Posts tagged Hugh Jackman
Review: Australia (2008)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on December 1, 2008.

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'Australia' gives an uneven outback ride

Just when you thought the only thing to see in theaters was teen vampires or mindless action, behold! There’s a new epic drama by the director of Moulin Rouge! Australia promised to be a timeless throwback to the epic romances of the past, but does it deliver? Sometimes.

The film follows a widowed English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) trying to protect her newly inherited ranch from a corporate takeover. Though it doesn’t sound like the most exciting plot, there are enough twists and turns ranging from a cattle drive across the desert to a Japanese military invasion that it feels surprisingly fresh and intriguing. Hugh Jackman plays the widow’s herder-turned-lover and newcomer Brandon Walters shines as an Aboriginal boy.

The problem with Australia lies not in its ambition but in its execution. Though the premise is an engaging one, it’s as if Luhrmann didn’t know what kind of movie he was making. A serious drama? Romance? Slapstick comedy? An homage to the old-fashioned epics of the 30s and 40s?  The film breezes through so many genres over its three-hour runtime that it’s very difficult to figure out how one is supposed to be feeling while watching it.

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