Australia

I’ve been anticipating the opening of Australia since the first time I saw the trailer. I haven’t watched an epic movie in a long time, and this one caught my attention immediately. The critical reviews were mixed, but I loved the film. It did not disappoint, and it seems that most of the Rotten Tomatoes community agrees with me. The movie earned a rating of 74% fresh from RT — not bad, not bad at all.

Australia is “an epic and romantic action adventure, set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. An English aristocrat (Kidman) travels to the faraway continent, where she meets a rough-hewn local (Jackman) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor.”

Baz Huhrmann weaves a compelling story of romance, drama, and action adventure in this cinematic experience. It’s a long film (just shy of three hours), but it held my attention the entire time. The scenery is amazing. Kidman and Jackman have great chemistry, and for the single ladies, Jackman proves why he was selected by People magazine as 2008’s “sexiest man alive”. The young actor who played “Nullah” also provided a compelling performance.

If you have some free time this weekend, skip the crowded malls and watch this epic adventure.

My rating: A