Parents' Guide to

Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Frequent peril in stale survival sequel.

Movie PG 2016 91 minutes
Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti Movie: Scene One
  • Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti Movie: Scene Two
  • Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti Movie: Scene Three

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What's the Story?

In AGAINST THE WILD 2: SURVIVE THE SERENGETI, Ryan and Emma, tween brother and sister, have just landed in southern Africa, where they are to spend some time with their father, who works in a mine. Besides the pilot, Kruger, also accompanying them on the small aircraft that will take them to the mine is Chinook, an Alaskan Malamute, who is being shipped to the mine to see his owner. However, on the flight, the pilot must take a slightly different course to avoid a thunderstorm, and the plane gets shot down by the rebels who are fighting on the unnamed country's border. The plane crashes, knocking the pilot unconscious, and Ryan and Emma rescue Kruger and Chinook moments before the plane explodes from a gas leak. Krueger is unable to move, and is in and out of consciousness, but Ryan is convinced that the mine cannot be far off, so Ryan, Emma, and Chinook venture off in search of the mine. Meanwhile, Jennifer (Jeri Ryan), upon learning of the crash, arrives in Africa post haste, joins her husband Paul, and implores Colonel Ibori, the man in charge of rescue operations, to do more to find their kids. As the days and nights pass and still no mine to be found, Ryan, Emma, and Chinook must contend with danger at nearly every turn, but also befriend an elephant along the way that they've named "Rumba." Running low on water and walking to the point of exhaustion, these resourceful kids and the ever-loyal Chinook must find a way to reunite with their parents.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is a ludicrous family adventure movie with unintentionally hilarious dialogue. Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti is a sequel that is pretty much the same story as the original Against the Wild, only substituting setting, different tween siblings, and the manner in which the kids get lost in the wilderness with Chinook, the Alaskan Malamute. In this movie, Chinook avoids a dazzle of zebras, a cheetah running at top speed, a hissing cobra, and a ravenous crocodile on the verge of eating Ryan. For their part, these kids, cut up and bruised and suffering dehydration-fueled mirages of their mother, take on hyenas, a lion, an angry elephant, and the aforementioned crocodile, prompting Ryan to exclaim somewhere around Act 3: "Africa has tried to kill us like fifty times!"

Perhaps the best that can be said about this is that the action, as ridiculous as it is, is reminiscent in mostly good ways of the old "cliffhanger" serials and movies from decades gone by that involved adventure and danger in the wilds of Africa, but without the blatant racism that also defined those serials and movies. Nonetheless, it's still not a great movie, and the dialogue includes some unintentionally hilarious moments. For instance, upon arriving in Africa, the mom, played by Jeri Ryan, informs all present that "I can't stand the thought of losing both our children!" in case you weren't sure of her motivations. Later, the dad wants his wife, the search parties, and the audience to know that "I won't give up. Not by a long shot!" It's unintended entertainment for what is otherwise an uninspired movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about family adventure movies like Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti. How does this compare to other family adventure movies you've seen?

  • Was the peril that the kids faced excessive, or was it necessary to the movie? Why?

  • In the past, movies set in Africa were almost always filled with stereotypes of African people and their customs. How are the African characters represented in this movie?

Movie Details

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