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

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HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0
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.
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.
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.
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.

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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.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

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

Diana Brenneke's picture

Australia Movie

It was the best movie Ive watched in a long, long time. talk about creative to have a story,(to tell of a story)then narrarated with a child such as Nullah remarkable. People told me it was a good movie,but hard to get into in the beginning. I disagree,to me they werent paying attention. I Loved from the beginning to end. As a matter of fact I have watched it over 25 times since I got it on Pay per view April 12,2009 . I am on limited income, I’m disabled. Hot Hugh Jackman!! Wow !! He was so great. Then with Hugh and Nicole,brandon,gotta drive them ch—- bulls to that big metal boat!I love brandon-Nullah so many times I just wanted to hug him.
This movie is my #1 in my books. A movie that has everything you need in a movie.

roberta's picture

Nullah

Brandon walters is a natural talent. Its personality is seducente strong. It will be able to make many roles various because its talent is real. E’ beautifulst and it has a carisma that it bewitches people. its talent is in the knowledge to make to laugh and to cry. wonderful boy and actor. I Wish the much happened
Your smile has touch my heart and everyone.Your energy and your talent are wonderful. I think that you will have much happening. I’ll sing you to me muss Boss.fantastic you are fantastic,lovely.

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