australia - movie review :(

I watched Australia the other night. That was a short sentence, because I don't have many good things to say about it. Australia, a film directed by Baz Luhrmann, stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, with a medium sized supporting cast. To begin, the story was also by Luhrmann, and to say the least, I was not a fan. The film was very long and contained a lot of mini-plots within the entire movie. First there is Kidman's character and her transformation. Then there's Hugh Jackman with another transformation/epiphany. There are small landowners trying to stick it to the big, ruthless corporation. There are stolen children. There is a war. THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF. I like epic films, I really do, but this film was so unfocused. I think the most prevalent binding idea behind this movie was just chronology. I guess this makes sense, because one of the many many themes in this movie was living a good life worth telling.

I think what went wrong was that....
1. this was a Baz Luhrmann's movie. Luhrmann also directed Moulin Rouge, and he has a really obvious, special effect-y, crazy angles type of direction. I thought that style worked for Moulin Rouge. It's about theatre, music, flamboyance. The direction matched the tone of the movie. In a movie about nature? Well, Australia is a pretty place naturally. Why did they need use an airbrushy look? Why was there so much slow motion? Why were there so many obvious closeup shots that didn't flow with the pace of the movie? Why did I think I was watching a really campy Indiana Jones musical set in Australia?
2. Luhrmann wrote the movie. Not all directors can write. House of Flying Daggers suffered a lot of similar problems as this movie. The movie became a showcase for the director and his/her tricks in a bag. The aesthetic of the movie outweighed the characters and the plot. I like pretty movies like Gattaca, because it was balanced. On the other hand, Australia was like a really long music video.
3. what kind of movie was this? In the beginning, it was comedic. It wasn't very funny comedy, but I could see a lighthearted tone to the movie. Then it was adventure. Then it was happy & fairytale-like. Then it was this hardcore action war drama. What the hell?! This doesn't even qualify to be bipolar. It was quadpolar, but I think that defies the definition of polar. It was all over the place.

Good things about the movie:
1. Hugh Jackman's hot. Sorry, but that might have been the best part. I've liked him since middle school, and I still do.
2. The intent of the movie. I think this movie was poorly executed, but I do think the subject material was worthwhile. Bringing up the Stolen Generations and shaping a good majority of the plot around aboriginal people and culture was a good decision. Concerning the Stolen Generations, I think that Rabbit-Proof Fence was a better film when it comes to that issue.
3. Costume and wardrobe were really excellent. I don't know if they were authentic, since I don't know anything about that. The colors were well chosen and really added another element of characterization to these people.

So...is this movie worth watching? Sure...if you have a lot of time, and if you're easily amused. I'm just kidding. This movie is decent. It's something my Mom would like. For me, it's one of those movies that I would put on and not pay complete attention to by washing dishes or some other chores. That's my assessment.