Rating: Sizzling Popcorn
In Australia, on the verge of World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat, travels to the Northern Territory. When she meets a rough-looking local, she reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save her inherited land from being overtaken. Together with a herd of cattle, they embark upon a transforming journey across some of the world’s most beautiful yet unrelenting landscape, only to find themselves in the middle of the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor earlier.
Twentieth Century Fox’s Australia stars Australian actors Hugh Jackman (X-Men trilogy), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge, The Hours), David Wenham (Moulin Rouge, 300), Bryan Brown (Cocktail, F/X), Jack Thompson (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones), David Gulpilil (Crocodile Dundee) and 13-year-old newcomer Brandon Walters. The romantic drama is directed by Baz Luhrmann and co-written by himself, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood and Richard Flanagan.
Baz Luhrmann has put plenty of time and money into making Australia. The 2 hour and 45 minute film has an estimated budget of $120 million, one of the most expensive films to ever be produced in Australia. The film boasts a fabulous cinematography in which we see the beautiful Australian terrain as Kidman and Jackman’s characters travel across the northern rigid landscapes of the country. The breathtaking scenery in Australia will have you wanting to see and experience the country for yourself. The film’s musical undertone and use of the classic song from The Wizard of Oz, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, mixed with the visuals creates a place unlike anywhere else.
Is Australia an epic? Well, it’s not quite there. The film has adventure and romance, but sometimes it feels a little melodramatic as we see through Kidman’s not-so-Oscar-worthy performance. It’s a film that is enjoyable for both men and women. Men will love the outdoor adventures Australia brings while women will love the romance and People magazine’s sexiest man alive, Hugh Jackman. Baz Luhrmann’s film will most likely be nominated for an Academy Award for best art direction, best cinematography and best music score. You can catch a glimpse of Australia in Twentieth Century Fox’s film, which is now playing in theatres across North America.
Release Date: November 26, 2008
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Carmel Fox
This looks like a movie I would like.
Nov 29th, 2008
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