Review: Australia
I think this was a beautiful, gorgeous movie. I loved it. It’s a bit long, and the story comes in parts. A typical film would have made the entire story about trying to drive the cattle across the country, but Australia goes beyond that and drives the story forward. It focuses on the people involved, not the task that needs to be done. This is storytelling at a much grander scale.
I do understand the criticism the film has received, both for length and the story, but I feel that mostly stems from the fact that the movie audiences aren’t used to this type of film. It’s long, epic and dramatic, but on a scale we haven’t seen since back in the days with Gone With the Wind.
Hugh Jackman is wonderful as the Drover. Personally I think this is one of the best performances he's even done. It’s really hard for me to imagine anyone else in the role. Russell Crowe was originally cast, but I think he would have made the character much harder, and to me less likeable. It was a joy to see Hugh in a role like this.
Nicole Kidman was good as well, but I was always kind of aware that she was Nicole Kidman. Her character comes across as a bit silly in the beginning, but once the dramatic element sets in Nicole and her character get the chance to shine.
David Wenham made me want to strangle his character, so kudos to him on a good job. He was walking a tight line with regards to not making the character too much like the moustache twirling bad guy, but he managed to make a believable character. Even though I felt like slapping him most of the film, there is a point at the end where his humanity shines through, and I actually felt sorry for him, if only for a moment.
Little Brandon Walters is a gem, truly outstanding in the role as Nullah. I know they spent a long time looking for the right boy for the part and I very much doubt they could have found anyone better. He outshines everyone in every scene he’s in, and plays his part so naturally
If there’s one part in the film that bothered me it’s probably something that occurs close to the end of the film. While I kind of get the thought behind it, the choice of slow motion and dragging it out, especially after a pretty big dramatic scene, it just felt like a bit too much. It doesn’t take away anything from the rest of the film, I just feel that part could have been handled a bit differently.
I think you have to be somewhat familiar with Baz’s previous work to be prepared for this. It’s such a beautiful film, big credit to the DOP in this one because the imagery, be it nature, people or animals was gorgeous. It shows that the people involved were committed to making this film, it truly is a love letter to Australia.
I will definitely be picking this one up on DVD.