Australia: Review By unity768

Baz Luhrmann is a director with impeccable style and profoundness. He's most famous for his take on Romeo + Juliet, and the beautiful looking, transcendent musical Moulin Rouge which also has Nicole Kidman in the leading role. While watching Australia it's hard not to think of epic films like Gone with the Wind, borrowing its epic scope on a number of things including a haunting display of racism and prejudice ideals, with this movie zoning in on the 30's and 40's time era. I must be forthcoming here because I was really looking forward to this, hoping it would ultimately redefine the epic genre while creating a fascinating world with interesting, upbeat characters. And for the first half of the film, I was relishing in my hopes and dreams. But around the time the Japanese invade Darwin I was tired, exhausted, and a tad disappointed. However, Australia is still indeed worth the ticket price.

Nicole Kidman portrays Lady Ashley to the tee. She's an English aristocrat who embarks on a long journey to figure out what her husband has been doing in the mysterious, yet rugged looking outback of Darwin, Australia. When she arrives she meets Drover, a sturdy man's man who joins Lady Ashley, often called Mrs. Boss by young Nullah, played by Brandon Walters who undoubtedly deserves some sort of nomination for his perfect portrayal. If Abigail Breslin can get a nomination, why can't Walters? We soon find out that Ashley's husband is dead, suspected to be killed by King George, the mysterious old man always doing some sort of ritual in the mountains. A conspiracy done by Neil Fletcher, played by David Wenham is uncovered by Ashley and crew, and soon enough we are embarking on a journey in carrying a ton of cattle across the Northern Territory, in hopes to beat rival Carney Cattle Company to sell to the military stationed in portside Darwin.

The plot in the first act is a little thin but I was able to look past it. I enjoyed the upbeat, snappy tone of the dialogue and tone that's embedded in this beautifully shot western segment. Their must have been at least one dozen references or tributes to The Wizard of OZ, and rightfully so because OZ was indeed a big part of the cultural world during this time era. Theirs a lack of grief on the behalf of Lady Ashley in regards to her dead husband. Again, I was willing to look past this because Luhrmann designs a film that knows what it is, and knows what not to do. It seemed as if Luhrmann knew all the cliches and traditions of an old epic, and that's why Australia was likable and over-the-top with its quirkiness surrounding its characters actions. The stampede scene is done very effectively as we see our favorite character Nullah break the barriers of logic, something I was in quite shock over. Furthermore the love tension between Kidman and Jackman is quite good, keeping consistent to the happy go lucky tone of the first half, despite some tragedies striking for our supporting cast that seemingly tag along during this long and dangerous epic journey.

The film's second act, dealing with Drover and Ashley's relationship, the fate of our young Nullah, and the Japanese invasion of Darwin is where the film starts to decline. Here's where Luhrmann starts to abandon the originality of his cattle segment and dives deep into the epic cliche train ride. One character thinks another is dead, that character thinks the other is dead, a child in great danger with seemingly no hope, etc. I fair not to tell you how it all ends up, but I'll let you know it's nothing very shocking or ground breaking like I was hoping for. This act just feels lifeless, like popping a paper bag filled with air. I did not have any trouble with the long time run for Australia, but this act kept pushing me to look at my watch while I tried to engross the cliche ridden segments of the haunting and dark war scenes.

Furthermore, some general errors installed in this film is it's lack of characterization for nearly all of its characters, with Nullah being the exception. Maybe this is why Nullah is my favorite character. We know the most about him, we care deeply about his fate, and we want to learn more about his background and culture. Lady Ashley undergoes an evolution but it doesn't have much impact on the viewer because we really don't know much about her. The same can be said for our hero Drover. I appreciated Luhrmann's take on the fast paced western segments but if your going to execute fast paced sequences, you have to try and lace some development into the important scenes. He does try several times, but it's just not enough to win me over into calling this film great.

Australia, despite heavy flaws with its second act and characterizations, can indeed be called a good, near great epic. It's beautifully shot, acted to perfection, and shows a detailed observation of racism. Is it the best picture winner we were hoping for? Not by a long shot, but it deserves to be seen by viewers who want to see multiple genres tackled in a single bound, despite a somewhat messy execution on Luhrmann's behalf.