Crocodile Dundee II Review

"If you liked Crocodile Dundee, you'll love Crocodile Dundee II!" - printed on the back of a bootleg Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children DVD box.

While I was growing up in Japan, this was one of the many movies that I frequently saw on television. Perhaps it's because of the way Japanese tourists are portrayed in the movie, but it's surprising that they didn't take more offence to it. When I was a kid, I really liked this movie. How does it measure up now?

While I was watching it again, I must admit that it felt really long. This movie is littered with convoluted interweaving plot points, long scenes that offer no exposition or significance to the storyline, and plays on misconceived stereotypes.

Mick is portrayed as a man capable of (almost) singlehandedly saving his girlfriend from the mafia. There are several other scenes in which it is laid out with (perhaps too much) clarity that Dundee is a strong man. We get it, he's bad ass.

There is a certain amount of humor in the movie, but it's mostly because it's so terrible. There were a few good jokes to be sure, but playing off of stereotypes can only bring you so far.

What surprised me were the clever plot twists. For example, Mick meets up with Teddy (I think it was Teddy, I could be wrong) at the bar, and it is revealed that he's in the stationary business, and not a gangster as the movie would have you think. There were a couple of parts like this, where the movie makes you think it's going one way, but makes a complete 180 and goes the other way. Nice.

All in all, it's not a fantastic movie, and it hasn't aged well. It's still pretty fun, and if you're looking for a witty fish-out-of-water kind of movie, you've come to the right place. The first one is probably better though.