Delayed Reaction: Australia

Premise: A grand epic set in Australia in the years leading up to WWII.

It's shocking to realize that Baz Luhrmann has only directed 5 films so far. He made the campy delight, Strictly Ballroom in 1992. He brought his style to Shakespeare with 1996's Romeo + Juliet. He perfected his formula with the Oscar-winning Moulin Rouge! in 2001. He spent seven years making his epic Western, Australia. He took another 5 years to make the lavish Great Gatsby in 2013. And, when his sixth movie finally comes out, Elvis, in 2022, it will mark a 9-year gap. Granted, a lot of that gap went to running the record-breaking expensive Netflix failure, The Get Down. The man takes his time* and doesn't go small. His few films have made quite an impact. He's a brand unto himself.

Australia is when the brand started to sour. It's remembered in the US for being a bust. That's not entirely accurate at the box office. It made $200+ million in the worldwide box office on a $130 million budget, which isn't great, but could feasibly break even with video and rental sales. It really busted with the public and awards indifference. It earned a Costume Design Oscar nomination and nothing else of note. Reviews were mixed. And it just plain didn't make an impact on people. It's no one's favorite Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman performance. It's not even known as a famous bust. It's closer to The Promise than Waterworld in terms of its infamy. Honestly, I watched Australia as a lark.

 

*For some context, since 1992 Roland Emmerich has directed 14 movies. Michael Bay has 14. Chris Nolan has 11 and didn't even start until 1998.

 

So how is the movie? Well, it's Baz Luhrman making a classic Western. It's overly indulgent and way too long. The money is on the screen in the costuming, production design, and scope. The emotions are heightened. It's the best and worst of what Luhrman has to offer.

 

I do love Australian Westerns as a concept. It's the same idea as American Westerns but with different dynamics than I'm used to. I know all about the Native Americans. I don't know as much about the Aborigines and the "Stolen Generations". In that respect, the movie held my interest well. It did feel a lot like two movies stitched together; to the point that I fully expected there to be an intermission. I preferred the Western, cattle transport half to the WWII war movie half. Either way, it was a lot. I think the more focused version of the movie that was closer to 2 hours would've been better. As is, Australia isn't bad. It's just too long to be so unremarkable.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend