Blu-ray Review: Australia (2008)

Written by Mil Peliculas

The fourth film from director Baz Luhrman is one of those "sweeping epics" set in, oddly enough, Australia, during World War II. The aptly titled Australia gives us a new perspective on the far-reaching effects of the second great war, this time from Down Under, a view that I appreciated, since not many films have tackled that period from that angle.

Nicole Kidman plays Lady Sarah Ashley, an aristocrat from England, who comes to the faraway and mysterious continent and finds herself in charge of her recently murdered husband's ranch. A cattle war is brewing, and King Carney (Bryan Brown) is the dastardly competitor who will stop at nothing in his attempt to monopolize the cattle trade and gain the contracts that will feed the troops as they fight the Nazis. Things get more complicated when she meets The Drover, the dashing, rough-and-tumble outback cowboy and cattle driver played by Hugh Jackman. Drover's intention is strictly business as he helps Lady Ashley move her cattle to Darwin to be sold, but a romance soon develops.

A second complication arises as Sarah grows more attached to the recently orphaned aboriginal half-breed, Nullah, well played by a very striking and magical-looking kid named Brandon Walters. Nullah is in hiding because, at that time, it was common for aboriginal children to be taken from their "savage" environment and assimilated into the more "civilized" white culture. The three protagonists are bonded during their adventures and must battle Carney's bloodthirsty henchman, Fletcher (David Wenham), as well as the Japanese air force, which leveled the city of Darwin during a bombing raid.

As I said, it's Lurhman's fourth film, and while I have not seen his first effort, Strictly Ballroom, I have seen the last three and have enjoyed them all. As with those last three pictures, Australia pops right out of the gate with an all-out frontal assault on the senses, utilizing narrative, narration, and a carpet-bombing of expository information and jarring tonal shifts from dour and serious, to playful slapstick. If you stay frosty, you can follow it well enough. Just make sure you aren't popping the popcorn and watching from the kitchen for the first ten minutes. I'm not sure if the film settles down after a while, or if the viewer becomes inured to it. I found that with Moulin Rouge as well. It's become a signature of Lurhman's films.

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