Australia’s story is told by a little aborigenal boy, Nullah (Brandon Walters) who explains how Lady Sarah Ashley, aka Mrs. Boss (Nicole Kidman) travels to Australia in the hope to convince her husband to sell their farm and return with him to England. When she arrives nothing is what expected and if in the beginning everything seems uncivilized to her eyes, quickly she falls in love for the beauty of the country…
At first, we had some hard time believing Nicole Kidman was British. It was slightly over the top, but she’s a good actress and it turns out well. Now, Hugh Jackamn, even if his character – Drover – is a complete cliché, he does a great job. The bickering scenes between the two of them are funny and even if some of their lines are a bit too cheesy to our taste, it delivers. They work well as a team and the chemistry we expected is present.
The real star was without any doubt Nullah. Those shiny black eyes and that smile make wonders! This kid brings magic (quite literally!) to this movie. His grandfather, King George (David Gulpilil), is also a very mysterious and attaching character. We also learn more about the aborigenal culture and the “Stolen Generations”.
We didn’t care much for the evil man (David Wenham) which is a pity since a real villain, one of those who you love to hate, is always a great addition in a epic like this one. In the other hand King Carney (Bryan Brown) caught our attention. We were expecting him to be the real bad guy, he certainly has enough charisma for the role.
If the story is not very original, the settings are striking. We don’t often see movies about Australia and it’s a
real shame. After only some minutes after the beginning of the film, we were ready to go to the nearest travel agency, buy a ticket and explore the Northern Territory.
Many reviewers seem to complain about the movie seems to be its lenght, but during those almost 3 hours we didn’t get bored, not for an instant. The big problem of Australia seems to be the editing. Sometimes it seems there’s no transition between the scenes and some are too long and without much interest when others could have been left running for a few more minutes. We read about the director’s (Baz Luhrmann) difficulties and his rushed editing the previous day before the first screening. The pressure must have been overwhelming… But this is clearly a work of love and dedication and we can feel that in every scene and every line.
Despite the flaws, Australia is a very enjoyable epic and a delightful entertainement. Everything is there: adventures, romance, music (we particulary liked Patrick Doyle’s St Crispin’s Day – Battle of Agincourt), gorgeous scenery and good actors. Recommended for those who enjoy gorgeous settings and a fair good story that, in the end, leaves you with a big smile in your face and some tears in your eyes.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455824/
Australia trailers: http://lightscamerahistory.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/waiting-for-australia/
It looks good – although, I must confess I read this book about the most venomous creatures, and it turns out they all live in Australia. So…not exactly itching to go there till that scare wears off.
OMG! Eu venho faz tanto tempo nest blog e somente agora descobri que é feito por portuguesas! Sim, eu sou um pouco desligada, mas a informação reveladora está bem embaixo do Richard Armitage, então eu acho que posso ser perdoada! Parabéns pelo blog, aqui do outro lado do Atlântico os brasileiros gostam muito do blog! Keep up with the good work!
Now, about the movie, I’d really liked it! I mean, of course Hugh Jackman is gorgeous, but it’s a nice story.
LOL Olá Luciana! Se o motivo da distracção é esse pois claro que está perdoada!
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