Review of Australia (1989) by Stephen S — 06 Jan 2012

I'm really giving this film 4.25 stars in my mind...I feel that 4 isn't enough, but 4.5 is a bit too much. I think it's better to underrate a film than to overrate it, however. Anyway, this is a really good film chronicling the lives of the three main characters. It really feels like parts of several different films all rolled into one, which is good because it keeps each specific sequence from getting boring. You'll understand what I mean when you see this film. You have to keep in mind that this is a ridiculously long film, coming in at 2 hours and 45 minutes basically. This is my main problem with this movie...it's much longer than it needs to be. Don't get me wrong, almost every scene is done really well, but there's obviously a point where it's gonna drag, especially if you're watching it in one sitting at home. I don't know if it would've been fun to watch in the theater or outright torture after the two hour mark. Throw in some previews and getting there early to get popcorn or whatever, and you would've been looking at a 3 and a half hour experience, which is Lord of the Rings-esque.

The problem is, nobody warns you that this is nearly a three hour film. And it was marketed incorrectly...if anyone remembers the previews at all, there was never a clear idea what the movie was about, just that it was set in Australia. To be fair, this is kind of a hard movie to categorize: it has so many different elements of it, and it doesn't help that the title makes you believe that the film is completely about Australia. Yes, that's where it's set, and it does have to do with a lot of the country's history, but the subject matter changes throughout the film. The first part of the film is kind of like a murder mystery, another part deals with prejudice against the aboriginals in Australia, the next is an adventure story of sorts, with one part that's completely romance-based, and then the final part of the film plays out like a war film, detailing the town's bombardment by the Japanese during World War II.

Confused yet? The different elements of this film come and go, as do characters and faces. It's enough to give the audience whiplash. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie in one sitting. It's really good, but when the mood changes in the film, it feels kinda like you just put a new movie on. While this is interesting, it kinda makes you feel that you just finished a movie and don't want to watch another one, as silly as that sounds. Watch Australia in a couple of different sittings, and you'll be good...just don't watch it all in one go.