Films like “Australia” all but say “bring it on,” to critics.
How dare a movie try to work on an epic level with an epic-sized budget? And it’s old fashioned to boot?? Release the hounds!
“Australia” got nailed by some savage, and inaccurate, pre-release blog rantings. The actual film is an engrossing production, assuming you can look past its assembly line of flaws. You’ll also have to wade through the first 20 minutes which are as bad as those cranky bloggers foretold.
Nicole Kidman plays Lady Ashley, a porcelain doll of an aristocrat visiting Australia to support her husband’s latest business venture – a cattle deal Down Under. She’s barely set foot on Aussie soil when she learns her husband has been killed, leaving her to manage his affairs.
She gets a helping hand, and then some, from a hunky rancher named Drover (Hugh Jackman). They team up to drive her late husband’s herd to its destination as well as thwart the local villain (Bryan Brown) from swiping their deal out from under them.
Along the way the duo all but adopt an Aborigine child (scene swiper Brandon Walters) and watch as World War II engulfs the nation.
Is “Australia” “Titanic 2.0?” Not even close. The beginning could use a gallon of WD-40 and it would still creak along like a wagon train with a missing wheel. Kidman remains an actress who works in only one gear – steely resolve. When she melts in Jackman’s arms, it’s clearly a parlor trick, nothing more.
Jackman, still searching for a signature role that doesn’t involve metal claws, deserves a more ravishing dance partner.
“Australia” won’t have you checking your watch despite its bloated running time, and the action-packed finale manages to be both visually and emotionally complex almost despite itself.
It’s an epic, all right, but neither another “Heaven’s Gate” or “Dr. Zhivago.” It sits comfortable in the middle, and what a shame more movies don’t find their way there, too.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I was actually sort of looking forward to this, but sort of grimaced when it got slammed. Since you like it, I think I’ll give it a whirl.
It’s got a throwback feel to it that I admired … but it’s certainly not a future classic. Lemme know what you think … but be gentle if you hate it!
Mayhaps I am not as critical as the ‘professional’ critics are, because I enjoyed it greatly. I saw it twice. once with my sister and once with mt girl friend, and managed to stay awake both times!
I plan to buy the dvd when availble.
But then, what do I know??? I also enjoyed the Crocodile Dundee movies, and Quiggly own under!