Movie review of Australia, 2008
DAMIEN’S RATING of Australia: 9 – Go and see this movie – you’ll be glad you did. It’s definitely worth the price of admission. It will make it into to many DVD collections.
See the complete movie rating system here.
Australia reviewed in 25 words or less: Part action adventure, part folklore, part western, part historical drama, part war movie, part love story and all well done. A real treat.
FULL REVIEW of Australia
Australia, literally, won me over. I don’t usually go for epic dramas, and so I had skipped watching this movie when it first came out. My wife convinced me one Friday to rent it and watch it with her. I am so glad that she did. I was very taken with this movie, which can hardly be classified as an epic drama – as I had been led to believe it was.
Australia takes place in northern Australia just before, and partially during, World War II. It’s an utterly new take on an old western plot: evil cattle baron wants to take over widower’s ranch – along comes a hero – and all the while young Aborigine, Nullah (Brandon Walters), narrates and wins the hearts and respect of all.
Australia stars Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Mark Rathbone, David Wenham, Bryan Brown and Brandon Walters as Nullah. Australia was directed by Baz Luhrmann. I apologize for not recalling the exact running time, but it is at least two hours. I was so absorbed in the movie I forgot to make a note!
By this time in the review, you are likely wondering why I didn’t rate Australia as a 10, instead of a 9. I think that the time spent on showing us Nicole Kidman’s character back in England was a bit over done. I can see that the writer and director were trying to ensure that we got the full ‘flavor’ of her character, which she played with Oscar quality, but I think it could have been cut a bit shorter.
Australia has spectacular scenery, and the kind of camera work needed to make it stand out and grab attention. The soundtrack in Australia was also excellent: very complementary to the movie, but not distracting.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were superb as the leads in Australia. They created characters for us to love and respect, and their chemistry was undeniable as sidekicks, and ultimately lovers. The supporting cast was also excellent and delivered perfect performances for their characters.
The scene-stealer in Australia was the young unknown, Brandon Walters, who played Nullah. If this is the only movie this person is ever in, he will be able to say he was once a star. He was perfectly cast for this role as a young Aborigine in a highly prejudiced pre-war Australia.
I’m not going to bother with writing a synopsis of Australia. There’s just no way to do this movie’s many faces justice in a synopsis short of several thousand words. It’s a fantastic story with spot-on dialog and memorable performances.
One of the elements of Australia that you will really enjoy is the narration of events by young Nullah. I simply cannot recall any movie where the narration so noticeably enhances the overall experience of the movie. And whoever directed Brandon Walters (likely Baz Luhrmann) did an amazing job of getting the perfect tones, intonations, dialect and timing from this young man – who had never been in any movies before.
I highly recommend Australia to both male and female audiences. Guys, if you’re looking for a perfect chick-flick that will keep you interested and glued to the screen – Australia is definitely your answer!
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