Australia (2008)
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 206
Fresh: 113 | Rotten: 93
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: 44
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 23
Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 244,117
My Rating
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
Watch It Now
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 -
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia Trailer & Photos
All Critics (210) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (95) | DVD (17)
It's a fine romp, epic in both ambition and visuals if not narrative - and if director Baz Luhrmann had stopped at the end of the love story's trajectory, the audience would have left entirely happy.
Top CriticThere's a lot to admire here, but not enough.
It's trying so hard to be epic instead of just being epic.
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.
Luhrmann is drawn to kitsch as inevitably as a bear to honey.
The massive panoramas of wild Australia suddenly make Luhrmanns wild flourishes look puny.
Throw out the beefcake, the Stilton cheese, and the sub-Dynasty empire-building bushwah.
A funny frankenstein that's worth seeing just to point and laugh at.
"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.
Australia is an enchanting throwback to an era of filmmaking which strived to entertain its audiences with dazzling spectacle and melodrama.
Luhrmann just piles quotation mark on top of quotation mark
Whilst it's not the masterpiece we so desperately wanted it to be, Australia still manages to be a good time at the cinema.
It's a bit overloaded, though I love Luhrmann's obvious enthusiasm.
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.
It is a huge film - in scale, scope, look and feel, and of course budget. It is also a huge disappointment.
Extras on the disc include a whole load of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
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.
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.
The best part of Australia is the cinematography, which is epic on the big screen and probably looks fantastic on the BluRay.
Audience Reviews for Australia
Super Reviewer
-
- Nullah: I sing you to me, Mrs. Boss.
- Lady Sarah Ashley: And I will hear you, my darling.
-
- Drover: Need a drink?
-
- Lady Sarah Ashley: Poppy-cock poppy....cock!
-
- Neil Fletcher: It's been a pleasure working with you, a real pleasure! [with a sinister voice]
-
- Drover: Welcome to Australia! [spits on the ground]
-
- Nullah: We gotta get those no good bloody cheeky bulls to the big bloody ship!
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Australia yet.
Latest News on Australia
March 2, 2009:
RT on DVD: Exclusive Australia Scene, Beverly Hills Chihuahua and More!This week on DVD we've got a sweeping historical epic from Down Under (Baz Luhrmann's Australia,...
January 8, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice WinnersThe 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest...
January 6, 2009:
Academy Names Shortlist for Visual Effects OscarThe Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's visual effects Oscar, naming "Australia," "The...
What's Hot On RT
Every Star Trek movie listed
Star Trek is Certified Fresh
Forest Whitaker serves the White House
Trailer for Tom Hanks thriller
Featured on RT
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 29
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 82
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
- VIP Access: Eli Roth talks Aftershock 1
- Total Recall: Star Trek Movies 87
- Parental Guidance: Star Trek Into Darkness 18
Top Headlines
-
J.J. Abrams Talks Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars, and More
0
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Begin a New Trilogy
4
-
Mickey Rourke Confirmed for Expendables 3
3
-
Brad Bird Still Mulling Incredibles 2
0
-
Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, and Martin Short Join Inherent Vice
0
-
Bruce Willis Makes an Expiration Date
2
-
Drew Pearce Hired for Mission: Impossible 5
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
This must have been when Nicole Kidman was Botoxing it cuz her face is a bit plasticky, and she overmugs to compensate. Brandon Walters as the half-Aborigine boy, Nullah, is plucky and exuberant. Hugh Jackman is rough and gruff on the outside, marshmallows and puppy dogs on the inside.