Morgan Bell
Kynaston
REVIEW: Australia
December 7th 2008 18:28
very disappointing . . .
Directed & Written: Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet)
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, John Jarrett, Brandon Walters, David Gulpilil, David Ngoombujarra
I was determined to give Baz Luhrmann's Australia a fair go. I paid my money and I watched it beginning to end and tried to evaluate the film project on its merits. I am not a fan of Baz Luhrmann's previous work but i can appreciate why other people are. His talent is making slick vibrant productions, big gay music-filled extravaganzas, with rich cohesive visuals that arise from evenly-applied motifs. Unfortunately when it comes to Australia, Luhrmann fails to deliver even this - his trademark - and instead presents us with an extremely sloppy, badly edited shambles.
Dull story-line aside, Australia's main problem is its lack of aesthetic continuity. Not something you would generally expect from a Luhrman flick. It is hard to believe that this film is the result of a $130 million budget, when the vast majority of it appears to be filmed in front of green-screens at Fox Studios. So much for the reports of how gruelling the actors found working in the outback, they were CGI-ed into nearly every scene. I had also heard reports about how fantastic all the droving scenes were, when really they consisted of a CGI heard of cattle skittling along th edge of a steep cliff (in the outback plains?) in scenes reminiscent of the "jeeps in the jungle" car chase from the most recent Indiana Jones.
I just dont understand? Why bother taking a massive cast and crew out to our unique red dusty outback, to film a story about the magic of nature, if you are eventually just going to go the cheap and nasty cut-n-paste route. Lets just superimpose Nicole and Hugh's faces into this background we filmed earlier. Oh and heres an aerial shot we obviously spent alot of money on, but it doesnt quite fit in with the rest of the movie, so lets just do a random montage of aerial shots, oh and lets superimpose an aborigine doing a traditional dance onto one of the cliff faces, might as well make a tourist brochure with all this left-over footage.
The whole film feels very thrown together. It seems like Baz Luhrmann ran over deadline and got the work-experience girl to do the final edit. Oh it simply must be 3 hours long because it is a Luhrmann production, do not waste a single frame of footage! Where on earth is the continuity guy?
See it for Hugh Jackman, he is looking good, and sounding good too, I think he developed an extra-deep voice for the stereotypical manly role. He looks a bit like Outback Jack . . . perfectly blow-dried hair and perfectly snug fitted clothes . . . yet somehow his manicured appearance is the least questionable aspect of the whole movie.
Directed & Written: Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet)
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, John Jarrett, Brandon Walters, David Gulpilil, David Ngoombujarra
I was determined to give Baz Luhrmann's Australia a fair go. I paid my money and I watched it beginning to end and tried to evaluate the film project on its merits. I am not a fan of Baz Luhrmann's previous work but i can appreciate why other people are. His talent is making slick vibrant productions, big gay music-filled extravaganzas, with rich cohesive visuals that arise from evenly-applied motifs. Unfortunately when it comes to Australia, Luhrmann fails to deliver even this - his trademark - and instead presents us with an extremely sloppy, badly edited shambles.
Dull story-line aside, Australia's main problem is its lack of aesthetic continuity. Not something you would generally expect from a Luhrman flick. It is hard to believe that this film is the result of a $130 million budget, when the vast majority of it appears to be filmed in front of green-screens at Fox Studios. So much for the reports of how gruelling the actors found working in the outback, they were CGI-ed into nearly every scene. I had also heard reports about how fantastic all the droving scenes were, when really they consisted of a CGI heard of cattle skittling along th edge of a steep cliff (in the outback plains?) in scenes reminiscent of the "jeeps in the jungle" car chase from the most recent Indiana Jones.
I just dont understand? Why bother taking a massive cast and crew out to our unique red dusty outback, to film a story about the magic of nature, if you are eventually just going to go the cheap and nasty cut-n-paste route. Lets just superimpose Nicole and Hugh's faces into this background we filmed earlier. Oh and heres an aerial shot we obviously spent alot of money on, but it doesnt quite fit in with the rest of the movie, so lets just do a random montage of aerial shots, oh and lets superimpose an aborigine doing a traditional dance onto one of the cliff faces, might as well make a tourist brochure with all this left-over footage.
The whole film feels very thrown together. It seems like Baz Luhrmann ran over deadline and got the work-experience girl to do the final edit. Oh it simply must be 3 hours long because it is a Luhrmann production, do not waste a single frame of footage! Where on earth is the continuity guy?
See it for Hugh Jackman, he is looking good, and sounding good too, I think he developed an extra-deep voice for the stereotypical manly role. He looks a bit like Outback Jack . . . perfectly blow-dried hair and perfectly snug fitted clothes . . . yet somehow his manicured appearance is the least questionable aspect of the whole movie.
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
There was much more to the droving than your description, the cliff scene was a very small part of it and not something the RSPCA would agree to allow to be filmed in real.
I think he was trying to achieve a Gone with the Wind/ Stagecoach/ Titanic film all in one and if not for studio pressure to release would have been even better given more time for editing.
And don't forget Brandon ROCKED. For a completely opposite review on Australia from someone who abso loved it visit HERE
Comment by Norm
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
Comment by alt_ed
Alted Opinion
ArtCombat
The Inner Saintdom
I though Tourism Australia had just hired Baz to do a television commercial for the American market... you know, play on the dodgy Aussie stereotypes and show Koala's and Kangaroo's frolicking in the streets of Sydney.
At the end of the day though, c'mon, what were you expecting from a coke addict?
Comment by Bill Green
Talking Headlines
Apart from Wenham, Brown, Gulpilil and Ngoombujarra the other Aussie actors overacted.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
Sure - see it for Hugh - but the kiss of death - Nicole - appears to have kept her record in tact.
I understand that the Federal Govt minister who also commissioned the series of ads for Tourism Australia has yet to see the film either . . . OMG . . . what does that say - on so many levels.
Cheers
Comment by Bill Green
Talking Headlines
And the fires started with small cans of petrol, may have been possible in a high wind with dry foliage but that was a fire started on rock, and covered hectares over the dry valley and plateau.
Yeah and Hugh couldn't ride properly. The leaning over the pommel stance at medium pace is someone who's not prepared to sit back in the saddle.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Louie
Climate Red
randomthoughts
Phil's Wellness Tips
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Australia will become the blight on the Australian cultural landscape.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
I will just have to see it to see who I can side with in this because the reviews are either quite-very good or extremely bad.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Who owns the copyright to the world Australia anyway?
I could film my cat and call it Australia and it would still be a more worthy film than this crap.
Comment by skoop
I was listening to a local radio talk show interview a nationally respected writer for USA today and they said how the writers, reporters etc. are not supposed to tell what they really think or give their true opinion... they only want them to pass out candy in their thoughts...
Comment by Glen Atwell
Computer Game
Technically speaking, Muriel's Wedding is a more accurate representation of Australia... Or is The Castle? Or is the Fox 8 series Dangerous? Or is Packed to the Rafters?
Forget pulling at the corners of this flick, just enjoy it as three hours of pure escapism and leave your criticisms in the bin with your empty choc top wrapper!
Baz is a fanciful director, Nicole's forehead was immovable and the young aboriginal boy was a refreshing delight.
So what... It's only a movie...
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
a bad movie with the name 'Australia', can we please hang luhrmann for high treason or something?
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
a bad movie with the name 'Australia', can we please hang luhrmann for high treason or something?
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
its worth watching just to know what everyones talking about . . .
hi Jason,
even if the blue screens were intentionally dodgy they still didnt gel with the sweeping (and admittedly very good) cinematograpgy in other sections
yeah maybe if they do a "directors cut" for dvd it might improve on the rushed cinema release
hi Norm,
i know the feeling, sometimes if you really respect a director or an actor you want to like anything theyre in
hi alt_ed,
well they do say Crikey a fair bit . . . maybe they needed a few more Strewths?
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
i did think the water-tank scene was a bit ridiculous, and dont get me started on how selective the bombs were in Darwin, apparently bomb blasts really do pick and choose their victims, oh and Japanese soldiers are blind to anything beyond the shoreline!
i like your observations about the wind and the horse breaking/riding!
hi Queenie,
yeah im not a huge fan of Luhrmans style in general, but i thought this release was particularly bad (even for him)
hi MNG,
thats interesting about the tourism minister . . . and i think Nicole was miscast in her role, she seemed about 15 years too old for the part and has lost all ability to convey emotion with her face!
hi Louie,
i actually did start laughing many many times in the cinema, i saw it the first night it came out here in Tazzy and the cinema was nearly empty, so took the opportunity to enjoy myself!
hi Bryn,
big call . . .
im not sure if it will be successful enough to impact on outsider opinions on our industry or our country . . . but perhaps i underestimate Luhrmans clout?
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
many (local) people seem to find the title a bit presumptuous . . . it suggest the film will be the quintessential Australian experience, which its really not . . .
hi Ahmed,
oh did you end up seeing it?
thats an interesting question about Copyright . . .
hi skoop,
yeah i saw that when the film premiered here in Australia that the press were asked to report "but not critique" . . . i had presumed that was a local (and limited) directive intended only for the opening week?
hi Glen,
yeah it is only a movie, but this is my film review blog so i thought it was an appropriate place to do a critique (since i actually spent the money and time to watch it)
haha ok that was a classic!
she needs to lay off the botox big time!
Comment by Bill Green
Talking Headlines
Comment by alt_ed
Alted Opinion
ArtCombat
The Inner Saintdom
Botox takes the Thespian world by storm!
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
i though Nicole looked stunned through 98% of the film, which hindered her being able to convey the emotion of the character . . . moments that i think were designed to be sad tear-jerkers simply werent because of her frozen expression
Comment by Kevin 5
Review Mania: To Watch or Not To Watch
Debate Movies
maybe it should've been named something else? would that help things? Say like "The Outback Story" or "The Farmer wants a Hubby" or "Darwin in the 40s(?)"
i am yet to see this though... hopefully its not a complete waste of 3hrs of me life when i finally do...
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
oh give it a go, it wont kill you!
i think if it was called "The shirtless drover wants a new wife" it might have sold more tix out of sheer curiousity!
thanks for stopping by!
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
havnt braved this one yet - I suspect I will at some point, but since it isnt my cup of tea i'll have to take my time
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
i have a feeling that all the people that are avoiding it because they think they wont like it probably wont like it . . . definately not everyones cup of tea!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
baz has an atrocious eye that seems to make every moment even faker than the latest reality show.
I count myself lucky to never sit through it.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
its amazing how thin the line is between "stylised" and "fake"
i like the bunyip and billabong analogy
hi Shaun,
i think we are all gunna be laughing about this film for a long time!
Comment by Amy Wang
Why So Cynical: The Unabashed Ravings of a Loudmouth Malcontent
Films, Films And More FIlms
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
did you ever see Germaine Greers critique of the film? she claimed it exploited aboriginal people
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