Australia Review
Never in my wildest dreams would I have suspected that Baz Luhrmann could make a movie this good. “Australia” has such impact, a great assemblage of talented actors, and just the right amount of light-heartedness, this would be my top pick for an Oscar nomination this year, if I were handling the awards.
To lay the groundwork, let me just clue everyone in on the premise. If you, like myself, have had a hard time over the last month or so trying to glean from the previews what this movie is actually about ( it’s not just two hot Aussie actors kissing each other all the time), you can rest easy finally knowing that it’s about competition within the cattle herding industry. That’s right: cattle herding. Why would you ever make a movie about something so mundane?
Except, “Australia” is the opposite of mundane. The movie, plucked straight out of the wartime era, is instead, the best use of the word “epic”. Without being too sappy or tender, “Australia” manages to be the perfect rendition of the great classic romance. And while I’m ill-equipped to offer the male perspective on how it stacks up to some other more “masculine” options that are out right now, I will just mention, again, that the film takes place during WWII, so decide if that’s enough to keep you engaged for 2 and a half hours.
To address the bigger problem, yes, you read correctly: 2 and a half hours. This is my only complaint about the movie. It’s too long and could easily be made into two separate films entirely. We’re welcomed to the first half of the movie by the voice-over of a young aboriginal boy, Nullah (new-comer Brandon Walters), which could easily be far too cutesy, but it works nonetheless. He introduces us to Faraway Downs, the herding section of the Australian outback inherited by Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman.) Lady Ashley (known to the people of Faraway Downs as “Mrs. Boss”) is met by her match in a man only known as The Drover, played aptly by Hugh Jackman. (And no, seriously, he never gets a real name.) Along with a motley crew of others, they herd their cattle into town ahead of the competition. End of act one.
The second half of the movie dives deeper into the relationships established in the beginning. It focuses on the struggle between the good characters versus the bad characters and scenes that will keep you on your toes waiting to see if the ending will be a happy one. You may also be intrigued by Walters, who manages to hold his own against the two principle actors. He is adorable, but not in your face, and he brings the perfect amount of innocence to the film. He completely steals every scene he is in, just by existing.
So, you may have gathered that I am quite enamored of this movie. I offer the opinion that “Australia” is an incredible movie, and I trust that anyone can stay engaged the whole time, and should definitely give it a shot.
A
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