Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Blu-ray Review

Mick Visits Hollywood

Paul Hogan reprises his beloved character once more for Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. The hit franchise from the 1980s was revived in 2001 for a third installment featuring everyone’s favorite crocodile hunter from the Australian outback.

Mostly rehashing and recycling beats from the first Crocodile Dundee, Mick this time lands in Hollywood as a fish out of water. The passable family comedy doesn’t have quite the wit or charm of the first two entries, though Hogan does everything he can despite an underwhelming screenplay. A blend of action and comedy, the sequel sticks to the franchise’s familiar strengths. If you’ve caught the first two Crocodile Dundee films, there are no real surprises.

Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles isn’t a terrible sequel if you enjoy Paul Hogan’s Mick

Linda Kozlowski returns as Sue, Mick’s romantic partner. Mick and Sue have been living in Australia since we last saw them, raising their young son Mikey together. Sue gets a job offer in Los Angeles working as a journalist and the whole family tags along for the opportunity. The movie doesn’t dwell long in Australia, which is one reason why it’s not quite as successful as prior entries.

Raised in the Australian bush, Mikey is a fish out of water in LA just like his father. Finding Hollywood a strange place, some of the movie’s nicer moments are Mick teaching his son some of his many survival tricks as they adjust living there together.

Mick ultimately tangles with shady film producers from Eastern Europe he believes are drug dealers up to no good. Helping out Sue’s investigation, Mick takes various jobs like animal wrangler working around Hollywood. Mick hopes he can provide Sue with useful information on them.

A few celebrity cameos litter Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles. George Hamilton, Mike Tyson and Paul Rodriguez all have scenes with Mick, mocking their own images for cheap laughs.

The comedy loves poking fun at Hollywood while repeating some of the same jokes made in the first two films. Homage or hackery? Mick lands a job on the Paramount lot, working behind the scenes as part of a film crew. The uninspired jabs at the film industry aren’t particularly original or biting.

There just aren’t enough laughs, turning the middling blend of action, romance, and humor into a tired family film. Sue is badly lost in the plot and almost forgotten, another problem. Mick has evolved from a romantic bad boy to doting father. The loss of Walter is felt as Australian actor John Meillon passed away soon after the first sequel.

Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles isn’t a terrible sequel if you enjoy Paul Hogan’s Mick. However, something is fundamentally lacking which made the first two Crocodile Dundee movies so popular and entertaining.

Video

Fresh to Blu-ray as part of the Crocodile Dundee Trilogy, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles makes a successful debut at 1080p. The 1.78:1 presentation won’t wow anyone but offers ample definition without processing. Sharp and satisfying, it’s a film-like transfer struck from the negative with no serious issues. The video doesn’t ooze razor-sharp detail in close-ups.

The PG-rated main feature runs 94 minutes on a BD-25 with outstanding encoding parameters. The AVC encode creates mild compression noise in heavier optical scenes loaded with grain. Inky black levels and a consistent contrast shape the excellent clarity. The film elements are in stable condition with a neutral color palette and healthy flesh-tones. Maybe a little dust and debris are evident but generally the unmolested 35mm elements are in sound shape.

Audio

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio is a serviceable mix with cleanly intelligible dialogue and decent dynamics. Solid imaging and a little channel separation help spread the action over the front soundstage with occasional cues coming from the rear.

The bass provides a decent presence and foundation for the score and bigger action sequences. The soundtrack’s music is lively and lightly engaging.

Optional English, English SDH and French subtitles play in a white font. A 2.0 Dolby Digital French dub is offered.

Extras

Paramount already released Crocodile Dundee and Crocodile Dundee II on Blu-ray several years ago. Those older discs have been repackaged with Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles, making its BD debut as part of the Crocodile Dundee Trilogy. There are no announced plans by Paramount to release this third movie by itself, so consumers are forced to buy the first two movies again if they want this it on BD.

The best extras here are digital copies for all three movies, which redeem in HDX quality on either iTunes or VUDU.

The Making of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (11:27 in SD) – A vintage featurette made for the original DVD release. It has cast and crew, including Paul Hogan, discussing how he finally came up with an idea he thought was decent enough for another sequel.

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Theatrical Trailer (02:13 in SD)

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 52 full resolution, uncompressed HD screen shots grabbed directly from the Blu-ray: