Baz Luhrmann

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Australia’ Continues to Waste Talent of Cast, Crew on Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:03:29 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Visionary director Baz Luhrmann would probably like people to watch his grandiose, old-fashioned, epic “Australia” on the big screen, but HD Blu-Ray seems made for this vibrant, colorful director. At first. This Luhrmann fan, like a lot of people who loved “Strictly Ballroom,” “Romeo + Juliet,” and “Moulin Rouge!” was let down by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in theaters and the disappointment continues on Blu-Ray.

Before we go anywhere, “Australia” is primarily a sensory experience. It has sweeping cinematography, dozens of locations, elaborate costumes, and Luhrmann’s rainbow-esque color scheme. You won’t see blues and reds much brighter or a picture much more vibrant than you will on Fox’s “Australia” release but it’s still not right. There an odd flatness to the transfer, something not uncommon to Fox BD.

Australia was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

The picture for “Australia” is missing depth, like a paint-by-numbers experiment using the brightest colors of the spectrum but ultimately registering as flat. It could be Luhrmann or his cinematographer (Mandy Walker) and not the BD transfer itself, but watching “Australia” again at home, I was struck by the “fake,” theatrical feeling of the production more than I was in theaters. Nothing feels genuine, rendering the emotional chords of the screenplay flat.

Australia was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

No one can deny Luhrmann’s ambition when it comes to “Australia,” a film that blends elements of classic romance, cultural statement, historical epic, and war movie into one sprawling, disjointed vision. There are moments and elements of “Australia,” particularly the charming performances of the charismatic leads, that work, but the final product is ultimately as unsatisfying on Blu-Ray as it was in theaters.

“Australia” is essentially a double-feature crammed into one 165-minute running time. The first half of the film details the formation of a “family” made up of three very different characters, stressing the idea that the country of Australia is a melting pot of cultures and personalities - The Drover (Jackman), Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman), and a half-white, half-aborigine child named Nullah (Brandon Walters).

Lady Ashley is sent to the land down under to check on her husband’s patch of land, Faraway Downs, but finds that her spouse has been executed and that their cattle is being stolen and herded to the city of Darwin by the nefarious Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) and King Carney (Bryan Brown).

The first film-within-a-film is a relatively effective historical romance as the prim Lady Ashley falls for the dirty Drover and the two become parental figures for Nullah.

The second half picks up a few years later and it’s here where “Australia” really gets out of the grasp of this talented director. This one is kind of a war movie, as we pick up with Ashley, Drover, and Nullah in the days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Following the attack, the Japanese soldiers moved South to Australia and unloaded their weapons on the unsuspecting country. “Australia” turns into a war/action movie with the makeshift family struggling to stay together and alive.

Luhrmann has always done romance very well. He’s unabashedly old-fashioned, something I think film could use more of instead of the junk that passes as romance nowadays. And the romantic material between Lady Ashley and the Drover works.

It’s everything else that feels outside of the scope of Luhrmann’s strengths as a filmmaker. The cultural statements never come together, the maternal bond between Ashley and Nullah feels forced, and the local material with the boy’s grandfather feels old-fashioned in the worst kind of way. It doesn’t feel genuine.

Worst of all, the script is a disjointed mess. It gives too much weight to elements that feel like they’re literally there just to stretch the running time and speeds by more interesting plot elements. It’s proof that an epic is more than just the sum of its parts.

Australia was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

“Australia” may have been disappointing in theaters but it’s downright tragic on Blu-Ray. I expected more from Fox. Sure, the film wasn’t the Oscar bait that most people expected, but hundreds of people gave their all to this project and it will certainly have fans on the home market who deserve better than this half-assed release.

RELATED READING
The original film review of Australia

23-Image Slideshow From Australia

The video is flatter than it should be. The audio is better in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, but it’s not going to blow you away like it should for a technically expansive film like “Australia”.

Worst of all is the paucity of special features. Luhrmann MUST have something to say about this project, one that took years of his life. But there’s no commentary track and the special features are shockingly scarce and frustrating.

“Australia” continues the pattern of featurettes that are roughly 3-10 minutes long before they shoot you back to a menu screen. Ugh. Even “Australia: The People, The History, The Location” is only about ten minutes long. With that title! Ten minutes! It’s unacceptable. If you can’t produce something long enough to run between commercial breaks on TV, don’t put it on a Blu-Ray. And two deleted scenes don’t help.

“Australia” is a film that could easily find an audience on the home market. It didn’t make a lot in theaters, but it’s the kind of unabashedly romantic movie that could draw fans for years to come. And until Fox releases a more special edition, they’ll all be disappointed by this one.

‘Australia’ is released by Fox Home Video and stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, and David Gulpilil. It was written by Baz Luhrmann & Stuart Beattie & Ronald Harwood & Richard Flanagan and directed by Luhrmann. It was released on March 3rd, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Australia’ With Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman Gets Lost in Own Cinematic Outback

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:45:24 -0700

CHICAGO – Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and newcomer Brandon Walters star in Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia”: a sweeping, grand epic in the tradition of “Gone With the Wind” that gets away from its talented director, the writers he worked with and the team he hired to film his passion project.

Luhrmann and co-writers Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood and Richard Flanagan take an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to adding elements of classic romance, historical epic, cultural statement and war movie into their sprawling vision of some of Australia’s most formative years.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Taken separately, those divergent elements in “Australia” nearly work. When the film is viewed as an entire experience, the final combined product is ultimately unsatisfying and woefully disjointed.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Australia” in our reviews section.

View our 23-image “Australia” slideshow.

The first half of “Australia” details the formation of a rather unusual family made up of The Drover (Hugh Jackman), lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) and a half-white, half-Aborigine child named Nullah (Brandon Walters).

Lady Ashley comes to the land down wnder to check on her husband and their patch of land (Faraway Downs) only to find her significant other executed and their cattle being stolen.

She needs The Drover’s assistance to drive the remnants of her family’s herd to the city of Darwin and sell them right under the nose of King Carney (Bryan Brown). He’s the ruling meat baron of the island nation.

Trying to evade Carney’s nefarious associate, Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), The Drover and Ashley fall for each other. The two naturally become parental figures for the charming young man who helps them across the Australian outback.

“Australia,” which is directed by Baz Luhrmann, stars Nicole Kidman, High Jackman and Brandon Walters. The film opens on Nov. 26, 2008.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Australia” review.

The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) are plunged into upheaval and romance in “Australia”.
Photo credit: James Fisher

Sarah (Nicole Kidman) and The Drover (Hugh Jackman) find romance during their fateful journey across Australia.
Photo credit: James Fisher

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Australia” review.

Slideshow: 23-Image Gallery For ‘Australia’ With Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman From Baz Luhrmann

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:39:51 -0700

CHICAGO – This 23-image slideshow contains official press images for “Australia,” which stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and newcomer Brandon Walters from director Baz Luhrmann. The film opens on Nov. 26, 2008.

“Australia” is an epic and romantic action-adventure film set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. These production stills were released by 20th Century Fox on Nov. 13, 2008.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Unless otherwise noted on an individual photo, all photo credits for this slideshow belong to James Fisher.

australia1: Passions ignite in “Australia” between The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) during their fateful journey across Australia.
australia2: Hugh Jackman portrays the rough-hewn The Drover.
australia3: The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) enjoy a rare moment of tranquility amid their journey across Australia.
australia4: The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) are plunged into upheaval, adventure and romance beyond their wildest imaginations.
australia5: The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) revel in the excitement and romance of their adventure.
australia6: Hugh Jackman portrays a man known only as The Drover.
australia7: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) is transformed by her epic and often perilous journey across Australia.
australia8: Nicole Kidman portrays Sarah: a woman who undertakes a profound journey of self-discovery across Australia.
australia9: The Drover races to save lives during the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces who attacked Pearl Harbor.
australia10: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) and The Drover (Hugh Jackman) find adventure and romance during their fateful journey across Australia.
australia11: During their epic and transforming journey across Australia, The Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Sarah (Nicole Kidman) share a passionate moment.
australia12: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) finds a rare moment of peace during her adventure in the Australian outback.
australia13: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman star in director Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia,” which is an epic and romantic action-adventure film set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II.
australia14: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) finds herself caring for an enchanting young orphan called Nullah (Brandon Walters): a half-Aboriginal, half-Caucasian boy. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland
australia15: Newcomer Brandon Walters portrays a half-Aboriginal, half-Caucasian boy adrift in a segregated society that treats him as an outcast.
australia16: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) bonds with an enchanting young orphan named Nullah (Brandon Walters): a half-Aboriginal, half-Caucasian boy.
australia17: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) embarks on a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of Australia’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain.
australia18: Hugh Jackman portrays The Drover: a rough-hewn Australian who lives by his own rules.
australia19: The Drover (Hugh Jackman) is transformed by his caring for the orphan Nullah (Brandon Walters).
australia20: The main house at Faraway Downs is an immense property the size of Maryland that’s situated in the unforgiving Austrlian outback. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland
australia21: Sarah (Nicole Kidman) and The Drover (Hugh Jackman) unexpectedly find love during a transforming journey across the Australian outback. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland
australia22: Nicole Kidman, director Baz Luhrmann and Hugh Jackman relax on location for “Australia”.
australia23: Director, producer and co-screenwriter Baz Luhrmann works on a scene on the set of “Australia”. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com