Just because it is doesn't mean it should be....an epic

All right, I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for Hollywood. I say that not in my defense, but in my self-discovery. After sitting through all 160 minutes of Baz Luhrman’s sweeping epic Australia, I came to the inevitable conclusion that despite its lengthy run time, paint-by numbers plot, and unabashed melodrama, I actually enjoyed the movie. Sure I didn’t buy most of the plot for one second, but since when are we really supposed to believe all of the Technicolor glamour we’ve seen on screen for ages? In the end what did it for me was that the style and execution mostly outweighed the parts that I could have done without.

The world is on the brink of the Second great war, and the demand for beef is rising. Such are the conditions that English aristocrat Sarah Ashley finds herself in when she unexpectedly becomes heir to a cattle station in Northern Australia. When arriving in Australia, Sarah finds herself in the midst of great hardship resulting from cultural differences, and the sudden doom her company finds itself in. Soon, she befriends a young Aborigine boy, dubbed by he country’s intolerable race laws as a “half-caste”. The boy is the son of an aborigine female and a white male, and will soon be forced to a sector of the continent so that “the black may be bred out”. When Sarah discovers corruption within the business she must put her faith in a rough cattle herder known as drover. The three form an unlikely team to try to restore the name of the ranch, and are still forced to deal with the impending bombing of Darwin, Australia by the Japanese militants.

This film is a very deliberate homage to the John Ford epics of the past. Luhrman said himself that he set out to make his own Australian Gone With the Wind, and the comparisons are hard to miss . The actors seem to sparkle on screen in a kind of luster that is reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood. Australian born Luhrman has a keen knack for visual flair that while is often-times breathtaking is still other times distracting with his over use of CGI shots. Luhrman’s camera urges us to soak up the vast Australian landscape with impeccable tracking shots. The 3-act film has so many plot points that it can be tedious to try and soak all of it in, especially considering the film is nearly 3 hours in length. It is a fantastic film to look at though, with lush cinematography and strong performances practically daring audiences to look away.

3.5/5