The problem with making a sequel to the outback-set crime thriller The Dry is that if you decide to set it in the rainforest, you’re forced to come up with a stupid title like Force of Nature: The Dry 2. And here we are.
I was a huge fan of the 2020 original–in fact, I was probably one of the few to put it in my Top 10 List of that year. Its blending of personal drama and gritty murder mystery just worked for me (its bleak, dusty setting also helped). I can’t say it needed a sequel, however. Yet here we are.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 has Eric Bana return as federal detective Aaron Falk, with him investigating the disappearance of a woman (Anna Torv, playing the kind of coworker you’d want to punch in the face–or murder if opportunity presents itself) from a corporate retreat gone horribly wrong. Falk suspects foul play considering that the woman was also an informant for a separate investigation..
Equally entertaining and forgettable, Force of Nature suffers from a few key issues, namely:
- Returning writer/director Robert Connolly’s attempt to connect this new story to Falk’s past in the same way he did with the original feels forced and half-assed
- Attempts to tie in the story of a notorious serial killer fall flat, serving more as a distraction than anything else
- Some of the things that go wrong for the women on the retreat are a little bit ridiculous, like a bit where two fight over the single map, resulting with the map lost in a river and one woman concussed
- The mystery, as it turns out, simply isn’t that good
And yet, Connolly is a deft filmmaker. Force of Nature may not have the elements needed for the great crime thriller it aspires to be, but it is nonetheless an entertaining, fast-paced story that holds your attention from start to finish. The cast of characters are interesting, and their competing takes on what happened in the brush add intrigue. Bana once again proves to be a strong protagonist.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is an unnecessary sequel, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete waste either. The journey is undoubtedly more rewarding than the end result, but that’s okay. For fans of the original, it may still be worth checking out. For everyone else, just go watch The Dry.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.