Baz Luhrmann has done with Australia what David O. Selznick managed to do with DUEL IN THE SUN--he's created a sprawling epic of a canvas for a narrow storyline about a woman who needs a man to keep the villains from double-crossing her in a land deal. It's the kind of story every B-western had in the old days, usually with someone like Roy Rogers or Gene Autry playing the cowboy who helps a girl keep her ranch from the outlaws who want it. Here the tale has been expanded to include racial overtones (which DUEL also had) and some good cattle drive scenes that teeter into cliff hanging territory.
Of course, he's added bits of Australian history to the background of the story--such as the treatment of Aborigines whom the villain of the piece calls "creamies" and a World War II sequence of Japanese bombing an island off Australia and heading for Darwin. No expense has been spared to make these scenes look very realistic. For production values alone, it deserves a 7.
A sensitive looking boy named BRANDON WALTERS is effective as the boy Nullah whom Kidman comes to love as her own son. Unfortunately, the scenes between Kidman and Walters are clumsily handled by the actress who seems to be forcing herself on the characterization of a woman uncertain of herself when relating to children. Her "Over the Rainbow" moment seems unauthentic.
HUGH JACKMAN is great as the cowboy called Drover who is assigned to escort the British born Lady Ashley (NICOLE KIDMAN) on a cattle drive where she intends to get a handsome sum for her cattle. David WENHAM makes an excellent villain as the man who opposes Kidman and Jackman all through the story, getting his comeuppance as all good villains eventually do.
The sheer predictability of the tale is what hurts it most. We all know that Jackman and Kidman will be locking lips long before the fadeout and that Wenham will make a nasty exit. What we can't foresee is that the story will drift in all sorts of directions about racial inequalities and weird rituals with a bit of World War II bombings thrown in.
The casting of the leads hurts the story. Jackman is fine and has obviously buffed up for the role but Kidman is the wrong actress for the part, unable to summon the sort of temperamental display that someone like Kate Winslet was able to do with the role of Rose in TITANIC. A stronger actress would have been a better choice.
However, having said all this, there are plenty of gripping moments in Australia that make you wonder why the film isn't doing as well as it should at the box-office. For all of its faults, it's still more engrossing than many films that bring in larger crowds.
Of course, he's added bits of Australian history to the background of the story--such as the treatment of Aborigines whom the villain of the piece calls "creamies" and a World War II sequence of Japanese bombing an island off Australia and heading for Darwin. No expense has been spared to make these scenes look very realistic. For production values alone, it deserves a 7.
A sensitive looking boy named BRANDON WALTERS is effective as the boy Nullah whom Kidman comes to love as her own son. Unfortunately, the scenes between Kidman and Walters are clumsily handled by the actress who seems to be forcing herself on the characterization of a woman uncertain of herself when relating to children. Her "Over the Rainbow" moment seems unauthentic.
HUGH JACKMAN is great as the cowboy called Drover who is assigned to escort the British born Lady Ashley (NICOLE KIDMAN) on a cattle drive where she intends to get a handsome sum for her cattle. David WENHAM makes an excellent villain as the man who opposes Kidman and Jackman all through the story, getting his comeuppance as all good villains eventually do.
The sheer predictability of the tale is what hurts it most. We all know that Jackman and Kidman will be locking lips long before the fadeout and that Wenham will make a nasty exit. What we can't foresee is that the story will drift in all sorts of directions about racial inequalities and weird rituals with a bit of World War II bombings thrown in.
The casting of the leads hurts the story. Jackman is fine and has obviously buffed up for the role but Kidman is the wrong actress for the part, unable to summon the sort of temperamental display that someone like Kate Winslet was able to do with the role of Rose in TITANIC. A stronger actress would have been a better choice.
However, having said all this, there are plenty of gripping moments in Australia that make you wonder why the film isn't doing as well as it should at the box-office. For all of its faults, it's still more engrossing than many films that bring in larger crowds.