MovieChat Forums > Crocodile Dundee II (1988) Discussion > What happened to this series?

What happened to this series?

posted 4 years ago by Heisenberg (6266)
11 replies | jump to latest

It s a great sequel. I remember when I saw the vhs I was surprised because I had no Idea they had shot it, let alone released it in cinemas. Why?
Why did they let it fizzle? Not enough violence/muscles for 80s action? Not enough cursing for comedy?

I understand they had many other awesome original movies released back then, but I think there was plenty of room for more sequels to these beloved series and characters, instead of waiting too long for that lame third installment.

Was there some behind the scenes drama that prevented it (like personal problems of stars)?

[–] Wuchak (8069) 4 years ago

This sequel does precisely what a good sequel should do: Carry on the story, go deeper with the characters and keep the spirit of the original. "Crocodile Dundee II" (1988) cost $6 million more than the original 1986 movie and runs 11 minutes longer. It was a hit at the box office, albeit nowhere near as successful as the first film. Both movies effectively combine three genres or themes: romantic comedy, fun adventure and fish-out-of-water.

You'll likely never experience a more likable protagonist than Paul Hogan's Crocodile Dundee. On top of this, Linda Kozlowski is lovely and celestial, possessing an attractive intelligence. Paul & Linda's chemistry is real seeing as how they would marry two years later in 1990. It's a mystery why they didn't capitalize on the success of the first two movies and release another one in 1990-91. Instead, they waited until 2000 to shoot the third one and it was okay, but decidedly mediocre by comparison.

[–] browncortnei (311) 4 years ago

This was actually a pretty good sequel to the first movie. Whereas the first one was a love story, this one brought in the action. It is also where the story ends for the series in my eyes as the third one just sucked.

[–] Heisenberg (6266) 4 years ago

There must be a reason though.
I can only speculate, like Hogan didn't want to be trapped in the same role?
Or producers thought audiences were not in the aussie craze anymore?
Personal problems with his divorce?

It's a pity, I wish they had more installments like the first two, the series was still totally fresh after this one, they could have made 3 more. I think in the eighties they just had that many charismatic characters that this one was just one too many, kinda like an Indiana Jones Australian look alike.
If that's the case they were wrong, and by today's standards this one is a wasted gem!

[–] Wuchak (8069) 4 years ago

I didn't see the second one till a little over a year ago and was surprised that it was such a quality sequel. It was successful at the box office, so it's a mystery why they didn't jump on making a third at the time. Paul married Linda Kozlowski in 1990, which is the same year their "Almost an Angel" was released, but it unfortunately flopped. He must've been busy with his new marriage because he didn't do another movie until "Lightning Jack" four years later, which was moderately successful and a vast improvement financially compared to "Almost an Angel," but no where near the figures of the two "Crocodile Dundee" movies.

In 2000 Paul likely realized that he was going to go down in history as Crocodile Dundee so he & Linda made the half-hearted third film. The plot is worthy, but too much of the movie falls flat; they needed more time to work the kinks out and flush out potential.

[–] TandyMan (10321) 4 years ago

I actually grew to like the third movie. It doesn't have the same charm as the first two, but I really like the story they explored in how the characters we love ended up in life. It's sort of an "additional material for hard core fans only" sort of movie.

[–] Wuchak (8069) 4 years ago

That's why I'm glad the third one exists. It's likable nonsense and I found myself busting out laughing at the goofy humor several times. They just needed to perfect the script -- work out the flat parts -- but that takes time & money and so they just wung it with what they had, which usually doesn't make for good movies.

[–] TandyMan (10321) 4 years ago

I think if they were making these movies today they would have cranked out a bunch of em. But back in the 80s, if you had a hit movie, you made a sequel to cash in on the hype and that was kind of the end of it.

I don't think Croc Dundee would have translated well into the 90s at all. Trends in film and pop culture were going quite another direction.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 3 years ago

I like this movie a lot. Probably because i saw it first as a kid, but I've seen this one more than the original. I've seen several posts like yours over the years. I know there are people who like this movie. But overall? We're in the minority. This movie was panned by critics and fans alike.

[–] Heisenberg (6266) 3 years ago

Hindsight is 20 20, but critics and audiences should have understood that a good thing is a good thing no matter your expectations. After all this time it is clear how hard it is to establish new, original and likeable characters and series. But back the standards were so high that most sequels were judged upfront as cash ins even if they were not.
Only masterpieces like T2 or godfather 2 were highly regarded, while other legit fare like Rocky iii or this one, where we "just" had one more great adventure with our heroes? Not enough!

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7387) 3 years ago

I feel like a guy like Crocodile Dundee doesn't fit well in today's world. He is very old fashioned in his way of thinking and likes to poach Crocodiles and Kangaroos. That is a big turn off for most people today.

[–] Heisenberg (6266) 3 years ago

1 he shot against kangaroo poachers.
2 his crocodile poaching is never directly accepted, he punches a guy hinting at it and tells Sue that he was fishing.
3 neither of them were traits of his character. He was famous for surviving an attack, and he gets revealed as a nature tuned modern tarzan. If anything, the modern world could use more characters like him.
4 he is old fashioned but quite accepting of new trends, like transgenderism. He just does not like to be tricked by it.