Force of Nature: The Dry 2 Reviews (original) (raw)

Connolly continues to grow as a filmmaker, as evidenced in his last three pictures (The Dry, Blueback, and Force of Nature: The Dry 2), all starring Bana. While The Dry may hold greater dramatic weight, Force of Nature is a more complicated affair. More red herrings, more technical proficiency.

“Force of Nature” generates just enough mystery never to be boring, but not enough interest to elevate it above its modest trappings.

(Mauro Lanari) In the history of the best detective stories, crime has always been a pretext to investigate humanity, society, cosmic reality. "The Dry" followed such glorious formula, not giving a damn about the whodunit to describe environmental inhospitality and nature's adversity. With this sequel, an adaptation of Jane Harper's subsequent novel, the "Force of Nature" is only in the title. Not having read it, I can't say if those who claim that the disaster is to be attributed to Connolly's transposition are right. The "massive storm" is continually announced but never comes, the loss of the map and the claustrophobic location are barely mentioned metaphors and the metaphysical analysis of the connection between "soma" and "sarx" disappears into thin air.

The script was all laid out for the main actor with no real surprises, It felt all the nitty gritty or any logistics of the movie was taken out, so they say something, they just appear there, so it felt rushed and obvious.

“Force of Nature” is more solid and perfunctory than the even more exotic and atmospheric “The Dry.” But the players, the situations and the twists, which are pretty good, recommend it.

The performances are all giving the necessary punch even when the writing is not. It may frequently get lost in its own narrative woods, but Bana manages once again to bring it all back to humanity.

This is a handsomely produced, solidly acted thriller that’s certainly watchable, though the perplexing subtitle is not its only issue. Unlike its riveting predecessor, it’s absorbing but never quite gripping.

This film drips with pot boiler-ish twists and turns, and is saturated with genre machinations – engaged, like many mystery scripts, in surprising and one-upping the viewer. But developments in the last act especially – and there are no spoilers here – contain some tough pills to swallow.

The film is well-made and well-acted, but it merely suggests depth rather than actually having it.

A ambientação com a fotografia escura até funciona, mesmo com a edição mecanicista em decidir contar a história em três momentos distintos (as memórias de infância do investigador, o que ocorrera com as meninas perdidas e o presente). Tudo isso pra esconder uma trama simples: desaparecimento de um corpo num ambiente denso e inóspito de mata fechada, onde aventureiros fazem trilha, o que coincide com o local onde 30 anos atrás um assassino em série matava mulheres. No entanto, as justificativas para o grupo das meninas estarem ali é bem frágil, as conexões com o passado são bem frágeis, de modo que o suspense até engata, mas as motivações vão esnacendo o filme de qualquer pretenão mais séria. Para piorar, se o momento em que o filme regride aos acontecimentos com as meninas a mata parece ter quilômetros e quilômetros de distância, no momento presente das investigações parece que o espaço reduziu: faltou controle cênico do espaço. Assim, o terço final do filme é só ladeira a baixo. A investiação feita sobre o caso é bem infantil, desenhos do Scooby-Doo conseguem ser mais profundos que isso. Se ficasse só no mistério talvez o filmefosse melhor, inclusive se deixasse mais aberto, pois é onde funciona. Ao tentar justificar a ação, o roteiro emenda uma disputa feminina constrangedora, um desenrolar que não vinga, um desfecho sem graça. Vale apenas para passsar o tempo mesmo.

Robert Connolly directed The Dry in 2020 (my review). It was a mediocre mystery. This sequel (also directed by Connolly) still stars Eric Bana as a detective and it's not much better. Five women go on a hiking retreat in the Australian bush, but one doesn't return and the case begins. A lot of time is spent wandering the woods looking for clues, while revisiting his own traumatic childhood experience. The film also alternates between flashbacks to the hike, so that makes 3 different narratives working at once. Actually, they don't really work that well. While the performances are sometimes strong, there's no tension or twists to keep it interesting. The whole thing unfolds with competent skill, but never manages any "force," natural or narrative.