What critics are saying about ‘Australia’

“ ‘Australia’ is a double feature all by itself, a film that comes with its own built-in sequel. At 2 hours, 35 minutes, it has room for both a cattle drive movie and a war movie, with a romantic drama thrown into the mix to tie both parts together. With a story this expansive, it’s no wonder they named it after a continent” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Like the country that is its namesake, this movie is big: 2 1/2 hours of romance, action and history – a Down Under ‘Gone With the Wind.’ It’s also a big mess: emotionally incoherent, laughably simplistic and narratively graceless” – Robert W. Butler, The Kansas City Star

“(I)f Luhrmann takes too long to tell the tale, it is at least a tale worth telling, shining a light on racism and mistreatment, folding it neatly into a crowded film that entertains us for most of the way” – Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic

“(T)he story he’s conjured up here, a tempestuous romance that unfolds against the backdrop of a massive cattle drive, is trite and attenuated – the stuff of cartoons, not epics” – Christopher Kelly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“It’s a corny, old-fashioned epic with the usual digital compromises, but a gorgeous picture with genuine moist-eyed moments, most thanks to Nicole Kidman. And there aren’t many actors who look as at home on a horse as Hugh Jackman” – Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

“With the beautifully parched desert landscape, the pinky-purple twilight on the scrub-brushed mountains, the sprawling overhead shots of lush hills and waterfalls and the streaks of white sunlight through the trees, Luhrmann has made an elaborate promotional video for the place he calls home” – Christy Lemire, Associated Press