The Australian
July 7, 2007
From Wolf Creek to a snappier version of Jaws
By Sandy George
SPOILERS!
THE seven-metre crocodile in the new homegrown film Rogue kills tourists and locals, and comes close to making a meal of an American travel writer, but don't expect that to deter visitors to the Top End.
Researchers have not been able to prove that actual crocodile attacks increase interest from tourists but it appears they don't harm the industry either.
"We tend to get more adventurous visitors and when we have incidents, and there have been some tragedies, we do not see a decrease in numbers," said Maree Tetlow, the chief executive of Tourism NT.
Rogue is director Greg McLean's follow-up to Wolf Creek but unlike the chillingly realistic film about a man who preys on backpackers, Rogue's style is more akin to 1970s adventure horror films such as Alien and Jaws.
In place of the shark in Jaws, for Rogue think crocodile and a boat full of tourists on a river in the Northern Territory.
"It's not nasty, and compared to Wolf Creek it's like a walk in the park," said McLean.
"We are getting a lot of good reactions from women 25 to 40, because it's got a bit of romance and it is a really good story."
The romance is between a travel writer, played by the French/American actor Michael Vartan, from the US series Alias, and the tour boat operator (Radha Mitchell), but there is also tension between her and a local lout (Sam Worthington).
US movie moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein put up $25 million for Rogue after McLean proved his credentials with Wolf Creek: made for $1.38 million, it has grossed more than $50 million worldwide, according to producer David Lightfoot.
Rogue will be released in Australia on August 30, followed by an international release.
© 2007 The Australian
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