“Crocodile” Dundee (1986)
Paul Hogan’s hilarious, endearing performance made “Crocodile” Dundee the #1 comedy at the U.S. box office in 1986, surpassed only by Top Gun in ticket sales. Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee (Hogan) is a free spirited Australian who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands, stares down giant water buffaloes, and drinks mere mortals under the table. But he’s about to face the ultimate torture test—a trip to New York City.
“Crocodile” Dundee is the unexpected global box office hit that humanity was not aware that it needed. While the film does not strive to be a work of high art, it serves as a real crowd pleasing piece of cinema thanks to the irresistible charm of Paul Hogan in the titular role. The “fish out of water” tale is one of the more well-worn conceits in storytelling, but this feature shakes things up at least a little bit by giving you double the amount of unexpected hijinks. Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) is a strong presence as she tries to understand the dangers that can pop out of nowhere in the Outback, but it is Mick figuring out our kooky American customs that really sells the comedy audiences around the world responded to. Hogan injects Mick with a rogue swagger while never being less than kind to everyone he meets, and we all know how difficult some of us Americans can make it on others. The film touches on nearly every cliche which you could think up, but it is executed so confidently by this creative team that you are happy to go along for the ride. The movie does not take itself too seriously; it is aware that the storyline is a bit absurd but goes for it nonetheless. While the classic “knife” quote may be what the film is best known for, there are a lot of really fun moments to discover if this is new to you.
“Crocodile” Dundee II (1988)
Just as the eccentric Australian is starting to adjust to life in New York City, Dundee (Paul Hogan) and his girlfriend (Linda Kozlowski) are targeted by a gang of ruthless drug dealers. Dundee evens the odds by leading the big-city hoods into the treacherous Australian outback.
This follow-up would also prove to be a moneymaker, but not in the same realm as the original – and for good reason. No one obviously expected the first entry to be the phenomenon that it was, so when the money started rolling in they fast-tracked a sequel before they could stop to consider whether or not this was a good idea. While Mick generally maintains the same appeal he had in the initial entry, the remainder of the film is completely different from what we got in the first entry. In the sequel, they seem to have forgotten how to have fun, instead choosing to take on a deadly-serious, action-packed drug cartel saga. It does the typical sequel thing of making the movie bigger in scope, but for this particular franchise bigger does not necessarily mean better. I don’t know about others, but I want to spend time with Dundee because he is an affable guy who makes me laugh, not because I think he can be an Australian Rambo. When there are jokes in the film, they are often recycled one from the previous film. While not completely joyless, this follow-up really miscalculated the draw of the franchise.
“Crocodile” Dundee In Los Angeles (2001)
He’s wrestled crocodiles Down Under and fought crime in New York, but can Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee swim with the sharks in L.A.? Paul Hogan returns as “Crocodile” Dundee in this hilarious third installment of the beloved film series,
After rushing to get the second entry into theaters did not work out critically, Hogan and company took over a decade to regroup and hopefully come back strong. While that did not work out completely for them, the result is much more in line with the affable original film. This is a film made completely for family audiences. The second entry thought what the audiences wanted was more rough-and-tumble action, but this third part swings the pendulum in the opposite direction to something a lot more silly. Yes, this entry can be pretty stupid, but mostly it is harmless fun as Mick carries out similar fish-out-of-water gags that only the likable Paul Hogan could make funny. Well, this movie is not really funny, but it is pleasant enough. One of the strangest aspects of the film is the lack of actual plot throughout most of the runtime. The lack of conflict he faces is almost admirable, as mostly you just have this guy walking around perplexing everyone around him. It’s a bit reductive, but once again it is nothing to lose sleep over. At this point, nearly everyone realized that the world had moved on from this character. By this time, the cultural landscape seemed to have changed too much for this character to be relevant.
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray set from Paramount brings all three films together on three separate discs with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in their original aspect ratio. These three films share similar qualities, and I will talk about quality as a whole with additional information when necessary. The truth is, these films should all look better than they do, and the lack of a new scan leaves these a bit of disappointment. All of them have a pretty solid grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing some details in the production design of each film. The first film does have a few brief stretches that unfortunately employs some artificial looking grain management that feels like a misstep. Skin tones are a bit of a mixed bag throughout this set. Most of the films look pretty good in this regard, but a few instances in “Crocodile” Dundee II appear to be kind of lifeless in the skin tone department.
Colors pop off the screen nicely, especially when we leave behind the earth-toned Australia for the vibrant American lifestyle. This is by far the element that holds up best under scrutiny. Once again, “Crocodile” Dundee II is probably the weakest disc overall, as it clearly sourced from an ancient transfer. With the third film making its Blu-Ray debut, it should be noted that it is the strongest disc, but mostly due to the fact that it was produced most recently and not because it is a genuine knockout. The first two films showcase quite a bit of dirt, nicks and damage, but not so much as to make anything unwatchable. Black levels tend to be an issue on these releases as precise definition suffers in shadows. The thrill of having all of these films in high definition is dampened somewhat by the fact that more care was not put into truly upgrading them with a fresh scan. The discs in the set are solid and will surely please most who buy it, but fans of the film want more than passable. Paramount has done a decent job with these releases, but we would not object to another release down the road with fresh scans.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set provides immersive tracks for all of the films, with the most recent two being given a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track while the original is provided a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track. While the video portion of these discs may not knock it out of the park, the audio side of things is more solid. No matter which location our hero is in, environmental sounds come through with a dynamic clarity that help enhance the experience quite a bit. The activity focuses heavily on the front channels with some distinct tunes filling the room appropriately. Music is used skillfully throughout these presentations, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The classic dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers get some occasional activity with ambient sounds, but it is not a standout in that regard. There is a healthy amount of low-end support when the scene calls for it, as well. These tracks accomplish everything they need to do really well. Paramount is commended for providing lossless audio to all of these features.
Special Features
- “Crocodile” Dundee II Behind The Scenes Featurette: A five-minute vintage featurette is provided for the sequel which shows some on-set footage along with an interview with Paul Hogan.
- The Making Of “Crocodile” Dundee In Los Angeles: A nearly twelve-minute promotional featurette which features a good mixture of on-set interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. You get a sense of why the creative team wanted a new entry, a look at the new and returning characters, the obstacles our protagonist faces this go around and more.
- Theatrical Trailers: There are trailers provided for “Crocodile” Dundee, “Crocodile” Dundee II and“Crocodile” Dundee In Los Angeles.
Final Thoughts
The “Crocodile” Dundee Trilogy is not the most consistent when it comes to serving up quality entertainment, but the initial entry remains quite a bit of fun with the other two having their drawbacks. Throughout these films, Paul Hogan remains a bright spot as he brings to life this iconic character in the midst of these middling plots. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a decent A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. New masters for all three films would have been preferred, but if you are just wanting to own all three films in HD on disc, this is your only option currently – it will get the job done.
“Crocodile” Dundee Trilogy is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
