Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

valleycapfan I saw this move over seven years ago when it came out and I still haven't seen a movie as bad since. Prepare to dodge the clichés that are fired out of this movie faster than a machine gun. The characters are wooden (the good guys are VERY good, the bad guys are VERY bad, and nothing in between), the plot is straight out of a Harlequin Romance novel, the script is riddled with lines that garner unintended laughs, and the direction is unbearable.Having endured nearly three hours of this disaster, I fully expected to see Michael Bay and/or Jerry Bruckheimer in the credits, as it had all the earmarks of their work but, to my surprise, even THEY wouldn't have anything to do with a movie this simple-minded. I couldn't help immediately comparing this to "Pearl Harbor." Both movies have so much in common - all for the wrong reasons - and, in both, the audience is hoping a Japanese bomb or two takes out the lead actors. It would've helped their careers.Only one notable quote spoken in this movie kept it from getting a "1" score in my eyes: "It wouldn't be a war if someone wasn't making money." That was the highlight of a film that all respectable Aussies should disown outright.

Python Hyena Australia (2008): Dir: Baz Luhrmann / Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson: Well crafted yet overlong bore that never establishes the joys of the Outback. After her husband is murdered Lady Sarah Ashley travels to Australia to sell his ranch thus also transporting herds of cattle. Starts out well but contains like fifty different endings. And why not more shots of wildlife? They only have like fifty million of the most dangerous snakes in the world living there. How about a glimpse, please. Director Baz Luhrmann delivers fantastic war footage and battle scenes but this is not up there with his work in Moulin Rouge or Romeo and Juliet. Nicole Kidman holds strong as Lady Ashley who ends up in an odyssey that was not on the visitation list of things to do. Hugh Jackman on the other hand, seems more like a romantic prop regardless of how much he puts his neck out for this broad. David Wenham plays the villain Fletcher but the role is fairly straight forward and boring. Bryan Brown appears in a cameo. Being set in Australia, one could only wish that it highlighted the wildlife a tad more exclusively since the screenplay is dull. Was Luhrmann attempting to make a sort of Australian version of Gone With the Wind? If so then it doesn't pay off very well. It is all over the place and never fully focused thus losing its message. Score: 5 / 10

Imogen Jones This movie makes me ashamed to be Australian. Obviously, being Australian, I've always known about the stolen generations and seen many representations in society's attempt to show the terrible thing that we had done. But Baz is the only one who has left a lasting impression in my heart for the stolen generations. I am ashamed of what we did and it makes me sad to think of how cultured Australia is now. This movie also makes me feel Australia should not exist as it is now, this land does not belong to us. But also, being a white Australian I am a hypocrite, and I just wish the past could be changed. Australia is the land of the Aboriginals, of story telling and Mother Nature.Anyway, Baz Luhrmann, I love him and his movies so much. I think it is truly amazing how one individual can make so many people feel so many things so deeply.

g-bodyl It seems like this movie is one of those that people hate with a passion or is one of the best movies they have ever seen. Now while I don't belong to either of those groups, I did enjoy this movie a lot. This is a modern day "Gone with the Wind," and it shows the mystical side of Australia as well as address the racism issues native Aborigines dealt with until fairly recently. This is a lavish, gorgeous epic that explores the realm of romance and the legend of Australia. The cinematography is gorgeous as well as the costume design and music. There are some continuity issues, but that is only minor.Baz Luhrmann's film is about an English aristocrat named Lady Sarah Ashley who inherits a cattle ranch after her husband's death. She travels to Australia where she meets this cattle rancher named Drover. Together they must drive the cattle 2000 miles against an unforgiving terrain in order for their cattle not to be monopolized. However, they gain a firsthand look at the Japanese savagery as they bomb the port of Darwin.The acting is pretty good. I wasn't too fond of Nicole Kidman's performance at first, but she did get better as the movie went on. Hugh Jackman was excellent as Drover. I think the real performance was Brandon Walters as the young bi-racial native, Nullah. He was the narrator, but he's a bright and innocent kid who suffers from the racism prevalent in Australian society.Overall, Australia is a sweeping, modern-day version of "Gone with the Wind." It tackles issues of family, romance, and racism and it's a part of history that people do not know too much about. There are some flaws, but the movie is just too beautiful to resist. It hovers around the 3-hour mark, but the movie of this epic nature makes that time fly by. It's better than what people give it credit for. I rate this film 9/10.