Movie Review: Australia (2008)

Baz Luhrmann is an award-winning director known for his colorful epic films with almost melodramatic scenes, big stars, and memorable soundtracks.  He’s most well-known for his “Red Curtain Trilogy” which includes Strictly Ballroom (1992), William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge (2001) (easily one of my most favorite movies).

In 2008, he was able to channel his talents into another epic film—this one about his home country.  Coming in at just under three hours, Australia is truly an epic with three distinct acts, a dramatic storyline, and the fantastic imagery that is characteristic of Baz Luhrmann—it also stars two fellow Australians.

Nicole Kidman plays an upper-class Englishwoman who inherits a cattle ranch in Australia without much experience and a rival ranch owner attempting to take over her ranch.  She relies on a stockman, Hugh Jackman, for help.  Of course there is more to the story: there’s love, a child, Aboriginal influence, the unforgiving Australian outback, and the threat of the World War II.

It didn’t win as many awards as his other films and it is long and a bit campy, but Baz Luhrmann’s Australia will still take you on a cinematic journey.  The bright colors, the odd humor, the intense music, the dramatic story, and the images of Australia will surely draw you in to a country—and a time in history—that deserves more attention.