't love a good mystery/thriller movie?

Personally I'm a big fan and have watch lists for this very genre on various streaming services to last me till the Zombie Apocalypse is over and we can all crawl out of our bunkers again and drive Mad Max style into the dusty distance.

It's kind of ironic that the sequel to "The Dry" is called "Force Of Nature: The Dry 2" when it's set in a wet forest and the biggest hindrance to a search and recovery operation is a huge storm cell.

As one of the production companies involved in the making of this project "Made Up Stories" likes to say, "Tell Me A Story".

Okay, Five women head out on a remote hiking retreat but only four return, each telling a different story.

The whistle blower/insider is missing and if they don't find her quickly, presumed dead!

There are more suspects than children at a Wiggles concert.

Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana: affectionately known as Poida by most Aussies) must find out what really happened before time runs out and the rains come ma.

Eric reprises his role to star alongside fresh characters in "Force of Nature" played by Anna Torv ("Newsreaders"), Deborah-Lee Furness, Jacqueline McKenzie, Richard Roxburgh and others.

Robert Connolly is back in his Director Chair and although this is not truly a sequel with no connection to the original it is the second chapter from a series of books authored by Jane Harper (who must be laughing all the way to the bank) her follow up novel to the original story "The Dry".

Honestly they should have dropped "Dry" from the title, but at least people remember that wonderful film that punched above its weight.

Filming for this movie traveled away from rural Victoria into rugged, dangerous Dandenong Ranges National Park (The Basin) in Australia in 2022, but its release was delayed by 5 months due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Unfortunately this film is not the force of nature I was hoping for after the massive success with both critics and movie goers of "The Dry".

I even burst out laughing during what was meant to be a climatic serious waterfall scene...I know I'm a sick puppy...tell my therapist.

"Force of Nature" is hobbled by a pedestrian, convoluted plot with 3 layers that gets too busy with messy results, but it does get some brownie points for beautiful cinematography, editing & haunting soundtrack.

The acting felt dialled in/paint by numbers with certain people (I'm looking at you McKenzie, who is normally great) and the script/screenplay just got lost in translation and felt wooden and predictable.

Don't even get me started on Falks backstory and history with this mountain range that tried to pull at the heart strings, but lacked the mystery of the original.

As for the "serial killer" subplot it just fizzled and fell flat like a bottle of champagne left uncorked overnight.

"Force Of Nature: The Dry 2" tried to be all "Picnic At Hanging Rock" in a 21st century woke women's retreat way and missed the mark to get lost in the forest for the trees.

I rather liked The Dry, although I didn't rate it (or the book on which it was based) as much as most Australians, so I had quite high hopes for this one.

Alas, they were dashed almost as soon as the film began. The overblown, portentous music was set my Dud Alert quivering, and it was all downhill from there. Ridiculously over complicated plot with about four separate strand running at once, none of which were really resolved satisfactorily, and a couple of them not at all. I pitied the actors who had to deliver what must be some of the clunkiest lines of dialogue ever written, and perhaps the poor quality of the screenplay explains why the performances were so uniformly poor; even Eric Bana, who's an excellent actor, is terrible in this.

Just don't bother. There are far better ways to spend your time.

An example of the inept use of a three-part structure. This is an example of a montage that is a disorderly juggling of the past and the present. The very idea of investigating economic crimes and the disappearance of a key informant is intriguing, but it is implemented and written in the worst traditions of the detective genre: not prescribed characters and, as a result, lackluster roles with superficial dialogues; stupid plot decisions justifying circumstances. The screenwriter "turns off" smartphones and forgets about the compass to justify lost tourists; tourists quarrel over the map like children, and as a result, the map floats downstream, and a girl from the group tries to fish it out of the water, flounders in the water and bruises her head. In the stream! The stream is knee deep! Just think, the girl went with the flow for a few seconds and got a head injury... how? The director did not bother to show it, just put the viewer in front of the fact.

The stupidest thing is how the group navigated on the map - without a compass, visually looking around. Are you serious? Only a schoolboy can come up with such nonsense, but the director seriously continues to confuse with the absurdity of what is happening, straining with alarming notes. I am simply amazed at how much human and material resources have been invested in this ridiculous theater of "forced losses" with empty chatter and women's screams. "Women's screams" is a directorial technique that is used wherever possible and where it is not necessary. I don't like the slang definition of "stuffy", but in this characteristic designation it corresponds to the content - it's shrill, stuffy, boring constructive junk. The director is unable to organize the acting, he does not see falsehood, does not know how to place accents, does not understand the material, and this misunderstanding is reflected in the viewer. It's a pity for Eric Ban, he has the image of an intelligent man, but in this film his virtues have dissolved into directorial incompetence.

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