User reviews

A sequel to 2021's sleeper hit The Dry, Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 once again follows brooding detective Aaron Falk where after his informant (Anna Torov) gets lost in the forest on a work retreat he joins a search and rescue team to help find her. Along the way he's forced to confront more of his childhood trauma.

Unfortunately the title for this movie sets the stage for what is a pretty convoluted and muddled movie and is overall a step down in my opinion compared to the first. There are three competing storylines here, the group of women, Aaron's trauma from his past and a serial killer subplot that literally goes nowhere. All of these storylines compete for attention but in the end they all end up falling flat. Also with the exception of Eric Bana as Falk almost every other character in this movie is unlikable (with maybe the only other exception being Mortal Kombat's Sisi Stringer.) With so much going on here it's surprising how unsatisfying and bland this movie was. Five stars for Bana though who is pretty much the only reason this might be worth your time.

Jane Harper wrote a third and final Aaron Falk book that was published last year so I feel like it's inevitable that it also gets adapted to make a trilogy out of this. Hopefully it's more in line with the first movie compared to this and it can finally give Bana's Aaron Falk some sense of happiness because the amount of past and present trauma he's endured throughout both Dry movies is kind of crazy.

Not as good as the first film ...I think , mainly because the missing lady , was annoying and unpleasant , just couldn't feel anything for her ... Otherwise , not bad ...Kind of satisfied the urge I have lately to return to the old fashioned style of cinematography , when films were more about character development and acting than special effects and non stop action . This film ,definitely , achieves that : there was almost no violence or fights or car chases, or , for that matter -casual nudity or sex . That's why for me it was a pleasant reminder of the days once and for all gone ... I mean , I love some crazy action , but sometimes just want to sit quietly and enjoy a bit of a cerebral thriller )

This film was gripping and unsettling. Contrary to popular opinion, I enjoyed the second one more! It delved into the realm of psychological thriller more than a drama, which the first film leaned into. This made it exciting to watch. The lush forest landscape was a stunning antithesis to the dry countryside depicted in the first movie and the performances were very believable. Sadly, there is a "but". In the way Australian films quite often go, it didn't quite hit the high mark of a jaw-dropping plot twist at the end. Rather, it flatlined. The story could have been more ambitious and punched higher by providing more twists and turns. Additionally, the film explored a number of sub-plots that weren't answered in the end or cleverly tied-off. Overall, this is worth a watch in the cinema and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Who doesn't love a good mystery/thriller movie?

Personally I'm a big fan and have watch lists for this very genre on various streaming services to last me till the Zombie Apocalypse is over and we can all crawl out of our bunkers again and drive Mad Max style into the dusty distance.

It's kind of ironic that the sequel to "The Dry" is called "Force Of Nature: The Dry 2" when it's set in a wet forest and the biggest hindrance to a search and recovery operation is a huge storm cell.

As one of the production companies involved in the making of this project "Made Up Stories" likes to say, "Tell Me A Story".

Okay, Five women head out on a remote hiking retreat but only four return, each telling a different story.

The whistle blower/insider is missing and if they don't find her quickly, presumed dead!

There are more suspects than children at a Wiggles concert.

Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana: affectionately known as Poida by most Aussies) must find out what really happened before time runs out and the rains come ma.

Eric reprises his role to star alongside fresh characters in "Force of Nature" played by Anna Torv ("Newsreaders"), Deborah-Lee Furness, Jacqueline McKenzie, Richard Roxburgh and others.

Robert Connolly is back in his Director Chair and although this is not truly a sequel with no connection to the original it is the second chapter from a series of books authored by Jane Harper (who must be laughing all the way to the bank) her follow up novel to the original story "The Dry".

Honestly they should have dropped "Dry" from the title, but at least people remember that wonderful film that punched above its weight.

Filming for this movie traveled away from rural Victoria into rugged, dangerous Dandenong Ranges National Park (The Basin) in Australia in 2022, but its release was delayed by 5 months due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Unfortunately this film is not the force of nature I was hoping for after the massive success with both critics and movie goers of "The Dry".

I even burst out laughing during what was meant to be a climatic serious waterfall scene...I know I'm a sick puppy...tell my therapist.

"Force of Nature" is hobbled by a pedestrian, convoluted plot with 3 layers that gets too busy with messy results, but it does get some brownie points for beautiful cinematography, editing & haunting soundtrack.

The acting felt dialled in/paint by numbers with certain people (I'm looking at you McKenzie, who is normally great) and the script/screenplay just got lost in translation and felt wooden and predictable.

Don't even get me started on Falks backstory and history with this mountain range that tried to pull at the heart strings, but lacked the mystery of the original.

As for the "serial killer" subplot it just fizzled and fell flat like a bottle of champagne left uncorked overnight.

"Force Of Nature: The Dry 2" tried to be all "Picnic At Hanging Rock" in a 21st century woke women's retreat way and missed the mark to get lost in the forest for the trees.

I saw it by accident: its first week.

A noble idea got destroyed by poor scripting and politically-correct casting. Its big merit was the filming, Australian bush landscapes, but even those scenes had to be moody dull. There was far too much intertwining of timelines and unexplained lines. What body was found? Whose son found the body found by someone else. The lone wolf federal investigator was a Hollywood cliche, as were the classic eyeball confrontation scenes with the notional hero vs the police chief.

What stood out? Debra LF as Jill: an incongruous character in the plot, and with a mismatched husband, but still a great performance.

Do what I did: see it at a theatre which lets you brin in wine in a glass.

Five women embark on a team-building hike in the rugged Aussie bushland in Eastern Australia, but their tranquil retreat takes a sinister turn when one of them vanishes. Enter Detective Aaron Falk, whose stoic presence and keen eye are tasked with untangling the mystery of the missing hiker and the web of secrets that bind the remaining women. This sequel to the acclaimed The Dry trades desert heat for mountain chills, delivering a visually stunning yet narratively uneven experience.

Force of Nature is a slow burn. Director Robert Connolly lingers on breathtaking landscapes, capturing the raw beauty and haunting power of the wilderness. This deliberate pace works wonders when building suspense, leaving us constantly on edge, wondering what lurks around the next bend. However, at times, it feels like the plot takes a scenic detour, meandering through flashbacks and character development that, while enriching, occasionally slows the momentum.

The performances are a mixed bag. Eric Bana reprises his role as Falk with unwavering intensity, portraying a man haunted by past demons. The supporting cast, however, fares less consistently. Some, like Anna Torv, deliver nuanced portrayals, while others struggle to rise above one-dimensional archetypes.

The film's greatest strength lies in its visual storytelling. The cinematography is masterful, showcasing the unforgiving beauty of the mountains with a keen eye for detail. Every frame feels alive, adding depth and texture to the narrative. The score, a blend of melancholic strings and suspenseful percussion, perfectly complements the visuals, heightening the emotional impact of key scenes.

Where Force of Nature stumbles is in its plot. While the central mystery is intriguing, the reveals didn't quite pack the punch I expected. The film throws red herrings left and right, keeping us guessing, but the final solution feels more convenient than satisfying. The film also attempts to tackle deeper themes of corporate greed and environmental exploitation, but these explorations remain somewhat superficial, leaving me wanting more.

Force of Nature is a visually captivating film with a compelling premise, but its slow pacing and uneven plot hold it back from reaching its full potential. Still, fans of the first film and those seeking a suspenseful mystery set against a stunning natural backdrop will find something to enjoy. Just don't expect a white-knuckle thrill ride. For me, the film left me with a lingering sense of unease, haunted by the secrets of the mountains and the characters' unresolved issues. If you're in the mood for a slow-burning mystery with stunning visuals, give Force of Nature a shot. But if you crave edge-of-your-seat suspense, this wilderness might leave you wanting more.

Good movie to watch, dark ,damp and very wet, should have been called ' The Wet ' compared to the first one in the outback with dust and was ' the dry '

+ What other bodies found?

+ Kids bodies found? Closure?

+ Did his Mum Survive or Die never found out... Why?

+ Was there enough on the USB drive?

+ What happened to her daughter, what is the other daughter get away with?

+ Has a mobile and worked at the bottom of the gully. Not on any ridge?

It's a movie comment.

+ Why didn't they have more than one map.

+ Why didn't they have an EPIRB + Why didn't it keep raining for days that was warned after site found?

+ Nobody got a single leach :-)

Still glad I watch.

Eric Bana's surly, sympathetic federal agent Falk solves another mysterious murder case in The Dry 2: Force Of Nature, a sequel I didn't think we'd get so soon but one that I'm nonetheless happy to see. The Dry was a huge surprise, not only one of the very best films of 2020 but one of the best examples of its genre, simply a stellar piece of outback/mystery/crime. The sequel is, I'm sad to report, not quite as brilliant as that, but it's not without that same operatic atmosphere, eerie ambience and pathos that drew me in so well before. Falk and his partner (Jacqueline McKenzie) are investigating a group of female hikers on a corporate retreat excursion who ran into some trouble with the elements and each other, which has led to one or more of them still missing. The reason they're even interested in this is that one of the girls was set to testify against her own boss, a slick rich prick played by Richard Roxburgh in another of his patented intense slimy villain turns. Things get complicated when the survivors of the trip recount coming across human remains, which opens a decades old cold case of an ancient serial killer who used to operate in the region. Now if this sounds a bit convoluted... it is. I found myself struggling to care about this extended bout of chick drama trying to pass itself off as a compelling mystery, despite the performances all being good and the filmmaking proficient at every level. If they had used the drama of the trip as a launching pad to explore the old serial killer and forge something out of that I feel like the film would have been so much stronger, but they frustratingly sideline that for this main plot line that just doesn't have the narrative wings to carry the film. Bana is terrific once again in the role though, this is a character he was born to play and even if the film can't match the magic of the first, I say keep em coming and who knows what we'll get with this solidly established formula. One area it succeeds and is different from the first is in setting; The Dry was just that, an arid, dusty outback vista of desolation and emptiness, but here they've chosen to film in lush Dandenong Ranges National Park which is essentially a beautiful primordial rainforest and the backdrop is striking. They should have called this one The Wet.

I rather liked The Dry, although I didn't rate it (or the book on which it was based) as much as most Australians, so I had quite high hopes for this one.

Alas, they were dashed almost as soon as the film began. The overblown, portentous music was set my Dud Alert quivering, and it was all downhill from there. Ridiculously over complicated plot with about four separate strand running at once, none of which were really resolved satisfactorily, and a couple of them not at all. I pitied the actors who had to deliver what must be some of the clunkiest lines of dialogue ever written, and perhaps the poor quality of the screenplay explains why the performances were so uniformly poor; even Eric Bana, who's an excellent actor, is terrible in this.

Just don't bother. There are far better ways to spend your time.

Four distressed women stumble out of the deep forest. They left behind Alice Russell (Anna Torv) on a doomed company outing. Federal police detectives, Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) and Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), had been using Alice as a confidential informer on a money laundering case.

I don't remember anything from the first movie, The Dry (2020). Apparently, I liked it enough. For this one, I like it enough for most of the movie. The story-telling is a little muddled with the various flashbacks. Once the ladies get to the cabin, the characters start losing me. I don't understand Alice and the revelation is anti-climatic. Nevertheless, I like this just enough.

A significant Australian made hit in early 2021, The Dry was both a critical and commercial success as the tale of Eric Bana's softly spoken federal agent Aaron Falk returning to his isolated hometown to help solve a murder of an old friend resonated across a wide spanning film going community, with many thankful that author Jane Harper's creation had more coming for them with her book series having multiple Falk entries planned.

A victim of last years Hollywood strike that saw its August 2023 release postponed until recent weeks, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (an unfortunate title if there ever was one for multiple reasons) finally arrives with Bana and director Robert Connolly on board once more but sadly this time around much of the goodwill and good work that the first Dry entry left us with is gone here on a drab and damp next instalment that makes one wonder if Falk's cinematic adventures are going to be short-lived from here on out.

Far removed from the dusty and dried out surrounds of the first film, Nature finds the sleepwalking Bana and new zombified version of Falk venturing out into the Victorian mountain ranges to help with the search efforts for Anna Torv's Alice, an informant of Falk's who has gone missing in the rugged wilds during a corporate retreat that includes such colleagues as Deborra-Lee Furness's Jill, Robin McLeavy's Lauren and Richard Roxburgh's shady CEO Daniel and while the landscape we and Falk find ourselves in now have a flavour and energy, much of what happens in this wannabe Agatha Christie-lite tale is far from engaging.

Suffering from a central mystery that isn't entirely gripping and a procedural that is like a robotic progression of ticking a few boxes before climaxing in a far from memorable fashion, the core of Nature's problems stem directly from the material it's adapting and Connolly and Bana's inability to infuse that with any extra movie magic that would have made this well-budgeted Australian production anything but a pretty but extremely minor distraction.

The Dry found success in its mix of cinematic qualities rarely found in local productions, interesting main and side characters and a murder mystery that gripped from the first frame, all ingredients that aren't found in Nature, with the film failing to ever engage to a high level as we trudge along our way through mostly dialogue themed interactions with a bunch of fairly unlikeable and undeveloped characters we come to care very little about.

Initially set up to be what could have been an iconic new addition to Australian cinema history it's sad to see Falk the character and Bana the performer with so little to do here and despite some attempts to create more engagement through flashbacks and one of the most bizarre serial killer subplots I can recall, the story of Falk and his future potential don't seem so appealing moving forward after a bright initial start.

Final Say -

Well-filmed and full of possibilities, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is a nothing more than major step backwards from the original 2021 outing and a mediocre effort from all involved, potentially halting the cinematic universe of Aaron Falk in its tracks.

2 hazardous waterfalls out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

I have read 'The Dry' and 'Force of Nature' and now have seen both movies.

I believe 'Force of Nature' is a stand alone movie. The negative reviews nearly put me off seeing this one. You don't need to understand anything about 'The Dry' to understand that Aaron Falk is part of the federal police.

It was clever when going back 30 odd years, that the quality of the film was grainy.

The cinematography is beautiful and whilst some of the writing is a bit clunky, overall it's a movie worth seeing on the big screen. I enjoyed the performances by Eric Bana and Anna Torv who always deliver.

It certainly makes you aware of how easily you can get lost in bush.

'Force of Nature: The Dry 2' comes 3 years after 'The Dry', and retains Detective Aaron Falk (Bana) as the lead and the flashbacks to fill in story gaps, but is otherwise a standalone film - it's certainly not dry this time, set in the rainy Dandenong ranges of eastern Victoria. The plot this time sounds simple - 5 women on a work retreat get lost in the bush. When 4 of them are rescued, Falk and Cooper (McKenzie) set out to find the missing Alice (Torv).

As the backstory unfolds - told via each of the 4 women: Alice's boss Jill (Furness), sister Lauren (McLeavy) and co-workers Bree (Ansell) & Beth (Stringer), we're able to piece together that there's more going on than anyone is initially letting on and start drawing our own conclusions. There's also the added layer of flashback's to Falk's own childhood when he and his parents were camping in the same national park and had their own situation...

Probably not as good as the first film, but still a well-made Aussie drama, with lots of tension, hope, great scenery and enough storyline to keep you interested and guessing. Good cameos from Richard Roxburgh and Tony Briggs, but the film's carried by Bana and the interaction of the 5 women and the ticking clock to find Alice before it's too late. Not too long at just under 2 hours, solid score.

Force of Nature is a lacklustre follow up to the intriguing and generally well received film The Dry.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the series of events that occur in this film, dialogue is delivered with all the forced awkwardness of a high school drama class production.

The plot lacks any serious twists and turns, and rather than leaving audiences on the edge of their seat until the killer is finally revealed it takes the viewer on a beautiful scenic tour of regional Victoria whilst listening to the characters attempt to explain how they ended up in their current situation, however you're largely left bored due to the lack of any meaningful character development, and an overall low stakes story.

Perhaps the book is fantastic and it has just been poorly adapted for screen, I thoroughly enjoyed the previous film and would score it a 7/10, this film failed to even modestly build upon the solid foundation set by its predecessor.

Force of Nature : The Dry 2 is an Australian drama filmed in Victoria's Otways, Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.

We found it well worth seeing, enjoyed the scenes in our bushland locations and tried to identify where they were.

Better than the original 'The Dry' - Plenty of tension and suspense and it was pleasing to see Anna Torv (from The Newsreader) taking part. Eric Bana and Richard Roxburg, who are familiar to us, also played their roles well as did the rest of the crew.

If you are a young person who likes the American-style bang bang shoots, this film is not for you; But for the rest of us - go and see it!

Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 is a total different story than the first movie so it's not really necessary to have seen that one first. It's again with Eric Bana, who plays the major character, a fed trying to solve the disappearance of a woman played by Anna Torv. I didn't know she was Australian, in the sci-fi series Fringe she could hide her Australian accent easily. Good acting from the entire cast. Nothing dry about the movie though, quite the opposite, as everything is very green and wet. The story is of equal quality as the first movie. You have to stay focussed so not really an easy watch.

This time around - it is more like moist ... wait is there innuendo hidden there? I hope not - if so no pun intended works even better with this than the title summary headline I chose. I would not have known this is a "sequel" to the Dry ... if the title did not suggest it on its own.

That said, as you can tell by what I've written and maybe from the plot (if you've read it), you see that this is a different beast altogether. Again no pun intended - I like Bana, he is a really good actor. The story has some twists, though I reckon you may see some if not all of them coming from a mile ... or farther away ... nice thriller ... nothing more, nothing less.

Bunch of different personalities, a missing person and many other entanglements sets up this thriller on a good foundation. An unfortunate mishap within a grand scheme that brings famous detective Falk into this Australian wilderness much damper than the previous instalment. Totally different circumstances but the conclusion is satisfactory could have been even better. Rich visuals of the greenery at last connects to Falks final statement of how nature reclaims no matter what we occupies our lives with all affairs are benath it. Great sound effects. Excellent performances by the cast. And this is another great instalment for Aaron Falk's adventures.

What a disappointing mess of a movie.

I quite enjoyed The Dry and wanted this film to be good, but it really has no redeeming features. For a film called Force of Nature, nature is a bit of a let-down, it should have been named the Somewhat Damp and the cinematography of the first film is replaced by washed-out unimpressive visuals of a nondescript forest.

The plot is sad bordering on pathetic, with a final act that is reminiscent of a 4th grade "... and then I woke up" potline. The acting is poor, the characters are shallow, the plot is puerile, and the denouement was cringeworthy. The pacing and flashbacks make the whole process migraine inducing.

All of this is made even more disappointing by the strength of the first movie.

I really enjoyed The Dry when it came out a few years back. I thought it was a good adaptation of the book (which I still have not read) and thought it had some solid drama in it aswell. Eric Bana played a decent role as the protagonist of that film, and the film had a diverse Australian cast with good characters of different cultures, genders and age differences.

So when I heard that a sequel was coming out, I went to the nearest local Australian cinema to support the national film industry, in which for this film is Screen Australia and Village Roadshow.

I was surprised that this film held up quite well, despite it being very visually different to the first. While the first film was in a remote, dry, dusty (and frankly quite boring looking) rural town in Inland Australia. This film takes place in a wet subtropical Victorian forest which what looks like was after a period of some very heavy rain. The location is constantly wet, damp looking and the creeks and waterfalls are gushing. I have to applaud the cast and crew to committing to this location in this type of weather because it looked very difficult to shoot.

There are scenes where characters get swept away in a river current, standing on the top of a waterfall and traversing over some very slippery looking terrain which was not the case for the first movie. Also the story was reasonbly interesting and at times took some good mental energy to follow, which I appreciate. I do like how the story did take some good twists and turns and wasn't dumbed down and spoon-fed like in shows like the modern version of Neighbours and Home and Away. Overall, a very solid sequel throughout.

2024 is proving to be a very interesting and hopeful year for the Australian Film and Television industry with the Netflix adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe becoming a hit, Bluey becoming more popular that it has ever been before, this movie and Furiosa releasing only a couple of months from now. It's a pretty exceptional time to be in the Aussie film industry and being a fan of Australian filmmaking.

Some critics seem to think this movie should have followed the typical "who done it" story line. That's not this film, which intertwines three stories to explain tragic events in the lives of all the players. The film's entertainment is the unraveling of the twists which revels their interconnection.

At the centre of this film is the protagonist and his connection to the events in the rain forest where a woman has become separated from her work companions. During the race to find her before she dies, we view his history with the location which introduces an element of horror regarding a mass murderer who stalked the woods decades ago.

The women who become lost have their own stories and are employed by a corrupt company. Their histories give depth to the events which unfold. The Plot is everything and the acting is top notch. The beauty of the location and cinematography captures the mood of foreboding and victimization that adheres the character's stories. This film is highly recommended for those who yearn for a story built on layers.