“Geez, Mick, were you born in a cave?” “Yeah! How’d you know that?”

Justin’s rating: Lights, camera, mild action!

Justin’s review: Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is one of those “shadow sequels” that most people forgot existed, partially due to coming out a long time after the previous entry, partially because fans wouldn’t allow for an expansion to the franchise in their minds, and partially due to not making much of a splash on release. Shadow sequels are always fun to revisit if only to see if they deserve a second chance. I mean, usually they don’t, but there are always times that public opinion is too hasty.

So 13 years after his second outing, Paul Hogan’s laconic Mick “Crocodile” Dundee returned for a third entry that came and went without changing the world one iota. Except for me, see, because I ended up with a Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles poster right across my desk in my old office that sat in my eyeline for over a decade. Maybe it was a literal sign that I needed to review it.

(Considering that the first two movies made $610 million combined, I’m seriously surprised they didn’t do two or three more sequels in the ’90s. That always bugged me a bit.)

We’re once again reunited with the Dundee clan — Mick, Sue, and now their son Mikey — as they work and live in the Australian outback. The first 20 minutes there made me long for one Dundee movie that was 100% set in that location with Walkabout Creek’s colorful characters.

But soon enough, we’re back into a croc-out-of-water situation as Sue takes a temporary newspaper editor job in California and Mick and Mickey tag along. Sue starts to investigate some shady dealings at a movie theater, while the boys get into various misunderstandings and escapades. Eventually, Mick goes “undercover” at a studio to help his one-and-only out.

I actually had a nice time reuniting with these players. Sure, they’re a bit more long in the tooth, but they kind of lean into that. Mick is concerned with being his son’s hero even as his knees start to get creaky and he still doesn’t know all of the ins and outs of American society. Hogan’s Mick Dundee was always likable for his unique blend of simple thinking, competent action, fuzzy charisma, and a laid-back style. In a city where everyone is loud and narcissistic, Mick sticks out in all of the right ways. And I’d rather hang out with him than most macho jerks that head up action flicks.

I could’ve done without yet another movie where L.A. is deeply fascinated with itself, however. It’s a really old concept that doesn’t have a lot of fresh territory left. But Hollywood can’t resist, can it?

I want to give a shout-out to Serge Cockburn, who plays Mick’s son Mikey. So many franchises go wrong casting a bad child actor as a main character’s kid, but Mikey is a genuine delight. Sure, the accent helps, but I liked how he’s like a little Mick Dundee with the same stoic humor and ability to handle wildlife. Seeing him take out a rat in the classroom or stop traffic to get a skunk on the freeway is good times.

OK, so let’s be real: Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles isn’t some sort of hidden masterpiece. It’s a movie that you watch, get a few decent chuckles, and you walk away saying, “Fine. That was fine.” And you know what? That’s not the worst thing you can say about a sequel, it’s really not. “Fine” is hard to do with an older cast trying to recapture some sort of magic that it had over a decade ago.

Didja notice?

• Starting with a croc eye opening is freaky
• Big… big… big mistake
• Haha they both end up in the tree
• Yeah just hand a kid a giant bowie knife
• The spider in the hat — “No worries!”
• He breaks the pickpocket’s thumb without looking
• This girl is so weirdly desperate
• I don’t know if the little boy casually complementing a woman’s rear to his dad is funny or not
• This movie is definitely sponsored by Apple computers
• Nothing like getting a bunch of people almost killed over a skunk
• This has such an early 2000s soundtrack
• I too am a big fan of the Lethal Agent series
• Can’t we go one day without talking about a coffee enema?
• Not THAT Mel Gibson
• This tour guide is quite lame
• THAT’S a pocket knife
• “How’d your interview go?” “Creepy.”
• “Kill a boar? But he’s nine years old!”
• It’s a Mike Tyson! Kill it! Kill it!
• The Clapper!
• Mick’s very unnatural walk
• “Darwin Coathanger”
• That’s a lot of Wendy’s food
• When they jumped on top of the convertible. And here comes the garbage can.
• Show and Tell is more fun when you’ve got a guy who can show you a croc bite scar
• The flying cow — people love their Twister references
• Crotch knife
• The bad guy is like Evil Owen Wilson. Tell me I’m wrong.
• “Are you nuts? You can’t kill a lion with a .38 pistol! You’ll just piss him off.”
• Lions have PMS