Monday, March 9, 2009

Australia: 2 hours and 45 minutes of goodness


Before I begin, let me reiterate -- Australia is 2 hours and 45 minutes. This is not a movie for the time management challenged. If you enjoyed Baz Luhrmann's other films, then it is truly worth the time. The beginning starts off a little quirky (it reminded me of Strictly Ballroom -- what a great movie) with Nicole Kidman's Lady Ashley, an uptight proper English lady, travelling to Australia to demand that her husband sell their cattle ranch and come home to England with her. He sends The Drover (Hugh Jackman) as her guide to bring her to their ranch, Faraway Downs. Misunderstanding and a few silly scenes later, they dislike each other properly, but you know that won't last for long.

The movie really picks up when Lady Ashley and the Drover arrive to find Lord Ashley murdered. Lady Ashley vows to drive the cattle in honor of her late husband and in turn protect all the people living on the ranch from a rival cattle tycoon and his villainous henchman. She begs the Drover to help her and over the course of the drive, they fall in love.
I am going to stop there, so that I don't spoil the rest of the plot. Australia is great fun, an epic story with heart and many funny moments. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are fantastic, their story and struggles are the movie's strengths. I was surprised by the scope of the film, the massive crane shots, explosions, and the special effects were immense. So if you have 3 hours to spare, I recommend you see Australia. Don't forget to come back here and let me know your thoughts in the comments section!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Definitely going to get this one from Netflix! My parents saw it around Thanksgiving and raved about it. The length concerns me a little, but I'll save it for a boring weekend day and hunker down to watch!

bermudaonion said...

I loved this movie too! But, I think anything with Hugh Jackman in it is good.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely adored this movie - and he is so fun to look at! :)