‘Australia’ over the top grandiose

by Tony Lewis

Monday, December 1, 2008 00:00

When it comes to creating a film, one of the most difficult genres to effectively produce is the epic. High production values make epic films among the most expensive movies to produce, and these films are more ambitious in scope than those of other genres. Although “Australia” succeeds in captivating audiences with the kind of striking dramatics and stunning images of grandeur necessary for a momentous epic, the film’s creators were far too overambitious in their attempts to make this film a “masterpiece for the ages,” and as a result, they often fall well short of their goals.

Although director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) does a remarkable job of creating a compelling romance/adventure story, one cannot help but notice the prominent similarities between his film and celebrated epics from the past. It is almost like Luhrmann borrowed portions of “Gone with the Wind,” the archetypical romantic epic, combined it with the war epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” and then dropped these pieces into the Australian Outback. The result is a mammoth 165-minute mess that is insanely overblown, yet, somehow still manages to be wildly entertaining at times.

In Northern Australia in 1939, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman, “The Golden Compass”), a pretentious English aristocrat, inherits a struggling cattle station previously owned by her late husband. In order to save the ranch, Lady Ashley must reluctantly join forces with a rough-hewn stockman known only as the Drover (Hugh Jackman, “Deception”) and the local Aborigines in order to drive her cattle hundreds of miles to the wharf so that the meat can be bought and shipped to distant troops fighting in the war. Matters only get worse, though, when Australia falls victim to the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor.

While this movie did receive a lot of pre-release Oscar buzz, now that the film has actually been released, it is hard to imagine that it will be topping very many nomination lists. Although in the past, length has never been an issue with voters — “Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and “Ben-Hur” were all over three hours long, yet collectively hold the Academy Award record with 11 wins — this film suffers from numerous lulls and subpar editing work.

One of the aspects that undoubtedly should have been removed from the film was Luhrmann’s inclusion of Aborigine magic. Despite the fact that the plotline involving this native race and the Stolen Generations — mixed-race Aboriginal children who were forcibly integrated into white society — is particularly well-written and key to the overall story, the borderline science fiction introduction of the supernatural feels awfully out of place. The worst part about this use of magic, though, is that it adds an unwanted sense of implausibility to some of the movie’s best scenes.

When the film is not slowly trudging along, it features some of the year’s most visually impressive action sequences. Whether it is the sprawling overhead shots of cattle racing through the Australian Outback or the explosive warfare resulting from the Japanese attacks, the expert cinematography gives this movie a desperately needed jolt of cinematic electricity. These scenes also benefit from a heart-racing, Western infused soundtrack that hits all the right, inspiring notes in order to help pull the audience into the action.

A lot of credit goes to the producer for choosing Australian actors to play the main roles in this film, effectively reducing the risk of dealing with clichéd accents. That said, Jackman is believable enough as the “rough around the edges” cowboy and effectively shows enough emotion and chemistry with Kidman to help keep the love story in this epic agreeable and not overpowering. Although she overacts at times, Kidman also gives a noteworthy performance as Lady Ashley, and her onscreen transformation is a convincing one.

The performance that stands out, though, is that of David Wenham (“Married Life”) whose portrayal of Neil Fletcher — the wayward businessman obsessed with having a monopoly over the Australian cattle industry — has all the sleaze and deceptive charm needed to create a dynamic villain.

As a whole, “Australia” is far from becoming the next great epic of our time, and its running time and numerous pitfalls will steer away a number of audiences. Yet, if you can stomach sitting through the film’s entirety, you will enjoy some breathtaking action sequences and respectable acting that show shades of what Luhrmann was ultimately trying to achieve.

2 1/2 stars out of 5.