The SmarK DVD Rant for Australia

Film, Reviews

australia

For those who say that "they don’t make movies like they used to," I present Australia as the counterpoint. This is definitely old-fashioned film-making from the decidedly old-fashioned Baz Luhrmann, and whether that’s a good or a bad thing I leave up to the viewer. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman certainly fit the ’40s movie star image that this movie is shamelessly ripping off (specifically The African Queen, which STILL isn’t available on DVD yet for some reason) but there’s just no real movie here to back up the bombast.

Set during pre-World War II, Australia follows the adventures of Lady Sarah Ashley, who journeys from England to the land down under, only to find that her husband has been brutally murdered by those darn savage aborigines. However, since her husband was a big shot beef breeder for the Army, and rival breeder King Carney had a beef with him, you can probably connect the dots here. Certainly long before the authorities or Lady Ashley do. Her only allies are the assorted "blackfellas" from the outback who inhabit her ranch, and Jackman’s cattle-driving badass who goes only by "The Drover" for the whole movie.

So the first half of the movie is pretty good, as we meet the characters and set up the conflicts, and it’s to be an inspirational drive through the desert as the mismatched Sarah and Drover discover that they might just have something in common after all and might just pull off this crazy plan. It’s all very charming and old school and beautifully shot in the wilds of Australia. Bonds are formed, the bad guy is foiled, everyone is happy. Hell, there’s a voiceover from the precocious young "creamy" (half-Aborigine) about how everyone was so darn happy.

One problem: There’s still 90 minutes of the movie left.

This is a very, very long movie for the subject matter, and while I don’t have a problem with long movies (having sat through the equally lengthy Casino more times than I can count offhand) this one suffers from not knowing what the hell it’s even about past a certain point. After all the happiness, suddenly the movie turns into Pearl Harbor by way of Gone with the Wind, as they bring the Japanese invasion of Australia into the plot while trying to make a point about the abuses suffered by half-breed children in the 40s. Maybe if I was Australian this meandering look into history would mean something, but for me I was perfectly happy with the multiple false endings around the 100 minute mark and would have been readying myself to leave the theatre once I saw any of them. The rest of the movie doesn’t really add any useful information about the characters (and in fact kills a major one off, off-screen, as though they decided to add that extra hour to the film and then couldn’t get the actor any longer) nor make me care about the characters any more. I mean, I liked the Drover, I liked Ashley, I didn’t need to see the town get destroyed by Japanese Zeroes in order to reach any new insights about them.

That being said, much like Moulin Rouge, this is a very entertaining film that throws everything on the screen in an effort to find something to make you care. Dialogue is not exactly Oscar-worthy (at one point the villain actually stops to say "I’ve lost everything", as if we couldn’t figure that one out ourselves) and the lessons about racial tolerance are hammered home with a sledge. But you have to admire the audacity of a director who would use The Wizard of Oz as a recurring theme in a movie about Australia. And although my attentions wandered, well, pretty often, I was never actually bored and there was always something to look at or some city getting bombed to draw me back, so it worked on that level. Would I recommend going out of your way to see it? No. But if it’s on and you’re watching it, it’s as good a way to use up three hours as any, I suppose. (Rating: **1/2)

Audio & Video

Ooo, nice soundtrack here, as the music and war sounds are aggressively mixed for full over-the-top impact in Dolby Digital 5.1, luckily without overwhelming the dialogue. Equally impressive is the video transfer, capturing the beauty of the Australian landscape and the action of the bombing, with bright colors that you’d expect from a Luhrmann movie and strong contrast. (Rating: *****)

Bonus Features

There’s not really anything here, just a couple of deleted scenes. They probably should have deleted about half the movie, to be honest. (Rating: **)

The Pulse

Well, if you don’t mind the total lack of chemistry between the leads, or the annoying kid, or the three-hour run time, then this isn’t bad I suppose. But it’ll certainly be a test of your patience. Not recommended.