Australia

The sweeping romantic epic has been a uniquely powerful cinematic spectacle since the early days of movie-making, offering such unforgettable classics as Gone with the Wind, Dr. Zhivago, and Titanic. The epic genre often has an exciting allure because it offers so much stretched across an expansive canvas: action, adventure, intrigue, passion, romance, and perhaps even a bit of a history lesson. But connecting all these dots in a cohesive manner poses a grand challenge and it seems as though there is something alchemical at work when the formula creates a classic. Such status is achieved through a mixture of potent subject matter, vibrant imagery, sheer narrative scope, and of course, crackling chemistry between the romantic leads. As difficult as it is to reach the level of grandeur attained by the classics of the genre, filmmakers continue to tackle the epic movie, with varying degrees of success. The latest attempt is courtesy of writer-director Baz Luhrmann, whose Australia features all of the right ingredients, with little of the necessary flavour.

The story begins in 1939 with a wealthy English aristocrat named Sarah (Nicole Kidman, radiant as usual) arriving in Australia to visit her husband, who owns a decaying cattle ranch called Faraway Downs. Unbeknownst to Sarah, she has stepped right into the middle of a conflict that involves some greedy cattle barons planning to take control of the land. When she arrives at Faraway Downs, she finds her husband murdered, an unfortunate turn of events that causes Sarah to inherit the land. At first, she wants nothing to do with the isolated place, but over time, the charm of Australia begins to take hold.

Aiding in her transformation of spirit is the rugged and handsome Drover (Hugh Jackman, who is only ever referred to by his occupation, which involves moving cattle) and a group of aboriginal people who live at Faraway Downs. Of course, such an ambitious movie would not be complete without a little kid to blatantly tug at the heartstrings of the audience and so Lurhmann tosses little Nullah (newcomer Brandon Walters) into the emotional fray. Nullah is referred to as a "mixed breed," because he was born to one Aboriginal parent and one caucasian parent (against his Aboriginal mother's will, no less). He straddles both cultures, while belonging to neither. To make matters worse, Nullah is in danger of being taken away by the Australian government in order to be stripped of his Aboriginal heritage. It is a sad, dark piece of history for Australia and a focal point of Luhrmann's movie, but Nullah is used in such a transparently sentimental fashion that his purpose as a character seems to have more to do with audience manipulation than with making a statement about this tragic chapter in the nation's history.

As the story progresses, romance blossoms between Sarah and the Drover, who come from different worlds, yet discover they have their hearts in the same place. The romantic storyline is convincing enough to be engaging, but unable to weave an effective personal conflict into their story, Luhrmann resorts to adding a comical villain to fill in the blanks. The villain is named Neil Fletcher (David Wenham, woefully missing a moustache to twist) and he is an evil man who will stop at nothing to take control of Faraway Downs. From the beginning, Fletcher comes off as laughably one-dimensional in every scene he is a part of, never missing an opportunity to remind everyone around him that he is the bad guy. When contrasted against the overwhelming kindness of Sarah and the Drover, it is clear that Luhrmann is only concerned with painting his story in black and white. Such a ham-fisted approach to good and evil makes for a very contrived conflict and so the movie's dramatic engine never picks up steam.

In the early moments of Australia, Luhrmann's trademark surreal style, in which the characters and the very world they inhabit exist with enthusiastic exaggeration, fills the frames and provides a unique perspective on the old-fashioned romantic epic. But with every step forward, the movie begins to shed its identity and Luhrmann's electrically charged vision fades into the background. By the time the movie reaches the climax, Luhrmann seems to be making a parody of the genre, instead of a loving and effective tribute.

Despite his many missteps, Luhrmann does manage to provide his movie with an impressive scope, succeeding in making his world feel larger than life. His efforts are aided by the sumptuous work of cinematographer Mandy Walker, who brings the visual world of Australia to life in all its breathtaking glory. The movie may be dramatically daft, but the imagery is absolutely superb. Unfortunately, pretty pictures cannot save a movie on their own and so Walker's work is merely the best part of a disappointing movie.

Luhrmann has clearly poured his heart and soul into this movie, but the result is a treacly, heavy-handed failure. Kidman and Jackman offer good performances, but they are trapped in a misbegotten fairytale. Struggling to find its place amongst the classic romantic epics, Australia falls flat and achieves little more than a silly send-up of the movies it so greatly admires. The intentions are noble and the vision is ambitious, but the movie's dramatic pull is lost in a sea of unearned indulgence.