Review: Australia

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oy, oy, oy!!

It's been a while since my university days in Perth, Australia, so listening to the slang in Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman's latest movie, 'Australia', brought back some nostalgic memories. A word of advice before you go off to watch 'Australia'; it is really long, about 2 and a half hours. If you are the type who, like me, is unable to tolerate noisy and fidgety movie audience, it's better if you watch it in GSC's Gold Class.

Now, I must warn you that those with strong racial feelings and heavily connected to Australia (such as an Australian, an Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander) are not recommended to watch this film. Like most historical movies, there are some scenes and dialogues that certain people might find sensitive or offensive. Example: For Malaysians, when we did the Tunku musical (a theater show of our first prime minister), the scene with the racial fights between the Chinese and Malays as well as the raping of our women brought back many unhappy memories to those who had lived through that tumultuous time. In 'Australia', be prepared for racism, indications of rape, some nature of magic and war scenes. If you can handle all these then by all means, watch it. You will definitely enjoy it. And no, it's not one of those serious historical drama. I thought it was, too, when I first saw the trailer. How wrong I was.

The movie starts off with a brief history of the 'stolen generation' and you'll hear the voice of a half-Aboriginal half-white child, Nullah (played by Brandon  Walters), narrating the story. Although it begins on a serious note, 10 minutes later, you'll start laughing at Nicole Kidman's character, an English aristocrat by the name of Lady Sarah Ashley, as she meet up with the rough cattle driver, Drover (Hugh Jackman). From the start, you can see the chemistry between Lady Ashley and Drover, not unlike the couple you often read in romance novels. You'll get caught up with their relationship throughout the movie as their emotions move from despising each other to mutual respect to finally, love.

You simply must keep an eye on Nullah, the boy who often refers to himself as 'creamy', one who is not black or white but somewhere in between. Although the attention is focused on Lady Ashley and Drover (perhaps because of the actors representing the characters), I believe that the true star of the movie is this young boy. His story is one that will make you feel sympathy, fear and love for him, and at the end of the movie, you'll understand why Lady Ashley tries so hard to keep him as her own child. By the way, being raised by his Aboriginal grandfather, King George, Nullah has learned the traits and customs of his ancestors, and you'll see him perform certain rituals and songs of the Aborigines. He has a lovely singing voice. :) He also has an interesting use of words, with sentences that will make you laugh such as, "We gotta get those fat cheeky bulls into that big bloody metal ship!" I don't remember whether the Aboriginals I met in Australia talked like that. :D

As with every film, there's always a villain, and the problem with 'Australia' is I keep getting the villain (Neil Fletcher, played by David Wenham) mixed up with the helpful army soldier, Captain Dutton (Ben Mendelsohn). The face expression that they make is quite similar, especially with the squinty eyes and the downward frown. But don't worry, you'll find many reasons to truly depise the cunning Neil Fletcher as he goes out of his way to make Lady Ashley's life miserable in the land down under, since he was deprived of taking over the ranch her late husband left when he was murdered.

I love 'Australia' immensely, not just because of the tremendously convincing acting, but how well everything (the plot, the historical events) merged together. Though long, every scene effortlessly flows into the next, and time becomes irrelevant as you get caught up in the story, the history, the romance, and the action. It is truly one movie to watch before you end the year of 2008.

As usual (I love doing this), check out the goofs from 'Australia' after you come back from the film. Though the film is directed by Baz Luhrmann, even the best of the best make mistakes. :D