From the land down blunder

By Adam Tobias of the Daily Times staff
Friday, November 28, 2008 11:46 AM CST

This photo released by 20th Century Fox shows Nicole Kidman in a scene from “Australia.”

“Australia,” director Baz Luhrmann's sweeping, romantic epic that takes place in the outback during the World War II-era, is exactly like the Energizer Bunny: It keeps going and going and going.

In the interest of fairness, I should throw a little disclaimer out there that I'm not what you would call a fan of overlong movies steeped in romance, and they have to be rather special - “Casablanca,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Titanic,” for example - in order to keep my attention.

So you'll have to forgive me when I say that it can often feel like watching paint dry while sitting through “Australia,” which has a running time of around a seemingly never-ending 160 minutes. I know I am not the target audience for this film, but that doesn't excuse the fact that it takes about two hours for it to actually become interesting.

I don't want to make it sound like “Australia” doesn't have an engaging story because, after all, there is one there. However, it just takes too long for the film to get to its more memorable scenes, which include the people of Australia having to cope with the Japanese bombing their country in the wake of the massacre at Pearl Harbor.

But the narrative in the movie actually begins a few years beforehand, with British socialite Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) leaving her London home for Australia so she can confront her husband whom she believes is cheating on her.

ADVERTISEMENT

As soon as she arrives at her destination point, Sarah is confronted with a complication she does not expect and is forced to take care of her husband's struggling cattle ranch known as Faraway Downs, which is on the edge of complete ruin. And it is no easy task seeing as Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), a corrupt station manager, and cattle baron King Carney (Bryan Brown) are plotting to take over the land.

Luckily for Sarah, a knight in shining armor in the form of the Drover (Hugh Jackman), a rugged social outcast whose profession involves driving herds of cattle across the countryside, comes to her aid. As you would expect their different personalities clash at first, but as they continue their journey together they start to respect one another and eventually the sparks begin to fly.

Unfortunately the romance between Jackman and Kidman's characters is the main focus of “Australia,” and I say unfortunately because the film would have been substantially more entertaining if additional time was spent on the struggles of Nullah (newcomer Brandon Walters), who's known as a “half cast,” a child who is the product of a relationship between a Caucasian and an Aboriginal.

According to the film, interracial marriages were frowned upon during this time frame and any “half cast” was forbidden from living with their families. In a supposed attempt to give them a more rewarding future, the Australian government took these children from their parents and placed them in a church or state institution, or so the movie says.

I know I have spent a lot of time pointing out the flaws in “Australia,” but I would be lying if I said there are not any aspects of the film that are worth praising.

Those of you who regularly read my reviews should be familiar with my disdain for Kidman, but here she does a decent job of portraying a pampered aristocrat who goes through some life-altering experiences. And there is not a single negative thing I can say about the performance from Jackman, who proves on numerous occasions why People magazine designated him as 2008's “Sexiest Man Alive.” (There were a few women in my theater who could not refrain from howling whenever there was a scene where he was shirtless.)

Some credit should also go to cinematographer Mandy Walker, whose captivating portrayal of Australia's natural beauty completely draws you into the film, and composer David Hirschfelder for creating a score that is so integral to the story that you would swear “Australia” doesn't even need any dialogue.

And even if you don't like his previous work, there is no denying that Luhrmann (“William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge!”) has such unique vision that it's next to impossible to pull your eyes away from the screen.

The same can also be said about “Australia,” but it's not worth sitting in a theater for almost three hours to experience.

2.5 stars (out of 5)

Comments can be made to Adam at adamt@wdtimes.com.

Next week: “Punisher: War Zone.”