Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

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.

It's better than the original, but that's not saying much. At least we now have real (if stereotypical) villains, and Dundee is put through his paces this time.Story: Ex-husband of Kozlowski contacts his former wife from Colombia to tell her about his investigation into drug dealers there. Said dealers find him, kill him, then go to New York after Kozlowski. They first kidnap her, but Dundee finds a clever way to rescue her by having a crowd follow him into the dealers' lair. Dundee and his love then have to flee to Australia-and of course the drug dealers follow.Unlike in the original, there is cleverness and tension, and Dundee's new foes are much harder prey than the bullies in the first movie. Still, it's really only recommended if you cared for the original movie.

The first film was a big hit at the cinema, so the obvious thing to do would be to give it a sequel and see if they can create the same success, with similar themes to the predecessor. Basically Australian crocodile hunter Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee (Paul Hogan) has stayed and continued to try and adapt to life in New York since falling in love with journalist Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski). Some gangsters have been pursuing Sue after her ex-husband photographer Bob Tanner (Dennis Boutsikaris) took photos of a brutal crime he witnessed, and he sent them to her. Crime boss Luis Rico (Hechter Ubarry) and his associates are holding Sue against her will, and Mick is determined to get her back no matter what, and he has some unlikely friends to help. When she is rescued, Mick decides it is a good idea to protect Sue by taking her home to Australia, but of course Rico and the gang track them down to try and get their own way. In the end, the gangsters are defeated, and Mick and Sue are safe and sound thanks to his skills of the outback, and that is where they stay. Also starring John Meillon as Walter Reilly, Juan Fernández as Miguel, Ernie Dingo as Charlie, Steve Rackman as Donk, Gerry Skilton as Nugget, Gus Mercurio as Frank, Jim Holt as Erskine, Alec Wilson as Denning, Maggie Blinco as Ida and Luis Guzmán as Jose. Hogan is once again a nice friendly character, but he does show a slightly aggressive side using weapons, and Kozlowski, who married Hogan two years later, is still good too, the story is rather patchy, the kidnap ans rescue plot is alright, and the stuff that happens in Australia is not bad, it is not as good as the first film, but it's not such a terrible comedy adventure. Okay!

Crocodile Dundee was kinda smart. Crocodile Dundee II was kinda dumb. There is still charm there, but the wit is mostly good. It was one of the many "comedies" that came out between the 80's and 90's that felt the need to turn into violent thrillers. It even seems like a film that was meant to be something else, but the producers decided to cash in on the Dundee name.Hogan is still a hoot and there is some great Aussie scenery, but there isn't much to enjoy in terms of plot. The first one was a surprisingly good romantic comedy. This one is just a forgettable reunion where it's nice to see the friends, but the spread is lame.