depravity and gravity have always got a grasp on me.

A great many eons ago, also known as Thanksgiving, 2008, my tiny nuclear family decided to combine forces and canter off to the local cinema in order to take in the latest of familial-friendly flicks. And thus, we agreed upon Australia, a legendarily-long saga drawn to life by the keen but clandestine mind of the eclectic Baz Luhrmann.  The film, aproposly titled from its largest master, throws a supercilious British heiress (a somewhat likable Nicole Kidman) into the depths of down under on the cusp of the Second World War after her prize husband, who owned a cattle-rearing lot, is killed. Enter dreamy drover Hugh Jackman, who’s got a bit too much grit between his teeth, and let the calamity unfold.  As Kidman befriends the local aborigines, learns the dangers of the desert, and  promises to make good of her late husband’s secret livelihood, she grows exponentially along with the rapidly-changing country in times of peril.  

The first half hour of the film is exhaustingly Luhrmann – quick shots, nauseating close-ups, and awkward slow-motion bits that charmed audiences in Moulin Rouge! and Romeo & Juliet fall flat against the backdrop of death and poverty in war. However, the movie quickly matures with its characters, and its subsequent two hours are swooping, sweet, and haunting.  The story thrives on its nearly preposterously-dynamic characters, who fuel the film with fiery intensity at every turn. And somehow, it all seems to work.

Australia is far from flawless – its length is daunting, especially after the audience is placed through apparent climax after climax, nail-biter after tear-jerker, and numerous calms after many storms.  Villains are created and quelled too quickly, and an exhausting amount of dangers threaten a happy ending in constant rapid succession. However, the film is powerful, both in a cinematic and empathetic sense, and the once-floppy characters truly drive home  sweeping bouts of emotion.  The real treat of the film, however, is not the gorgeous costumes (which received an Oscar nod), the epic battle scenes, or the A-list Hollywood royalty employed, but rather the movie’s most diminutive star – Brandon Walters –  as the orphaned aborigine  who ultimately wins the hearts of Kidman and Jackman.  Walters, an Australian native, had never graced the silver screen prior to this flick, but his haunting depth of character  makes him the film’s most apparent gem.  Overall, Luhrmann’s flick is worth the viewing, though it may not be worthy of earning a spot in your collection.  If nothing else, it will make covet Nicole Kidman’s wardrobe and help you pick your next vacation destination.