Australia DVD Film Review (2008)

For Boys                       For Girls

B- 7/10                          H - 9/10

A - 5/10                          R - 9/10

W - 5/10                         W - 7/10

AUSTRALIA DVD FILM REVIEW

Certificate: 12A

Genre: Action/Adventure

Chris' Verdict On Australia DVD Film Review: 4/10- "This film was
way too long for me to even begin to enjoy it. If they had been able to
incorporate more in the way of action then I may have enjoyed. Simply
not enough happened in a film that is 3 hours long!"

Ellie's Verdict on Australia DVD Film Review: 7/10- "I am a big fan of
both Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman so was really looking forward to
this film. Afterwards I was happy that I had seen a good film but
disappointed because it could have been a little bit better!"

For more information read the review below

Film Release date: 26th December 2008

Australia DVD Film Review

Officially released on Boxing Day (26th December) in the UK, Australia is being
lined up and is expected by many, to be New Year number one in the movie box
office. Australia is already being suggested as a potential Oscar before it has
been fully released. Like, all potential Oscar winning films, while Australia may or
not be considered an epic film in quality, it is definitely an epic movie in terms of its
length. For Australia, Baz Luhrmann, the director and writer, has chosen to cast
arguably Australia’s best actress known actress and best known actor in the form
of Hugh Jackman, who many of you will remember as Wolverine in X-Men or for his
performances in the Prestige, and Nicole Kidman, an Oscar winner and one of
Hollywood’s finest.

There are a number of potential pitfalls for any film in this genre and I will be
considering how well or badly Australia meets my expectations in this Australia
review. To start with, the cynics among you expecting clichés throughout will not
be disappointed or surprised to see the aborigines playing with their boomerangs
and the other stereotypes that society associates with Australia. The story of the
film is set before the start of World War II and is set in the Northern part of
Australia. The story starts with an English aristocrat, another cliché, inheriting an
enormous area of land. As the story develops, the Lady and owner of the land,
played by Nicole Kidman has to deal with a plot by English cattle barons to take
her land and the cattle on it. Unable to deal with the situation herself, she
reluctantly enlists the help of an aggressive local who knows the land and how to
handle himself but is a little rough around the edges to say the least. Just when
they have been trekking with the cattle and they think things can not get any
worse, they reach Darwin. However, on arrival, Japanese bombs begin to heavily
bomb Darwin. This is a tale of adversity and two unlikely people forming a bond
and overcoming adversity together. Does this sound like a classic? The answer to
that question is that, the film could have changed a few things that I will discuss in
this Australia review.

Firstly, there was simply not enough happening in this film to keep me entertained
from start to finish. While there was some excitement when Darwin was being
bombed, there was too much time spent moving the cattle from place to place
which is really not that interested. Secondly, the film was overly cliché for me, with
the colonist whites attacking and killing the aborigines and the characters are able
to fit ever stereotype that you could possibly have regarding Australia. For some
people, the cliché may be quite assuming and they may enjoy the film because of
it but for me it was all a bit too much and too often that it really began to annoy me
only 30 minutes into the film. Finally, in this Australia review I need to consider the
performances of the two leading cast members and the two major assets of the
film. To be honest, the characters are too extreme for my liking. Hugh Jackman’s
character is the roughest roughneck you are ever likely to find and Nicole Kidman
is always so helpless and frankly useless in most situations. For example, when
attempting to move the cattle, she decides to shoo the 2000 cattle. If I had not
already been fed up with episodes like this then I may have found it funny but the
film was simply too repetitive and too long. I do not think the actors themselves are
to blame for the over acting because I think this was entirely intended by Baz
Luhrmann.

Overall, despite my many criticisms in this Australia review I still think it was an ok
film but is definitely not for the faint hearted. Perhaps, someone with plenty of
coffee, a love of cliché and the patience to watch a 3 hour long film where little
happens, then they could really enjoy this film. The two leading figures give decent
performances and are likely to draw in the crowds and ensure a very good box
office performance in Australia. Unfortunately, for me, the film does not live up to
my expectations and I was left disappointed and a little bit let down by the film.

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