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Baz Luhrmann dreamed of making the Australian " Gone With the Wind ," and so he has, with much of that film's lush epic beauty and some of the same awkwardness with a national legacy of racism. This is the sort of film described as a "sweeping romantic melodrama," a broad family entertainment that would never have been made without the burning obsession of its producers (Luhrmann for "Australia," David O. Selznick for "GWTW"). Coming from a director known for his punk-rock "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" and the visual pyrotechnics of " Moulin Rouge ," it is exuberantly old-fashioned, and I mean that as a compliment.

The movie is set in 1939. Hitler has invaded Poland. The armies of the free world will need beef. In England, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) is alarmed by reports that her husband is philandering on his enormous cattle station, Faraway Downs, in northern Australia. She comes to see for herself, but arrives to find him murdered. Now the owner of an expanse large as some countries, she dresses as if for tea. The British long followed the practice of dressing in warm climates as if they were not, and Lady Ashley keeps up the standard.

Here is the situation she finds: Drover ( Hugh Jackman ), named for his trade, is a rough-hewn free-standing cowboy who has never seen a woman anything like her. He runs cattle drives. She wants him to become manager of the station, but he's a rolling stone. At Faraway Downs, he drives with experienced Aborigine ranch hands, and has under his special protection the Aboriginal boy Nullah ( Brandon Walters ), who is 11 or 12. Nullah's grandfather is King George ( David Gulpilil , who played a boy about Nullah’s age in “ Walkabout ” from 1971). He has been accused of the murder of Lady Ashley's husband, and has fled to a mountaintop, from which he seemingly sees everything. Nullah is a beautiful boy, biracial, bright, filled with insight, and he provides the narration for the film.

As "Australia" is essentially a Western, there must be an evil rancher with a posse of stooges, and there is: King Carney ( Bryan Brown ). He wants to add Faraway Downs to his empire. Much will depend on whether Carney or Faraway can be first to deliver cattle in the port city of Darwin. Lady Ashley, prepared to sell out to Carney, sees things that make her reconsider, and determines to join Drover, Nullah and a ragtag band on a cattle drive that will eventually lead into No Man's Land. Meanwhile, the delicate lady and the rugged Drover begin to fall in love, just like Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.

She grows to love the boy and emotionally adopts him. Nullah is under constant threat of being swept up by the local police, enforcing a national policy of "capturing" part-white aboriginal children and taking them to missions where they can "have the black bred out of them" and trained to be servants. Incredibly, this practice was ended by Australia only in 1973. And you think we were slow to change.

All the elements are in place for a cross between "GWTW" and " Red River ," with an infusion of " Rabbit-Proof Fence " (2002) and World War II. Luhrmann, known for his close work with the camera, pulls back here to show the magnificent landscape and the enormity of the cattle drive. The cattle are supplied mostly by CGI, which explains how they can seem to stampede toward a high cliff. No doubt some will find this scene hokey, but it also provides the movie's dramatic high point, with Nullah channeling the teachings of his grandfather.

It's a great scene, but it also dramatizes the film's uncertainty about race. Luhrmann is rightly contemptuous of Australia's "re-education" policies; he shows Nullah taking pride in his heritage and paints the white enforcers as the demented racists they were. But "Australia" also accepts aboriginal mystical powers lock, stock and barrel, and that I think may be condescending.

Well, what do you believe? Can the aboriginal people materialize wherever they desire? Become invisible? Are they telepaths? Can they receive direct guidance from the dead? Yes, certainly, in a spiritual or symbolic sense. But in a literal sense? If Nullah is prescient at some times, then why does he turn into a scared little boy who needs rescuing? The Australians, having for decades treated their native people as subhuman, now politely endow them with godlike qualities. I am not sure that is a compliment. What they suffered, how they survived, how they prevailed and what they have accomplished, they have done as human beings, just as we all must.

The film is filled with problems caused by its acceptance of mystical powers. If Nullah is all-seeing and prescient at times, then why does he turn into a scared little boy who needs rescuing? The climactic events require action sequences as thrilling as they are formulaic, as is the love story. Scarlett and Rhett were products of the same society. Lady Sarah and Drover meet across a divide that separates not only social class but lifestyle, education and geography. Such a gap can be crossed, but not during anything so simple as a moonlit night with "Over the Rainbow" being played on a harmonica.

"GWTW," for all its faults and racial stereotyping, at least represented a world its makers believed in. "Australia" envisions a world intended largely as fable, and that robs it of some power. Still, what a gorgeous film, what strong performances, what exhilarating images and -- yes, what sweeping romantic melodrama. The kind of movie that is a movie, with all that the word promises and implies.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Australia (2008)

Rated PG-13‎ for some violence, sexuality and brief strong language

165 minutes

Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah

Hugh Jackman as Drover

Brandon Walters as Nullah

David Wenham as Neil Fletcher

Bryan Brown as King Carney

Directed by

Baz Luhrmann
Stuart Beattie
Ronald Harwood
Richard Flanagan

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Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality. Read critic reviews

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Australia photos.

With the globe on the brink of World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) travels from Britain to Australia to inspect a cattle ranch she inherited. Reluctantly joining forces with a rugged local known as the Drover (Hugh Jackman), she sets out on a cattle drive across hundreds of miles of harsh terrain to save her ranch. But when they finally reach the town of Darwin, they must contend with the same Japanese bombers that just rained death upon Pearl Harbor.

Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language|A Scene of Sensuality|Some Violence)

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War, Western

Original Language: English

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Producer: G. Mac Brown , Baz Luhrmann , Catherine Knapman

Writer: Baz Luhrmann , Stuart Beattie

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2008 wide

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013

Box Office (Gross USA): $49.6M

Runtime: 2h 45m

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Production Co: Bazmark Films

Cast & Crew

Nicole Kidman

Lady Sarah Ashley

Hugh Jackman

David Wenham

Neil Fletcher

Bryan Brown

King Carney

Jack Thompson

Kipling Flynn

David Gulpilil

King George

Brandon Walters

Essie Davis

Cath Carney

David Ngoombujarra

Ben Mendelsohn

Capt. Dutton

Administrator Allsop

Kerry Walker

Myrtle Allsop

Gloria Carney

Ursula Yovich

Lillian Crombie

Angus Pilakui

Jacek Koman

Sgt. Callahan

Ray Barrett

Baz Luhrmann

Screenwriter

Stuart Beattie

G. Mac Brown

Catherine Knapman

Mandy Walker

Cinematographer

Film Editing

Michael McCusker

Catherine Martin

Production Design

Costume Design

David Hirschfelder

Original Music

Ronna Kress

Nikki Barrett

Supervising Art Direction

Beverley Dunn

Set Decoration

News & Interviews for Australia

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Box Office Guru Wrapup: Four Christmases has a lot to be thankful for this weekend

Critic Reviews for Australia

Audience reviews for australia.

bugger me, good baz luhrmann. it hurts usually to watch his stuff but this one's quintessentially not all about the glam & focuses on embracing family values, the need to be there for your fellow man otherwise we're just animals... the scenes with the marauding japs attacking by air or land were genuienely freaky and although the acting left something to be desired the visuals were bonza & the sheer epicness was most definitely a mazzzzive plus!!

It's not awful, but it certainly lacks the tongue-in-cheek spark of other Baz Luhrmann films, thus rendering the emotion quite melodramatic. I wouldn't say the movie could've ended three times (in that it was too long and repetitive), but new plot points just kept building on and on. There's always more. This must have been when Nicole Kidman was Botoxing it cuz her face is a bit plasticky, and she overmugs to compensate. Brandon Walters as the half-Aborigine boy, Nullah, is plucky and exuberant. Hugh Jackman is rough and gruff on the outside, marshmallows and puppy dogs on the inside.

It's a very theatrical Baz Luhrmann film starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, so how in the world did this film make it out without being a musical? This does seem to be Luhrmann tricking these big talents into his film, because I'd imagine Hugh Jackman was in on the idea of doing a Baz Luhrmann musical, until he found out that it's not actually a musical, whereas Nicole Kidman was in on the idea of finally returning to her Australian roots, only to end up playing an Englishwoman visiting Australia. I'd imagine Kidman is dying to go back to Aussie, because even her country musician husband is Australian, so you know that she's got to be getting tired of the foreign life. Eh, I think that this film is Australian enough for her to not mind too much, because make no mistake, this film is so Australian it's not even funny, mate. Okay, well, maybe some of the comic relief is a little bit chuckle-worthy, though not quite in the way it was hoping for. I like this film quite a bit and all, but yeah, maybe Luhrmann should stick with Shakespeare and, well, musicals, because he seriously needs to save all of this melodrama for his mama... as well as Shakespeare and musicals... and "The Great Gatsby". Of course, until then, we're stuck with this, which I suppose I don't mind too much, because, hey, it's still a good epic, and I do enjoy a good epic, though I tend to enjoy the epics that this one should have been as good as a little bit more, for although this film makes a hit for every miss, it still has to miss before it can "come back for that hit" (Really forced boomerang joke, anyone?). On paper, this film seems as though it's going to present something of a challenge to those looking for full assurance that this, in fact, a Baz Luhrmann film, but really, this film practically wastes no time in reminding you of Luhrmann's presence as director, as the early parts of the development segment are, well, to put it bluntly, embarassing, dashing through characterization and hurrying through exposition at an insanely rapid pace, made worse by frenetically flashy tone that cheeses up and hurries out one development point after another. After the development segment, things get a little bit more comfortable, yet Baz Luhrmann's problematic stylistic touches certainly don't slow down, for although substance and style mostly goes hand-in-hand, there are quite a few occasions in which Luhrmann overwhelms with style, leaving substance to either fall flat or go enhanced to the point of bearing down, typically in a cheesy fashion. Still, it's not like it's only Luhrmann's direction that's cheesy, for although the cheesy directorial executions certainly worsen the sting of the cheesiness within the writing, the fact of the matter is that much cheesiness dates as far as the scripting stage, when Luhrmann and his fellow writers (If this many writers couldn't get Luhrmann to calm down and man up, then they must have been in on it) tainted this film with occasions of improvable dialogue and corny and rather predictable comic relief, as well as such cheesy consistent concepts as a narration by the little, broken English-speaking mulatto native child and, worst of all, histrionics. Baz Luhrmann sure loves his melodrama, yet this is no "Romeo + Juliet" or "Moulin Rouge!".... or "The Great Gatsby" (It better be good, Baz), and all of the overblown histrionics and other faulty dramatic approaches found here drench the drama in profound unsubtlety, made worse by thin characterization, which, in and of itself, is made worse by the characters' being among the many trite components to this film's considerable genericism. In many surprising ways, Baz Luhrmann seems fit for a film of this type, yet in many more expected ways, he doesn't fit, being unprepared to handle a film of this type, and for goodness' sakes, he's producer, writer and director, and even the creator of this story that he messes up with such awkwardness in his execution of such strong story, which deserves better. The subject matter and certain parts of the story structure, it's fairly clear that Baz Luhrmann wanted this to be the Australian "Gone with the Wind", and it's not at all like he's a rather incompetent filmmaker, because he is a very good filmmaker, it's just that he's been conditioned to stay within his element, concise and flashy melodramas, and when presented with this more sprawling, restrained and realist epic drama, he chokes a bit under pressure and inexperience and turns what should have been a stellar, if rather conventional epic into an uneven and overblown unrealized ambition. That being said, note my earlier statement that Baz Luhrmann is a very good filmmaker, for although his limited diversity limits this film and leaves it to fall short of potential, what Luhrmann does right her does as well as you would expect him to, and just enough for this film to hit much more than miss and ultimately reward by the end, partially because of the very style that actually weakens the film as well. As far as filmmaking style and certain dramatic aspects are concerned, you better believe that Baz Luhrmann soars over the top, yet on the whole, when it comes to reality and overall world structuring, Luhrmann takes relative restraint, so don't go in expecting this film's production designs to be anything close to "Moulin Rouge!" mind-blowing, yet do go in expecting Luhrmann's tastes to deliver nonetheless, as always, for although the production and costumes aren't especially upstanding, they construct this film's dynamic and grand world with authenticity and attractive slickness, made all the more attractive by Mandy Walker's contributions. Again, the production designs aren't at all as flashy as they are in other Baz Luhrmann efforts, nor does Mandy Walker seem quite as skilled in the photographic arts as Donald McAlpine, so it's not like the cinematography on this film is consistently breathtakingly colorful, yet it is still consistently colorful and detailed with an attractive brightness, as well as a certain broadness in scope that supplements this film's epic sweep, and by extension, engagement value. This photographic skill, as well as the strong production and technical value (We'll forget about how off-putting quite a few visual effects get to be) and generic yet grand score work by David Hirschfelder, certainly come in handy during the action sequences, which are, I must say, pretty excellent, with dyanmic staging and grand sweep that not only dazzles, but plunges you into the heat of the moment and delivers on intensity that may not always form full-on golden moments in this film, yet definately raise consequence, thus giving this story the weight that it needs, yet doesn't always get. Still, as messily handled as the story often is in this film, no matter how much its been done and redone, it remains worthy, with themes and depths that often go undercut by the missteps made in this film, yet remain potent enough to bypass the faultiness of their translation and create a default degree of intrigue, intensified by colorful performances. Our performers have little to work with, and what material they do have is as stock as the characters our performers stand behind, yet at the end of the day, this is still a colorful cast of talents, all of whom, to one extent or another, charm, with leads Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman particularly doing what they can to stretch out their thin character the most, to the point of giving our leads some layers and depth to go with charisma, as well as some sharp chemistry. The performers aren't asked to do much, and do just that, yet they do help in keeping the film going, with one of the most significant talents who help in bringing this film to life being the very performer who hurts this film so much: the performer who sits behind the camera, for although Baz Luhrmann gets very much out of hand, when it's all said and done with, I would still fancy him a strong director who may not have the experience or sensibilities to handle a film of this type, yet manages to hold his own with certain aspects that are universal and have very much been explored by the talented director time and again, and with success almost every time, including here, as Luhrmann keeps the film, if nothing else, consistently lively and entertaining with charm and spirit spawned from both ambition and competent storytelling, while finding occasions in which he pinpoints genuineness and depth through all of the dramatic faultiness and strikes, maybe not quite as deeply as did in "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge!", being that this film's dramatic aspects are diluted by the histrionics and melodrama that fit in other Baz Luhrmann efforts that were much less grounded, yet to where he leaves the film to resonate as much as it can and deliver on much of what it needs to when it needs to most, whether it be epic sweep within the film's scope, tension within the action, or, yes, even emotion within the drama, particularly during the unexpectedly riveting later acts (Ending got kind of corny again, though). This film deserves to be better, and certainly deserves better then what Baz Luhrmann all too often gives it, yet for every mistake Luhrmann makes that reminds us that he's still not quite ready to take on film of this type, there are strengths that range from commendable to golden and remind us that Luhrmann still has the talent to do a film of this type right one day, and while that day was not this film's day, there's still enough inspiration behind this faulty epic to make it sometimes powerful, consistently engaging and ultimately worthwhile. When you get downunder-I mean, down to it, this should-be more restrained film goes tainted by Baz Luhrmann's fluffy overstylizing and cheesiness, as well as ceaseless genericisms, limited character layers and, of course, a profound lack of subtlety within the melodrama and histrionics that plague this film's dramatic aspects and help in leaving Luhrmann's worthy vision quite a ways away from what it should have been, yet not so far that you don't see glimpses of a stronger film, many of the components of which are far from distant, whether they be upstanding production designs and handsome cinematography, dazzling and intense action sequences or, of course, a story strong enough to lay down a degree of default intrigue, brought to life by performances more colorful than the characters themselves are written to be - with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman particularly stretching their characters out as much as they can, partially through compelling chemistry -, as well as by what is done right in Baz Luhrmann's direction, which provides consistent entertainment value and charm, broken up by the occasions of emotional effectiveness and epic sweep that help in making Luhrmann's "Australia" an often engaging and generally rewarding effort, faulty though, it may be. 3/5 - Good

I'm really giving this film 4.25 stars in my mind...I feel that 4 isn't enough, but 4.5 is a bit too much. I think it's better to underrate a film than to overrate it, however. Anyway, this is a really good film chronicling the lives of the three main characters. It really feels like parts of several different films all rolled into one, which is good because it keeps each specific sequence from getting boring. You'll understand what I mean when you see this film. You have to keep in mind that this is a ridiculously long film, coming in at 2 hours and 45 minutes basically. This is my main problem with this movie...it's much longer than it needs to be. Don't get me wrong, almost every scene is done really well, but there's obviously a point where it's gonna drag, especially if you're watching it in one sitting at home. I don't know if it would've been fun to watch in the theater or outright torture after the two hour mark. Throw in some previews and getting there early to get popcorn or whatever, and you would've been looking at a 3 and a half hour experience, which is Lord of the Rings-esque. The problem is, nobody warns you that this is nearly a three hour film. And it was marketed incorrectly...if anyone remembers the previews at all, there was never a clear idea what the movie was about, just that it was set in Australia. To be fair, this is kind of a hard movie to categorize: it has so many different elements of it, and it doesn't help that the title makes you believe that the film is completely about Australia. Yes, that's where it's set, and it does have to do with a lot of the country's history, but the subject matter changes throughout the film. The first part of the film is kind of like a murder mystery, another part deals with prejudice against the aboriginals in Australia, the next is an adventure story of sorts, with one part that's completely romance-based, and then the final part of the film plays out like a war film, detailing the town's bombardment by the Japanese during World War II. Confused yet? The different elements of this film come and go, as do characters and faces. It's enough to give the audience whiplash. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie in one sitting. It's really good, but when the mood changes in the film, it feels kinda like you just put a new movie on. While this is interesting, it kinda makes you feel that you just finished a movie and don't want to watch another one, as silly as that sounds. Watch Australia in a couple of different sittings, and you'll be good...just don't watch it all in one go.

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Australia the film starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

T he ambitious, not to say hubristic, title Australia brings to mind the blockbuster novels of James A Michener that took a place (Hawaii, Poland, Texas) and gave us its history from the Stone Age to the present, incorporating in the later stages a romantic tale of the struggles of three or four generations. Baz Luhrmann does something vaguely like this by having a 12-year-old Aboriginal boy steeped in the lore of his people narrate the story, though the setting is confined to the Northern Territory and the time frame a mere three years from the outbreak of war in 1939 to the Japanese air raids on Darwin in 1942. But a condensed TV mini-series is nearer the mark.

Australia is populated by faces made familiar by Australian films of the past 40-odd years - Ray Barrett, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, Bill Hunter, Tony Barry, David Gulpilil among them - and in a superficial way it revisits the heroic period of Australian cinema in the 1970s and 80s. That was when Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi, Bruce Beresford and others were exploring - in movies like Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and Gallipoli - such pressing issues as the relationship of white Australians to this mysterious new land, guilt over the treatment of dispossessed natives, the burden of cultural inferiority and the shaping of a national identity. The next wave of film-makers turned away from these big subjects, focusing on comedies and small-scale dramas of suburban life.

Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom was a major example of this new antiheroic cinema and his next two movies - a Romeo and Juliet set in Latin America and the musical extravaganza of fin-de-siècle Paris, Moulin Rouge - took him into worlds of artifice far removed from everyday life. But Australia isn't really taking up the themes that once made Australian cinema so vital. It's imposing Hollywood styles and forms on the Australian experience and it falls into two distinct parts, the first a western, the second a war movie.

Australian film historian Brian McFarlane coined the term "wallaby western" to describe Outback adventures inspired by the Hollywood horse operas that have been a regular feature of cinema Down Under since the silent days. In Luhrmann's film, Nicole Kidman plays Lady Sarah Ashley, a parodic British aristocrat who flies in September 1939 to Australia, where her errant husband runs a cattle station in the Northern Territory. Meeting her in Darwin to escort her to the farm is "the Drover" (Hugh Jackman), a tough, independent wrangler.

They correspond exactly to the haughty East Coast sophisticate arriving on the American frontier with her fancy city ways and the plainspoken cowboy at home on the range, so often played by Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne. Initially hostile to each other, the pair develop a mutual respect and romance inevitably follows. This occurs when Lady Ashley's husband is found dead (murdered by thugs employed by a rival cattle baron) and to save the station's fortunes, she and the Drover must take a herd hundreds of miles to be shipped out of Darwin.

Two major Wayne westerns are here brought together - Red River and The Cowboys - and in an exciting, melodramatic manner the cattle drive takes place over awesome terrain to music that echoes familiar scores by Dmitri Tiomkin and Elmer Bernstein. A subplot centres on Lady Ashley's protective relationship to the narrator Nullah (affectingly played by Brandon Walters), a half-Aboriginal boy. She attempts to save him from being sent by law to a mission school and raised as a déraciné white child. This parallels the half-Indians torn between conflicting cultures in the western.

The war movie genre forms the second half of Australia. The escalation of hostilities following Pearl Harbor coincides with the deep-dyed villain conspiring to have Nullah taken into custody. As European children are sent south from Darwin for safety, Nullah and other half-Aboriginal orphans are dispatched to a mission island near Darwin that puts them directly in harm's way.

Fortunately, Lady Ashley, having separated, à la Scarlett and Rhett, from the Drover, has left her equivalent of Tara to do her bit for the war effort in Darwin. While they rush around trying to save Nullah, one mini-climax follows another as the Japanese air force attacks the city and their army lands on the orphans' island. At this point, Luhrmann evokes From Here to Eternity, Pearl Harbor, Gone With the Wind (the burning of Atlanta and its aftermath) and wartime anti-Japanese action movies.

It is all absurd, and yet absurdly entertaining, the stylised special effects adding to the weirdly unreal feeling. But you don't go to Baz Luhrmann expecting to find Patrick White, any more than you buy a ticket for South Pacific expecting to experience The Naked and the Dead. Meanwhile, the numinous presence of the Aboriginal shaman, Nullah's grandfather King George (David Gulpilil), and the movie of The Wizard of Oz hover over the picture. Lady Ashley cheers up Nullah on the cattle drive by telling him the story of Dorothy's quest and singing a half-remembered version of Over the Rainbow; later, Nullah sees the movie at an open-air cinema. As Baum's Oz meets Baz's Oz, "dream time" merges into the Hollywood cliche of "living your dream".

The movie ends with Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations accompanying Nullah on walkabout with King George. The world is at war, but Europe and Australia, city and country, past and future are at peace as the Drover and Lady Ashley embrace in their outback paradise. When they marry, will she be called Lady Drover?

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The Observer

Oh Give Me a Home Where the Cowboys and Kangaroos Roam

By Manohla Dargis

Nov. 25, 2008

Baz Luhrmann’s continent-size epic, “Australia,” isn’t the greatest story ever it’s several dozen of the greatest stories ever told, “The African Queen,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Once Upon a Time in the West” included. A pastiche of genres and references wrapped up though, more often than not, whipped up into one demented and generally diverting horse-galloping, cattle-stampeding, camera-swooping, music-swelling, mood-altering widescreen package, this creation story about modern Australia is a testament to movie love at its most devout, cinematic spectacle at its most extreme, and kitsch as an act of aesthetic communion.

Mr. Luhrmann’s use of culturally degraded forms both here and in earlier films like “Moulin Rouge” doesn’t register as either a conceptual strategy or a cynical commercial ploy or some combination of the two, as it can with art world jesters like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami, who have appropriated kitsch as a (more or less) legitimate postmodern strategy. Instead it feels feeling being paramount in all of Mr. Luhrmann’s films like a sincere cry from the swelling, throbbing heart, a true expression of self. And while that self and its gaudy work may be stitched together from the bits and pieces of pop culture the son of a movie-theater owner, Mr. Luhrmann grew up worshiping at the altar of Hollywood they are also wholly sincere.

Sincere, if also sometimes confused and confusing: though there is no denying the scope and towering ambition of “Australia,” which was largely shot on location in the outback, it can be difficult to gauge Mr. Luhrmann’s intentions, or rather his level of self-awareness. The film begins with some text that scrolls importantly across the screen, immediately setting the uncertain tone with some (serious?) twaddle about Australia as a land of “adventure and romance.” Before you have a chance to harrumph indignantly about the oppression of the Aborigines (or sneer at the country’s early imported criminal population), the text has skipped to the topic of “the stolen generations,” the children of indigenous peoples who, from the 19th century well into the 20th, were forcibly separated from their cultures by white Australians in the name of God and civilization.

But no worries! Though “Australia” is narrated by a young boy of mixed race, Nullah (the newcomer Brandon Walters), the illegitimate son of an Aboriginal mother and a white father, who is trying to escape the authorities, and while it opens in 1939, shortly before World War II blasted Australian shores, the film isn’t a bummer. Like every other weighty or would-be weighty moment that passes through Mr. Luhrmann’s soft-filtering lens a man being trampled to death by rampaging cattle or a city being annihilated by bombing Japanese warplanes the calamities of history are merely colorful grist for his main interest, the romance between a wilted English rose, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), and an itinerant Australian cattleman, the Drover (Hugh Jackman).

The lady and the tramp meet soon after she lands in Australia to track down her cattleman husband, whose early murder sets all the narrative pieces in place. Initially intent on selling her property, including 1,500 head of cattle, Sarah soon transforms into a frontierswoman, seduced by Nullah’s smile and the majestic valleys and peaks of both the land and of the Drover’s musculature. Although Ms. Kidman and Mr. Jackman are initially riffing on Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart’s prickly courtship in “The African Queen” later, as they heat up, they slip into a sexier Scarlett-and-Rhett dynamic only Ms. Kidman really embraces the more comic and potentially embarrassing aspects of her role, giving herself over to Mr. Luhrmann and his occasionally cruel camera with a pronounced lack of vanity.

Though looking bad (or at least less than perfect) on camera is a particular form of vanity for actors, Ms. Kidman has in recent years generally erred on the side of physical perfection, sometimes to the detriment of her performances. But she’s wonderfully and fully expressive here, from wince-worthy start to heartbreaking finish, whether she’s wrinkling her nose in mock disgust or rushing across a dusty field, her arms pumping so wildly that it’s a wonder well water doesn’t spring from her mouth. It’s a ludicrous role not long after priming her pump, the barren widow turns into a veritable fertility goddess but she rides Sarah’s and the story’s ups and downs with ease. Mr. Jackman gives the movie oomph; Ms. Kidman gives it a performance.

More than anything else in the film, Nullah included, Ms. Kidman tethers “Australia” to the world of human feeling and brings Mr. Luhrmann’s outrageous flights of fancy down to earth. That may not be where he prefers to make movies, but it’s a necessary place for even a fantasist to visit. Although many of his Western contemporaries like to root around in down-and-dirty realism, Mr. Luhrmann maintains a full-throttle commitment to cinematic illusion and what he characterizes as the “heightened artifice” of his so-called Red Curtain trilogy, “Strictly Ballroom,” “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge.” You may not always see the people for the production design in these, but when you do as in “Romeo + Juliet” and sometimes here they spring forth from their fantastical milieus like fists.

A maximalist, Mr. Luhrmann doesn’t simply want to rouse your laughter and tears: he wants to rouse you out of a sensory-overloaded stupor with jolts of passion and fabulous visions. That may make him sound a wee bit Brechtian, but he’s really just an old-fashioned movie man, the kind who never lets good taste get in the way of rip-roaring entertainment. The usual line about kitsch is that it’s an affront, a cheapening of the culture, a danger. “Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession,” Milan Kundera wrote. “The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass! It is the second tear that makes kitsch kitsch.”

True, but it doesn’t make the second tear any less wet.

“Australia” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Some bloody violence, many stampeding hooves.

Opens on Wednesday nationwide.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann; written by Mr. Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood and Richard Flanagan; director of photography, Mandy Walker; edited by Dody Dorn and Michael McCusker; music by David Hirschfelder; production designer, Catherine Martin; produced by Mr. Luhrmann, G. Mac Brown and Catherine Knapman; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes.

WITH: Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley), Hugh Jackman (the Drover), David Wenham (Neil Fletcher), Bryan Brown (King Carney), Jack Thompson (Kipling Flynn), David Gulpilil (King George) and Brandon Walters (Nullah).

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Messy but engrossing epic about race, love, and war.

A Lot or a Little?

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

The movie's historically accurate storyline -- in

A woman is underestimated as not being brave or bo

Several scenes of disturbing violence, including t

The film's stars have an electric chemistry that's

Lots of "crikey"; other language includes infreque

Australians are portrayed as hard drinking. Variou

Positive Messages

The movie's historically accurate storyline -- in which half-aboriginal, half-white children are taken away from their homes and taught how to be domestic servants in white society -- is meant to teach an historical lesson about racism toward native cultures. Other messages include love triumphing against the odds and people finding family in unexpected places.

Positive Role Models

A woman is underestimated as not being brave or bold enough to run her own cattle farm in a dangerous territory, but she shows the men around her that she can hold her own. A couple from different social classes falls in love and further goes against the norms of the time by socializing with aboriginal people. Some characters are outright villains with no redeeming qualities.

Violence & Scariness

Several scenes of disturbing violence, including two men being speared to death, one man getting thrown into crocodile-infested waters, a woman drowning, a man being trampled to death by a stampede of cows, a young boy being struck by an adult, World War II bombings/explosions, burned characters, and the death of a well-liked character. A few instances of violence are episodes of men sacrificing themselves to save other characters. A kangaroo is hunted, but the scene is played for laughs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

The film's stars have an electric chemistry that's accompanied by a lot of sexual tension. Jackman's character in particular is depicted as incredibly sexually attractive; there are several scenes of him shirtless. A scene in which a white man knocks on an aboriginal woman's door for sex (he's later shown buckling his belt, etc.) is somewhat disturbing. A couple passionately kisses several times and makes love on a bed, but there's no nudity. A woman takes a bath in front of a man (no camera shots below the shoulders). A boy is aware of sexual behavior and calls it "wrong-headed business."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Lots of "crikey"; other language includes infrequent uses of words like "damn," "bloody," and "bastard." One use of "f--king." Several characters use disparaging terms to refer to aboriginal and half-aboriginal people, including "creamy."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Australians are portrayed as hard drinking. Various adults drink hard liquor in and out of a pub. One man is known as a drunk and sneaks alcohol on most occasions.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this historical melodrama stars popular Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman , but even with that level of celebrity wattage, it's unlikely to attract tweens and younger teens. But older teens, especially mature girls, may be drawn to the romance that's played up in the advertising. The film deals with mature themes like racism, greed, war, class consciousness, and sexual politics. The violence is realistic and occasionally bloody -- characters are speared, shot, burned, drowned, and beaten. The characters' sexual chemistry and tension turns into several passionate kisses and a love-making scene in which bare shoulders, a man's chest, and a woman's underwear, back, and legs are all visible. The Northern Territory is portrayed as full of hard-drinking, aboriginal-hating men and demure, high-society couples. Mature teens who see the film are likely to learn about about Australia's role in World War II and how the country historically treated its indigenous people. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (7)
Kids say (17)

Based on 7 parent reviews

Excellent movie

Really beautiful in scenery and story., what's the story.

Set in Australia's Northern Territory before World War II, AUSTRALIA follows Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat who travels Down Under to convince her husband to sell their unprofitable cattle farm. From the moment she arrives, she's completely out of her element, and then a mysterious tragedy leaves her a widow with a property she doesn't know how to manage -- and a greedy, villainous competitor to outsmart. Enter grizzled drifter Drover (Hugh Jackman), the only person Sarah can trust to help save her cattle farm. As the two battle harsh elements and unforgiving odds, they (predictably) fall in love and take guardianship of Nullah (Brandon Walters), an orphaned biracial aboriginal boy they must protect from the authorities who seek to strip him of his culture and teach him to become a servant in white society.

Is It Any Good?

Baz Luhrmann isn't subtle, so it's no surprise that this compelling movie -- the most expensive one ever made Down Under -- has been criticized as a self-indulgent, grandiose, and bumpy ride. It is all of those things, not to mention overlong and campy. But despite its flaws (multiple endings, an uneven tone, and overall hamminess), it's also an utterly riveting, lushly photographed epic with all the high-stakes melodrama of the 1939 films it's an homage to: The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind (Jackman, like George Clooney , is one of a handful of modern leading men who can channel the dashing Clark Gable ).

The film's pre-World War II acts work best, when Sarah and Drover -- along with the adorable Nullah and their other aboriginal associates -- band together to drove their cattle across barren no man's land to challenge the Australian beef industry's oligarch King Carney and his henchman Neil Fletcher ( David Wenham ) for a lucrative Army contract. The perilous adventure culminates in a boring society ball where Jackman makes a grand entrance and sweeps Sarah away in the rain. Kisses in the rain are as formulaic as film scenes come, but it doesn't matter when the leading couple is so appealing. So, as choppy and manipulative as the two-and-a-half-hour tale can get, the Man Behind the Curtain's gift for theatricality makes Australia hard to resist.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the film's big issues. What do your kids think about the way the film addresses race, and how do they think things have changed since the film's era?

How were World War II-era racial tensions in Australia similar to and different from those in America?

How accurate do you think the movie is in portraying Australia's history? What did you learn about the country that you didn't know before seeing the movie?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 26, 2008
On DVD or streaming : March 3, 2009
Cast : David Wenham , Hugh Jackman , Nicole Kidman
Director : Baz Luhrmann
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Drama
Run time : 165 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language
Last updated : September 25, 2023

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Film review: australia.

With his audaciously titled epic "Australia," Baz Luhrmann has delivered a shamelessly melodramatic, often eccentric spectacle with true-blue blockbuster potential.

By Megan Lehmann

Megan Lehmann

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SYDNEY — With his audaciously titled epic “Australia,” Baz Luhrmann has delivered a shamelessly melodramatic, often eccentric spectacle with true-blue blockbuster potential. The most expensive Australian film ever made is rousing and passionate. Despite some cringe-making Harlequin Romance moments between homegrown Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the 1940s-set “Australia” defies all but the most cynical not to get carried away by the force of its grandiose imagery and storytelling.

And, yes, there are kangaroos. The Bottom Line Empty

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Where to Watch

Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley) Hugh Jackman (Drover) Shea Adams (Carney Boy #3) Eddie Baroo (Bull) Ray Barrett (Ramsden) Tony Barry (Sergeant Callahan) Jamal Sydney Bednarz (Mission Boy) Damian Bradford (Constable #1) Bryan Brown (King Carney) Nathin Art Butler (Carney Boy #1)

Baz Luhrmann

In 1939, an Englishwoman inherits a sprawling ranch in northern Australia and reluctantly makes a pact with a stockman to drive 2000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape.

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The auteur's 2008 drama starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will get a new life on the streamer

Baz Luhrmann deserves credit for being daring—and for upping the dare with each movie. After 1992's affable Strictly …

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3 out of 5 stars
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Release details.

Release date: Friday 26 December 2008
Duration: 165 mins

Cast and crew

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Screenwriter: Baz Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Richard Flanagan, Stuart Beattie
Nicole Kidman
Hugh Jackman
Brandon Walters
David Gulpilil
Bryan Brown
David Wenham
Essie Davis
Ben Mendelsohn

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Review: Australia (2008)

Australia (2008).

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Premise: Just before the breakout of World War II, an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) inherits a cattle ranch in Northern Australia where a mixed-race aboriginal boy (Brandon Walters) and his family maintain the property. When a corrupt competitor threatens to take the land, they hire an experienced cattle hand (Hugh Jackman) to lead their livestock over the terrain.

What Works: Australia shows off director Baz Luhrmann’s talent for showmanship with some terrific visuals and a few well done action sequences, namely a cattle stampede that is edited together extremely well. The subplot of the story deals with the racism of Australian history, and it does this material fairly well. The picture acknowledges and incorporates racism into its intended summary of Australian history and then manages to make some commentary on it while not letting the message overpower the story. Of all the actors in the picture, Brandon Walters makes the biggest impression as Nullah, the mixed-race Aboriginal boy. The story is told from his point of view and the young actor’s energy and humor save the movie in many respects.

What Doesn’t: While Australia has some great visuals, it also comes up short in many ways. If Australia is lacking in any one element, it’s an epic story to fit into the film’s epic scope. The love story and family saga of Australia are too short sighted. Compared to Kevin Costner’s character in Dances With Wolves , Al Pacino in The Godfather , or Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia , the characters of Australia are relatively flat. They barely change even as the environment around them changes dramatically. The film is really more like a John Ford or Sergio Leone film and Australia would have done better to follow that format in terms of its length and visual style. A lot of the film is cliché ridden, from the high society lady who finds satisfaction in dirty work, to the lone cattleman who finds his independence threatened by the prospect of love, to the native shaman who overlooks the proceedings. And even though the casting works, especially Hugh Jackman, the film does not give them anything to do with their roles except go through the motions of the typical western characters.

Bottom Line: Australia is entertaining but it’s not the epic that it aspires to be. It is epic in visual scale but it does not have the narrative scope to match.

Episode: #218 (December 14, 2008)

"We waste our money so you don't have to."

"We waste our money, so you don't have to."

Movie Review

US Release Date: 11-26-2008

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Starring ▸ ▾

Hugh Jackman , as
Nicole Kidman , as
Lady Sarah Ashley
Bryan Brown , as
King Carney
David Wenham , as
Neil Fletcher
Brandon Walters , as
Jack Thompson , as
Kipling Flynn
David Gulpilil , as
King George
David Ngoombujarra , as
Ben Mendelsohn , as
Captain Emmett Dutton
Essie Davis as
Catherine Fletcher

Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman

Australia is intended to be one of those epic love stories set in a historical time period. It is long, features two big stars and has a scene of death and destruction. Think of it as Australia’s answer to Gone with the Wind , only not as good. In fact, the movie takes place in 1939. The Wizard of Oz even plays a pivotal role in the movie.

Kidman plays a British royal who goes to Australia where her husband has been murdered. She takes charge of their cattle ranch and falls for a cowboy, Jackman. The movie starts like a comedy. One scene has her underwear all over a public street as Jackman used her suitcase to beat up someone. The movie turns into a western, then into a romance and then into a war movie.

As this film is titled " Australia ", it makes a nod to the aboriginal people of Australia. As is expected, they are treated like wise wizards who know far more than westerners. They sing and do magic, or at least think they do. The movie never says for sure. Either way, the aboriginal story line is the one area that should have been cut.

Speaking of editing, one scene has the main characters driving cattle across country. They come to an area of land where they will not have water for several days. They all dread the path and make a big deal about it, but then the movie cuts to them arriving in the big city, so I guess all of their worries were for naught.

Kidman and Jackman walk through their roles without giving their characters any personalities. Kidman is minor royalty who falls for a rough out back free spirit. I never saw that coming. So many scenes are paint by number that you can see them coming minutes before they get there. One scene is almost laughable as Kidman gets Jackman a suit and begs him to come to the ball. He declines but then wait, at the right moment he shows up dressed like Rick Blaine and clean shaven as all of the guests turn to look in his direction.

Australia has two climaxes. The movie could have ended when they get the cattle to town and used the money they made to refurbish their farm. To include some history, the movie continues with the Japanese attack on the Australian city of Darwin. The previews showed the fighting to be part of the movie and not just an action climax to a romantic melodrama musical comedy. Australia has plenty of things going on but not enough substance in any of it to garner a decent reaction from the audience.

Essentially this movie is a western.

I actually enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would, but that's mainly because I was expecting so little from it. It seemed like it would be one of those overblown epics so full of itself that it would be devoid of all charm. Instead I found it to be a fairly generic epic but with enough sound and fury to keep me mildly entertained right up until when the movie should have ended. That last hour, which feels like part two, was definitely too much and should have been left out.

Eric, I strongly disagree that the aboriginal part of the story should have been cut from this movie. Without that part of the story this could have been an American Western. It was really only that part of the movie that made it different. I also thought that Nullah was one of the most interesting characters in the movie.

If this movie had ended with the completion of the cattle drive I probably would have given it a half star more than I did. Everything is tied up neatly with a happy ending. It seriously feels like the movie is over at that point. When it keeps going it feels like a sequel. Practically everything is wrapped up at that point. I enjoyed the first half, but not enough that I was desperate to watch it for more than an hour more!

I also don't think that movie falls into as many genres as you claim Eric. There are some humorous moments but it's clearly not trying to be a comedy. And Nicole sings to Nullah, but it's not a musical. It is a Western Love Story with a bit of a war movie added to the mix. It's the war part that should have been cut, or been made the full focus of the story without the cattle drive stuff at the beginning.

There's just not enough depth to this movie to justify its length. It's like trying to spread too little butter across a large piece of toast. The further out you spread it, the thinner it gets.

Brandon Walters and Hugh Jackman in Australia .

I'm with Scott on the aboriginal storyline. It's what gives the movie whatever originality it possesses, which isn't much. I was unfamiliar with the Australian Government's longstanding policy of removing mixed race children from their homes (a practice that continued into the early 1970s when it was permanently abolished).The story of one member of these Stolen Generations is the closest this movie comes to being unique. Like Scott, I found Nullah to be the most interesting person in the movie.

But I agree with Eric that the hodgepodge plot is all over the place. And none of it is subtle. It blatantly steals plot points and copies iconic shots from much better movies. It “borrows” from such movies as Out of Africa , Gone with the Wind , Red River (and a hundred other westerns), Pearl Harbor (or dozens of other war movies). In one scene Kidman and Jackman embrace. It is shot with a fiery red glow just like the scene in GWTW where Rhett says farewell to Scarlett on the road to Tara. The way the main house on the Faraway Downs Estate was shot is a direct ripoff of the movie Giant . We see this imposing structure sitting incongruously in the middle of nowhere. It's tiny lawn looking like a green postage stamp on a large brown envelope.

Australia tries way too hard to be a sweeping romantic epic. It features a plethora of melodramatic closeups and panoramic aerial shots, featuring some not so great CGI, all of which is underscored with the most emotionally manipulative swelling strings. It so shamelessly copies other movies that Australia is just a shade away from being like one of those old movie spoofs on The Carol Burnett Show . Australia is as derivative as it is schizophrenic. Nicole and Hugh play such cardboard cliches that the movie needed a more tongue-in-cheek attitude instead of taking itself so seriously. It's a textbook example of epic movie making done strictly by the numbers.

Photos © Copyright Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2008)

Australia (2008)

Australia is mad director Baz Luhrmann’s would-be magnum opus, his paean to his homeland and to classic Hollywood — a down-under Gone with the Wind with accents from The Wizard of Oz . Set in 1939 (the same year that those two films were released), Australia sets out to tell the story of the Japanese bombing of the city of Darwin and the “stolen generation” of mixed-race “creamies” (illegitimate children of white fathers and aboriginal women) who were taken from their mothers in the bush and placed in state or church missions. Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable — and Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart — it’s a sprawling Western with a sprawling cattle drive, a war-torn romance, a send-up of British colonialism and an ode to aboriginal culture and spirituality.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/spiritual value, age appropriateness, mpaa rating, caveat spectator.

Is that too much of a mouthful, even for a 165-minute movie? What do you think? Still, Luhrmann gamely chews for all he’s worth. Luhrmann’s strong suit has always been boldness rather than subtlety; his take-no-prisoners approach worked brilliantly in Strictly Ballroom , but as I see it he went off the rails with Moulin Rouge! and hasn’t managed to right himself since.

Australia is Luhrmann’s most personal picture, and his most haphazard. Much like Scorsese’s Gangs of New York , it’s a film that has been long labored over, and the artist’s love of the material is clear, but the inspiration has been lost along the way and the characters reduced to cartoony types. Jackman’s character is actually called “the Drover” — not just in the credits, like “the guy” and “the girl” in Once , but literally by the other characters: “They just call him the Drover,” a local introduces him to the veddy-proper-but-spunky Lady Ashley (Kidman). You tell me, ladies: Would you trust a man who doesn’t have a proper name?

The Catholic Church’s historical complicity in the stolen generation (for which the Australian bishops apologized in 1998 ) is fairly treated the film, and is nicely balanced by an idealistic priest who places himself in harm’s way to rescue endangered children from attacking Japanese. Adorable young Brandon Walters is charming as a half-caste “creamy,” and indigenous dancer David Gulpilil is suitably mystical and remote as the boy's grandfather, King George.

Messy and undisciplined, Australia isn’t without its pleasures. There is a certain epic magnificence to its best scenes, and the parts, or some of them, are sometimes more than the whole. If you love both Gone With the Wind and Moulin Rouge! , you just might enjoy it.

As a filmmaker, Luhrmann lives and dies by the adage celebrated in Strictly Ballroom : “A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” There’s nothing timid or half-hearted about Luhrmann’s work, that’s for sure. But fearlessness, photogenic actors and great scenery will only get you so far.

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Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley; Anton Monstead as Maitland Ashley; Hugh Jackman as Drover: Brandon Walters as Nullah; Bryan Brown as King Carney; David Wenham as Neil Fletcher; Jack Thompson as Kipling Flynn; Ben Mendelsohn as Captain Dutton

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20th Century Fox

Movie Review

Lady Sarah Ashley has one reason for traveling from her native England to the Land Down Under: to stop her husband, Maitland, from cheating on her. What else could possess a man to spend so much time on a middle-of-nowhere cattle station?

Her checklist is simple: show up at Faraway Downs, expedite its sale to neighboring cattle tycoon King Carney, retrieve said philandering spouse and return to England. (There’s no telling why she needs a truckload of suitcases to accomplish her mission. A British lady’s wardrobe is her own business.)

Sarah’s arrival in Darwin on the north coast of Australia couldn’t be more shocking to her if it had been her arrival on the moon. It’s dusty. People aren’t dressed “properly.” And en route to find the driver her husband has hired to carry her to Faraway Downs, she lands smack in the middle of a bar fight. As it turns out, the toughest brute in the brawl is the man she’ll have to trust to take her two days into the bush in a rusty old pickup. Drover—known by his profession of “droving” ranch animals, rather than his given name—has been hired by Maitland as a cattleman for an upcoming livestock drive to Darwin. Delivering Sarah to the ranch is just a bonus hassle.

On their arrival at Faraway Downs, Sarah discovers that her husband isn’t cheating. He’s dead. He has apparently been killed just hours before by an old Aboriginal witch doctor named King George. And King Carney isn’t who she thought he was either. Rather than making a fair offer to buy Faraway Downs, he’s using every mean trick in his bag to ruin the Ashley cattle business and further establish his own beef monopoly.

Suddenly, Drover stops being just a crusty cattleman and becomes Sarah’s biggest ally in her efforts to save Faraway Downs, beat Carney at his own game, thwart an employee-turned-traitor … and find a home for an orphan of mixed race named Nullah.

Positive Elements

Set primarily in the years before World War II came to Australia’s shores, Australia relays the ugly history of half-white, half-Aboriginal children being kidnapped and raised in Christian mission camps, with the hopes of “breeding the black out of them” and fitting them for service in white families. According to the film’s postscript, assimilation remained official Australian policy until 1973.

Australia personalizes this struggle through Nullah, whose white father despises him, and whose black mother drowns in an attempt to prevent his capture by local authorities. Though he struggles throughout the film with his split identity, the boy eventually finds acceptance and security in both black and white cultures because of individual adults who show him love.

In contrast to other whites, Sarah nurtures and protects Nullah and—though she’s not naturally maternal—learns to love him as her own. She goes beyond loving an individual boy, though, and challenges the whole white social system that hypocritically and promiscuously produces these “half-caste” or “creamy” children only to ostracize them as less than human.

Drover is another character in whom the evils of racism hit home, his first wife (who was Aborigine) having died because Australian doctors couldn’t legally provide medical treatment for blacks at the time. At first he sets his jaw and takes a that’s-just-the-way-it-is attitude, but Sarah teaches him that “just because it is, doesn’t mean it should be.” Eventually, he too learns to stand publicly against racism.

Sarah, Drover, Nullah and their friends fight the Carney Cattle empire’s corruption. The Faraway Downs crew condemns cheating and selfishness, and lauds teamwork, perseverance and sacrifice. Kipling Flynn starts off as a slobbering drunk accountant who is cooking the books. But given the worthwhile motivation provided by Sarah’s arrival, he rises to the occasion. Several characters put their lives at risk (and two lose their lives) trying to save others.

Spiritual Elements

At Maitland’s funeral, the officiant prays that “his soul may enter through the gates of heaven.” Most other portrayals of Christianity are in association with the assimilation camps, where mixed-race children are taught the Christian faith with almost the same fervor as they are taught Western culture. Some of the missionaries are innocent, expressing genuine concern for the lives of the “creamies” they’re raising. Others are blatantly racist.

After the Japanese bomb Mission Island, many children are marooned there. An earnest priest who’s looking for a boat says “the Lord is on my side.” Drover proceeds to clock a lackey who’s in possession of said vessel and quips, “The Lord works in mysterious ways, brother.” A character states, “I’m not Jesus Christ” in a way that’s not exactly inappropriate, but not entirely reverent, either.

Nullah’s black grandfather, King George, is described multiple times as a witch doctor. In contrast with the naive, racist Christianity surrounding it, the religion that he practices and teaches to Nullah is presented as organic, honest and efficacious. He coaches Nullah to sing to the world around him to magically make desired events happen. Nullah often refers to himself as a “magic man” and holds his hands out toward various enemies and dangers, willing them to obey his thoughts. Grandfather and grandson talk about the spirits of places and people. For example, King George describes some of the white cattlemen as “bad spirits,” while he is certain that Sarah has come like rain for the purpose of healing the land.

Sexual Content

On their journey from Darwin to Faraway Downs, Sarah accuses Drover of having ignoble intentions. She says he wants to “have it on” with her. She mistakenly assumes that he means to share a single tent with her and two other men. (He actually plans to leave the tent for her and have the men sleep around the fire.) In the same scene, Drover is shown shirtless, slowly pouring water over his chest in a sensuous camp-shower scene. (He’s wearing pants.) Later, Sarah is shown in the bath, her bare shoulders protruding from the water.

Nullah uses “wrong side business” and “laying down and tickling” as euphemisms for adults engaging in sexual intercourse. Drover explains to Sarah that in the Outback, white men often hire Aboriginal women as part of their cattle-driving crews so that they’ll “have someone to keep them warm at night.”

Most of the Aboriginals are dressed in Western attire, but King George wears only a buttocks-baring loincloth. Nullah’s mother wears a low-cut dress. Lingerie spills from Sarah’s luggage.

In the middle of nowhere, and working toward a common cause, it’s no surprise that Sarah and Drover fall for each other. They dance. They kiss. And eventually they end up in bed. (Audiences see them naked but for the bed sheets which cover them from the waist down; he is on top of her, his arm shielding her breasts from the camera’s view.) Later, they embrace as they swim naked beneath a waterfall. (Shoulders are exposed.)

Sarah and Drover eventually settle into a pattern of seasonal cohabitation, with Drover sharing Sarah’s bed at Faraway Downs during the rainy season, and heading out on long cattle drives during the dry season. Once, she challenges him to make their relationship more permanent or leave, so he leaves. Their reunion at the finale gives no indication that they will actually marry.

Violent Content

A man is killed with spears. A young boy hiding underwater is startled when a man who’s been stabbed floats down practically on top of him. A white man punches a black woman and attacks a child, slapping him and trying to hit him with a rifle. Sarah defensively whacks him with a stick. Drover is quite a fighter, hitting an opponent in the head multiple times in the bar fight, and hammering another baddie later on.

Carney’s men attempt to sabotage Drover and the ranch crew on a cattle drive. They start a huge brushfire to trigger a stampede. In the ensuing chaos, Nullah nearly falls over the edge of a cliff, and one man is trampled and killed. We see his bloodied body and face, and hear his labored last words.

When World War II finds Australia, Japanese planes let their destructive fire fall on Darwin and the surrounding area. Mission Island, where Nullah is being held at the time, is the first to be hit. Everything is in flames. Japanese soldiers follow the planes on foot to wreak further havoc. A bomb kills a priest, while most of the children survive. A man is shot multiple times as he helps evacuate the children.

After her arrival in Australia, Sarah is amazed to witness kangaroo bounding across the Outback, only to see one of them shot at close range. The dead animal is then strapped to the top of the vehicle she’s in, and its blood runs down the windshield. We briefly see a crocodile attack a man. (We later hear that the man dies.) We witness a dead man laid out on a table and Nullah’s mother as she drowns.

Crude or Profane Language

One f-word. It’s accompanied by a combined handful of words such as “h—,” “d–n” and “b–tard.” “Crikey” (a euphemism for Christ) and “bloody” pop up at least a half-dozen times each. Racial epithets such as “Japs,” “Chinaman” and “pickaninny” get tossed around.

Drug and Alcohol Content

At first, Kipling Flynn is drunk more often than he’s sober. Later, he hides his stash of booze in various places, including behind a Bible in his room.

On numerous occasions, men drink in a bar, where cigars and pipes are also in heavy use. Several times, Sarah sets aside her upscale ways and tosses back shots with them. King Carney drinks straight from a bottle of rum. With his dying words, a man expresses fondness for alcohol.

Director Baz Luhrmann describes Australia as employing “a mixture of visual language.” “It’s not super-theatrical,” he explains, “but it’s not naturalism.” That’s an apt description of this sweeping epic, which has more in common with the overlapping storylines and character development of Far and Away, Out of Africa or The Lord of the Rings than it does with Luhrmann’s flashy, artsy past work in Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!

Which is to say that for audiences to remain engaged throughout the film’s nearly three-hour runtime, they need to care about the filmmaker’s development of character, setting and theme more than they care about constant action and visual stimulation. Stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will certainly help Lurhmann lure moviegoers. What doesn’t help this sweepingly romantic film is a sex scene between its unmarried stars, an f-word and a “happily ever after” ending that implies cohabitation.

Digging deeper, it’s fair to say Lurhmann uses Australia as a platform to explore two interlocking but separate issues. The first is racism, the moral fulcrum upon which the film pivots. In this area, the director is studiously goodhearted. The second is the idea that it’s wrong for one culture to demand that some people (in this case, mixed-race children of Aborigines and whites) be “assimilated” into the wholly foreign worldview of the dominant class (in this case, white Christians).

Lurhmann’s treatment of this latter subject is indeed provocative, but doesn’t illuminate every corner: Jesus’ Great Commission calls Christian believers to take the gospel to all nations. But in practice, sometimes that mandate has been misinterpreted to justify forcible, insensitive and immoral behavior. That is what Australia concentrates on—becoming something of a case study in how not to evangelize.

Probably without intending to do so—and without grinding any axes, per se—Luhrmann compels Christians to consider what it should look like to share the gospel while respecting a different culture’s heritage. It seems, though, that he believes this is an impossible task. His movie clearly insists that self-contained cultures should simply be left alone.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

Lindy Keffer

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Australia (Australia/United States, 2008)

Australia is big and bold and brash - although one wouldn't expect less from director Baz Luhrmann, whose vocabulary doesn't include words like "restrained" and "low-key." A would-be epic on a grand, David Lean-inspired scale, Australia falls far short of intentions and expectations. (One wonders whether rumored studio meddling has anything to do with this.) The problems are numerous - a meandering screenplay, a too-long running time, an uneven tone, and a lack of real emotional punch. It looks great, but the same comment can be made about Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor , which shares more than a passing resemblance. Both are fictional melodramas that play out against an historical backdrop where the invented characters and circumstances are dwarfed into insignificance by the real events that establish the setting.

The movie opens in 1939 and is told from the point-of-view of the half-caste boy Nullah (Brandon Walters), who becomes a central figure in the story that unfolds. Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) has arrived from England to manage a cattle ranch that has fallen into disarray following the death of her husband. Her early attempts to set things right are thwarted at every turn, and she earns the enmity of King Carney (Bryan Brown), who is trying to corner the local beef market, and Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), whom she dismisses from his position on the ranch. When Nullah's mother drowns in an accident, he is orphaned and it falls upon Sarah to act as his guardian lest he be taken by the Law. Meanwhile, Sarah finds aid with the ranch from Drover (Hugh Jackman), who helps her drive the cattle across vast stretches of land to where they can be sold to the army. The first segment of Australia concentrates on these early events and the local politics of who comes out on top in the cattle business. The film's second half focuses on Australia's preparations for war after Pearl Harbor is attacked. Mixed into all of this is a tepid love story between Sarah and Drover and the unconventional "family" they set up with Nullah filling the role of the son.

The semi-playful tone adopted by Luhrmann during some of the film's early scenes is at odds with the serious nature of what's transpiring and it ultimately undermines the ability of the characters to attain a semblance of three-dimensionality. Drover is meant to be one of those great staples of epic dramas: the reluctant hero who exudes machismo but has a sensitive side underneath. During many of his early scenes, however, he's more like Crocodile Dundee. Sarah is equally clichéd: the stuck-up English rose who finds her true mettle in the Outback. She's no Scarlett O'Hara; he's no Rhett Butler; and too often, we don't give a damn.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with Australia : the characters and their relationships are forced and artificial. If the film had the low aspirations of being a romantic comedy, the manner in which Sarah and Drover are introduced and paired might work, but this is borderline-insulting for a motion picture of this scope. The writing doesn't match the canvas upon which the portrait is being painted. And if the characters and their romance, which lies at the emotional core of Australia , reeks of artifice, how can the movie as a whole be entirely successful? It can't and it isn't. We watch the film and are not swept away because there's something missing.

Australia seeks to address the so-called "stolen generations" of half-white/half-Aboriginal children who were re-located by the government. Nullah's precarious situation and the way Sarah fights for him is one of the film's more successful aspects. Less effective is the incorporation of Nullah's magic man grandfather, King George (David Gulpilil), into the story. He fulfills the role of the Sage Old Man who sits outside of the conflict and helps out when he can. If this film was set in the pre-Civil War American South, Morgan Freeman would play the role. If it was set in the Old U.S. West, it would be Graham Green. The role is another cliché and the magic realism that stems from it feels more like a cheat than a natural appendage of a well-constructed screenplay. When magic averts a cattle stampede over the edge of a cliff, there's not enough elegance in the filmmaking to camouflage the deus ex machina flavor of the moment. And the constant references to The Wizard of Oz are inelegant and obvious.

Luhrmann has likened the character of Sarah to Katharine Hepburn's persona in The African Queen , but few similarities made the transition from his imagination to the screen. Nicole Kidman lacks Hepburn's force of personality. Sarah comes across as a poser, not a genuine person. She softens as the film progresses and, by the midpoint, Kidman is providing a capable performance. But she can't wash away her work from the first two reels which recalls a similarly unpalatable portrayal in Far and Away . In fact, many of Australia 's tonal flaws are duplications of those in Ron Howard's earlier feature, which tried with limited success to combine lightweight drama, romance, and adventure against a grand historical backdrop. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman is supposed to be dashing, but he's actually rather dull. He's a good actor, but he lacks the raw sex appeal necessary to burn up the screen. At best, his chemistry with Kidman is fitful. If the two stars are underwhelming, however, there are some bright spots to be found in the supporting roles. Newcomer Brandon Walters is suitably perky and veteran Bryan Brown is note-perfect as King Carney. David Wenham has what it takes to twirl the mustache and become a detestable character whose comeuppance is demanded by the audience.

Visual flourishes are Luhrmann's trademarks, and he has employed them in his three previous international successes: Strictly Ballroom , Romeo + Juliet , and Moulin Rouge . There's no arguing that Australia looks good. The Japanese attack provides a few moments of shock and awe, and there's never a time when you don't believe the world you're seeing, even if the characters are on the insubstantial side. Such a gorgeous playground deserves to be the setting for a story of greater power and emotional resonance than the one occupying it. Lurhmann has proven with Moulin Rouge that he's an unapologetic romantic who can pluck the heartstrings, but the magic doesn't translate here. The big romantic climax is so obligatory that it loses most of its effectiveness. We should want to leap to our feet and cheer at this moment. Instead, it's hard to generate enough enthusiasm to do more than shrug.

Australia 's release date indicates that Fox wants it to be a player in the 2009 Oscar race. While there may be some technical award nominations waiting in the wings, it's hard to see this movie being taken seriously in any of the main categories. It's an epic pretender, not an epic contender.

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‘Australia’ Movie Review: A Special Kind of Period Drama

Having “mixed emotions” is how best to describe my feelings for this film. Initially I wanted to see it in theaters, but didn’t make the effort. In the event the of DVD release of this Australia movie, the question that remained is, is it worth that wait?

Australia Movie (2008) Review

We open as young Nullah fishes in the wilds of Australia. Nullah is a half-caste, neither white nor aborigine, because of this, he “belongs” with no one.

Lady Sarah Ashley (Nichole Kidman) is a proper English rose whose husband lives in the outback of Australia. His quest being unsuccessful, Sarah decides to travel there to “bring Maitland home!” herself. After a humiliating meeting with the man meeting her, whom everyone simply calls The Drover (Hugh Jackman), Sarah is taken to the house her husband resides in. But what she discovers upon her arrival is that her husband has died, and a greedy land baron attempts to buy up Ashley land in order to enrich himself.

Little realizing the fight that awaits her, Sarah wins one minor victory, but as Drover and Sarah try to make a go of this land, the stakes remain high, not the least of which is a world on the brink of war.

Hearts, cultures and want for power all collide in the land down under molding into this, a beautiful motion picture. This film offers many things, and chances are, no matter what your genre of choice, something will appeal to you. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this (the reviews are so-so). But there is something about it that pulls us in. Perhaps it’s the spectacular Gone with the Wind styled posters or the a-list cast, but whatever, I didn’t “forget” about this film once the credits rolled.

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As a cinematic story, this Australia movie is a touching and funny script. As I watched, I was in fits of giggles, and when the story calls for it, we mourn with the characters. Perhaps the most surprising is the humor. Fifteen minutes in, the audience is equally enthralled by its wit as we are by its ability to move us, this is especially true in the parting between Sarah and Nullah. Of course, one cannot forget the sweeping romance, either. Jackman and Kidman are well cast together and even with two other actors originally considered for the role Jackman ultimately is cast as, for a “fall-back” guy, he seems suited. There is chemistry between the leading couple whether they kiss in the rain or happily reunite, their blossoming love was evident. Likewise Kidman is memorable as Sarah. She leaves the audience laughing or brings us to tears by her capacity to love.

When it comes to flaws, one thing that is obvious is the fake-ness of the horseback riding or scenes in which it’s not really the actors doing a stunt. With all of the technology at filmmakers fingertips, and the nine plus months it took to film this, you would think realism possible, however when the Japanese bomb Australia, the CGI department more than makes up for its mediocrity. The destruction left behind is devastating to not only its characters but the viewer as well. Second, the introduction to these characters is messy. The unorganized introduction to so many characters makes for a confusing start in addition to Nullah’s narration. But then there’s the costumes! Costuming for the ball is unique and stunning.

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So, the unanswered question; is this Australia movie worth the wait? Happily, I’m able to say, yes! The ending changed (and this second ending is much better, believe me), but it’s still bittersweet. In one way we understand this, and that the film must close but there is another part of you that wants something different to happen or simply to find a “perfect” conclusion. The flaws find redemption through the sacrifices of characters, a genuine portrait of love, and another of the love he lost. As long as you know you are in for a long drawn-out (but never tedious) saga, I heartily recommend Australia for older audiences. It’s one epic I haven’t forgotten.

‘Australia’ Movie Review: A Special Kind of Period Drama. A review of the 2008 period drama with Nicole Kidman & Hugh Jackman. Text © Rissi JC

Note: this review was published in the archives five or more years earlier. Since moving to WordPress, 90% of the reviews, lists and articles need re-formats and/or other updates. Updated edits and changes to fit current formats have been made; it has also been updated with new photos, and republished.

CONTENT, this is PG13 , there are a few violent acts. Two men are stabbed with spears; there’s a pool of blood. Another character is stampeded with terrible injuries. A woman drowns; another man is shot. A man briefly slaps a woman and child. Animals are shot [unseen]; cows go over a steep cliff. Bombs are dropped, destroying a town and killing or injuring numerous people. There are reference to Aboriginal mistresses, and their “half-caste” children; and one or two “crude” innuendos. There is a brief sensual scene between an unmarried couple; brief close up shots of kissing and caresses before we see them lying in bed with some movement and bare legs. There are a couple of other visual innuendos. Profanity is infrequent, but has a use of the f-word. There’s also the use of “magic”; Nullah supposedly possesses some form of it.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

Oh, I love Australia! It's such a sweepic epic you don't see very often anymore. Ofcourse I adored Hugh Jackman's Drover, and I was pleasantly surprised by Nicole Kidman's role, as in many other movies, she annoys me to no end!

So did I – it was the one movie from its "year" that really took me by surprise. It had imagination and great comedy but was still a reputable drama (minus some of the special effects which were not good).

I really like Jackman in this role, too and as for Kidman, she was great but I don't think I've seen her in a lot else.

I wanted to see this film more for the setting than anything else(I was tweaking a manuscript that involved scenes in the NT) and was pleasantly surprised by how great of a story it was. Definately one I would watch more than once. :-)

I thought this was a great motion picture, Gwendolyn. It was imaginative and funny and all-around a surprise. I like those best. =)

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Saturday 2 October 2021

Movie review: australia (2008).

In 1939, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) travels from England to remote northern Australia to admonish her philandering husband. He is operating the fledgling Faraway Downs cattle ranch and locked in a land battle with evil cattle baron King Carney (Bryan Brown), who is seeking to monopolize beef supplies to the army as World War Two rumbles to life.

Upon arrival Sarah meets Drover (Hugh Jackman), an independent cattle driver, then discovers her husband murdered. She fires foreman Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), who is secretly working for Carney to undermine Faraway Downs. Also on the ranch is young mixed-race child Nullah (Brandon Walters), who is in danger of being forcibly scooped up by the government and placed in a religious school. Sarah bonds with Nullah, who has a strong spiritual relationship with his Aboriginal grandfather King George (David Gulpilil).

Sarah teams up with Drover to drive her cattle on a treacherous journey to Darwin, where she hopes to break Carney's monopoly. But Fletcher is determined to stop them, while punishing Japanese air raids bring the war to the country's doorstep.

An epic running for 2 hours and 45 minutes, Australia attempts to capture the identity of a nation. Directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann, the film is infused with an independent, can-do attitude, a strong bond between people and nature, and no shortage of visual beauty within the vastness of a sparsely populated continent. Also prominent is a sneaky sense of humour, essential to survive the physical and emotional hardships of forging a nation with pure toil.

The mixed identity of Nullah represents Australia's dual European and Aboriginal heritage. Both the child and his grandfather King George possess a mystical association with nature, contributing to several highlight scenes including a mammoth cliff-hanging (literally) stampede. Once Sarah connects with Nullah (through an overused reference to Over The Rainbow ) and witnesses boorish officers causing him misery, she intrinsically understands the future has to celebrate, not conceal and suppress, the coming together of two cultures.

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman create a likeable couple with no shortage of chemistry, both displaying necessary doses of frontier stubbornness and feistiness. Bryan Brown and David Wenham occupy the opposite corner with suitable malevolence. Young Brandon Walters is instantly amiable as a child caught between two civilizations.

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Movie Review: Australia (2008)

By Brad Brevet

Australia is a film that is a drastic miscalculation on the part of director/co-writer Baz Luhrmann. This much stalled project once starred Russell Crowe, then Heath Ledger and ultimately Hugh Jackman and has taken forever to get to the screen, and once you it you will know why. This is a daunting effort as Luhrmann hopes to make a film as grand as the likes of Gone With the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia all while telling a love story mixed in with the tragic racial policies imposed on half-white/half-Aboriginal children as they are stripped from their families in an effort to “breed the black out of them”. The idea is as offensive as it sounds, but in Australia ‘s attempts to make sure the film is as much a love story as it is (more, actually) a tale of a “stolen generation” it loses its focus and turns into a boring trip through the Outback that seemed to pass by at a snail’s pace.

The film begins in 1939 as the voice of a young boy begins introducing us to the story in broken English. The violence against the Aboriginal people is quickly realized as well as early introductions to our two main characters Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) and a man simply known as The Drover (Hugh Jackman). Why’s he called The Drover? Because he is what he does… plain and simple. Sarah Ashley, however, is more than she initially appears to be as this stuffy aristocrat comes from London to Australia to confront her presumed-to-be-cheating husband at Faraway Downs, a remote outpost in Darwin, Australia.

Things change once Sarah arrives to find her husband has been murdered and the outpost is in ruin and damn near worthless as Aussie cattle baron King Carney (Bryan Brown) and his crony, the film’s primary villain, Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) have run the land ragged and have been stealing their cattle. Sarah can either sell the land at a loss or try and work it herself; an option most would laugh at considering her refined nature and the dusty prerequisite for working such a savage land. The twist in the story arrives in the form of Nullah (Brandon Walters) a young half-white/half-Aboriginal child Sarah takes to mothering and with the help of The Drover believes the land is salvageable.

From this point, the film becomes a story of the love between Sarah, The Drover and Nullah as they form a strange family unit. Their story combines with the territorial war against Fletcher as he hungers for power and Carney’s place as king of the land all while the battle of race relations and search for one’s inner self acts as the film’s thread line. All this plays while the threat of World War II is in the background and ultimately serving as the film’s climax. Epic is an understatement, but with so many hats in the air none of them are able to be caught as the story gets caught up in the middle ground and only to try and find its legs in its multiple climactic moments when I was already too weary to care.

Scenes between Lady Ashley and The Drover are never interesting until the final moments when a problem is either reconciled or expanded upon. Their love is realized in the smaller more personal aspects of the film, once the grand scope of Baz’s vision is stripped away and he remembers this is a story and not a visual exercise. Luhrmann got a lot out of both Kidman and Jackman when the script asked for it, but unfortunately it doesn’t ask often enough as the majority of the film is so uninteresting you can almost feel the seconds tick away.

A lot of praise has been shouldered onto young Brandon Walters and I am not sure why exactly. As a first time actor he does just fine, but nothing to warrant anything more than a pat on the back and a “Good job” at the end of the day. The Nullah character is so clichÃ© and contrived there is no heart left. The only emotion comes when the downright laughable villain, Fletcher, continues to refer to Nullah as a “Creamy” over, and over, and over, and over again with a snarl in his voice as he mimics the character he played in Zack Snyder’s 300 with deft efficiency. Fletcher is a character so empty and so sickly laughable it hurts to watch him on screen. I kept hoping a stray boomerang would end his involvement in the film as each scene he is in only gets worse and worse. Meanwhile you have Nullah running around screaming at Sarah Ashley yelling, “Ms. Boss, Ms. Boss, Ms. Boss!” If Luhrmann had a point here I wish he would have included it in subtitles as he explains the film’s true intentions just before the credits roll because the non-stop pandering was insufferable.

The only place to find any enjoyment in this film is to take in its beauty, but that is to be expected with anything involving Luhrmann. However, if you are to do that it will take you even further out of the film as CG set pieces and attention to detail make the film feel as artificial as it actually is. Beautiful? Yes, but not without distraction.

I can’t help but feel bad not liking this film knowing how important it is to Luhrmann and how much he loves his native land, but to take any pity on the film for those reasons would be a lie. Australia is a mess of a picture with hardly a handful of entertaining scenes. It’s billed as a love story, but you will soon realize the love story isn’t even really the film’s true intention and on top of that it isn’t even all that romantic as much as it is obvious. In the end I took nothing away from this film, but I am sure it would make a decent picture book.

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A new look at Eli Roth’s live-action Borderlands adaptation has been released – and fans are all saying the same thing

It's looking more and more like Brick and Mordecai won't be featured in the live-action Borderlands adaptation

Lionsgate has released a new look at its upcoming live-action Borderlands movie – but fans still aren't convinced.

The photo, shared to the official Borderlands movie Twitter account, depicts main cast members Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, and Jack Black as Claptrap. Fans have pointed out, however, that two prominent franchise characters are absent from the photo.

Brick and Mordecai, two of the four playable characters in the original Borderlands, are absent from the latest look at the film as well as the official trailer . The characters aren't mentioned in the synopsis or listed on the film's IMDb page either. Mordecai, a founding member of the Crimson Raiders, is a skilled sharpshooter accompanied by an alien bird named Bloodwing (who he says is 'better than a gun'). Brick, on the other hand, is a Berserker class character with immense size and strength – and enters a cool rage mode that enables him to regenerate his health.

the gang’s all here (that’s what people say, right?) #BorderlandsMovie pic.twitter.com/fApVHwU6yU April 9, 2024

Both seem to be absent from the film, despite being considered core characters in the game. However, we understand the appeal of focusing on fan-favorite characters like Rolan and Lilith – especially when it comes to appealing to a mass audience that may not be familiar with the franchise.

Borderlands was adapted for the big screen by Eli Roth, with Deadpool director Tim Miller taking over for reshoots. Craig Mazin penned the original screenplay, which is now credited to a writer named Joe Crombie.

Borderlands is set to hit theaters on August 9. For more, check out our ever-growing list of upcoming video game movies .

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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Haikyu!! The Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump

Despite a strong field, Karasuno High volleyball team advances past preliminary round of Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, Karasuno High volleyball team advances past preliminary round of Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, Karasuno High volleyball team advances past preliminary round of Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round.

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Kaito Ishikawa
4 User reviews

Shôyô Hinata
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Kenma Kozume

Tetsurô Kuroo

Kei Tsukishima
Keishin Ukai

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Hitoka Yachi
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Haikyuu!! The Movie 1: The End and the Beginning

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Feb 16, 2024
May 31, 2024 (United States)
Official Site (Japan)
劇場版排球少年!! 垃圾場的決戰
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$57,819,041

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Runtime 1 hour 25 minutes
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