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Australia (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 205
Fresh: 113 | Rotten: 92

Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality.

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 40
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 21

Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality.

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Movie Info

Set against the scenic backdrop of pre-World War II Australia, Baz Luhrmann's romantic period adventure stars Nicole Kidman as an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch, and Hugh Jackman as the rough-and-tumble cattle driver who helps protect her property from greedy English cattle barons. As the pair attempt to herd 2,000 head of cattle hundreds of miles across the treacherous Australian outback, they are stunned to bear witness to the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces -- who just

PG-13, 2 hr. 45 min.

Action & Adventure, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

Directed By: Baz Luhrmann

Written By: Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie

In Theaters: Nov 26, 2008 Wide

On DVD: Mar 3, 2009

Box Office:$49.4M

20th Century Fox

Australia Trailer & Photos

More Photos (60)

Cast

Nicole Kidman
Lady Sarah Ashley
Hugh Jackman
Drover
David Wenham
Neil Fletcher
Bryan Brown
King Carney
Jack Thompson
Kipling Flynn
David Gulpilil
King George
Brandon Walters
Nullah
David Ngoombujarra
Magarri
Ben Mendelsohn
Captain Dutton
Barry Otto
Administrator Allsop
Kerry Walker
Myrtle Allsop
Sandy Gore
Gloria Carney
Urshula Yovich
Daisy
Lillian Crombie
Bandy Legs
Wah Yuen
Sing Song
Angus Pilakui
Goolaj
Jacek Koman
Ivan
Tony Barry
Sergeant Callahan
Roy Barrett
Administrator Allsop
Max Cullen
Old Drunk
Shea Adams
Carney boy 3
Eddie Baroo
Bull
Bruce Spence

Critic Reviews for Australia

All Critics (209) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (94) | DVD (17)

There's a lot to admire here, but not enough.

December 2, 2008 Full Review Source: At the Movies

| Comment (1)

Ben Mankiewicz

At the Movies

Top Critic

It's trying so hard to be epic instead of just being epic.

December 2, 2008 Full Review Source: At the Movies

| Comments (2)

Ben Lyons

At the Movies

Top Critic

Sometimes Luhrmann seems to be living in a Dreamtime of his own; his movie is all over the map. But what a gorgeous map it is.

December 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal

| Comment

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Top Critic

Luhrmann is drawn to kitsch as inevitably as a bear to honey.

December 1, 2008 Full Review Source: New Yorker

| Comments (5)

David Denby

New Yorker

Top Critic

The massive panoramas of wild Australia suddenly make Luhrmanns wild flourishes look puny.

November 26, 2008 Comment

Sean Means

Film.com

Top Critic

A wildly ambitious, luridly indulgent spectacle of romance, action, melodrama and historic revisionism, Australia is windy, overblown, utterly preposterous and insanely entertaining.

November 26, 2008 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Top Critic

Throw out the beefcake, the Stilton cheese, and the sub-Dynasty empire-building bushwah.

August 16, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express

| Comment

Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

A funny frankenstein that's worth seeing just to point and laugh at.

March 24, 2011 Full Review Source: What Culture

| Comment

Mike Edwards

What Culture Source: What Culture

"Australia" occasionally stumbles into corny sidesteps like Hugh Jackman's "Oh, crikey" catchphrase. But Baz Luhrmann mythologized his homeland as American directors like John Ford did with Westerns - dramatic-license exaggerations that pay off in droves.

September 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Suite101.com

| Comment

Nick Rogers

Suite101.com

Australia is an enchanting throwback to an era of filmmaking which strived to entertain its audiences with dazzling spectacle and melodrama.

July 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews

| Comment

Matthew Pejkovic

Matt's Movie Reviews

Luhrmann just piles quotation mark on top of quotation mark

August 26, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Whilst it's not the masterpiece we so desperately wanted it to be, Australia still manages to be a good time at the cinema.

July 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Moviedex

| Comment

Anders Wotzke

Moviedex

It's a bit overloaded, though I love Luhrmann's obvious enthusiasm.

April 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies

| Comment

Jeffrey Chen

Window to the Movies

Here's a film you probably sneered at as its ads played for its mega-plex roll out. I beg you not to let you keep that from now buying the DVD.

March 31, 2009 Full Review Source: Blunt Review

| Comment

Emily Blunt

Blunt Review

It is a huge film - in scale, scope, look and feel, and of course budget. It is also a huge disappointment.

March 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Screenwize

| Comment

Simon Weaving

Screenwize

Extras on the disc include a whole load of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

March 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Sometimes seems to be overwhelmed by Baz Luhrmann's excess, but the strength of his vision, the appeal of his visuals and the skill of his actors keep the film from capsizing.

March 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Much like Scorsese's Gangs of New York, it's a film that has been long labored over, and the artist's love of the material is clear, but the inspiration has been lost along the way.

March 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide

| Comment

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films Guide

The best part of Australia is the cinematography, which is epic on the big screen and probably looks fantastic on the BluRay.

March 16, 2009 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

| Comment

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Australia

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Somewhere beyond "good," but not quite "really good." I've always been a Luhrman fan, so some of the more airy or mystical qualities of this film didn't bother me, and I was often swept away by the bright, beautiful visuals. The two stories (Jackman and Kidman as the lovers in a dangerous time, and the spirit quest

December 2, 2008

Daniel Perry

Super Reviewer

I thought this was an epic 'Dances With Wolves' type film so I was alittle disappointed to discover it isn't, its more of a romantic comedy/epic in the same vain as 'Gone With the Wind'. That's fine and for what it is its a good film but its not quite my cup of tea.It is very well made and in fine 'Gone With the Wind'

February 20, 2009

Phil Hubbard

Super Reviewer

Australia Quotes

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1. Drover: Need a drink?
– Submitted by Roger M (57 days ago)
1. Lady Sarah Ashley: Poppy-cock poppy....cock!
– Submitted by Matt B (2 months ago)
1. Neil Fletcher: It's been a pleasure working with you, a real pleasure! [with a sinister voice]
– Submitted by Matt B (2 months ago)
1. Drover: Welcome to Australia! [spits on the ground]
– Submitted by Matt B (2 months ago)
1. Nullah: We gotta get those no good bloody cheeky bulls to the big bloody ship!
– Submitted by Matt B (2 months ago)

Character	Quote
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