The King was upset with those white people; he declared they possessed a bad spirit and needed to be removed from the land. Baz Luhrmann directed Australia, and he collaborated on the screenplay with Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood, and Richard Flanagan. The film features Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, and Brandon Walters. The professional critics weren't kind when it was released, generally agreeing that this sprawling epic, costing $130 million to produce, was an ambitious failure. However, at the box office, it earned almost twice its budget, so it wasn’t a financial disappointment. It’s definitely uneven; the movie feels like two separate films joined together. The initial portion sends Kidman's English aristocrat to Northern Australia after she inherits Faraway Downs Ranch. There, she gets caught up in a scheme and forms an uneasy partnership with Jackman's stockman, Drover. Hints of a comedic romance develop alongside a cattle dispute and the fear among the Aborigines at the ranch – especially young Nullah (Walters) – due to racial prejudice. The film then shifts into a love story, a war narrative depicting the Japanese attack on Darwin, and a difficult historical storyline involving the “stolen generations” of children with mixed white and Aboriginal heritage. Despite all this activity, as Luhrmann pays tribute to classic epics from the past, the scenery is gorgeous, and the demanding work of cattle ranching appears authentic—it’s aided by Jackman's presence. The action sequences are thrilling, the Japanese aerial assaults feel realistic for dramatic effect, and the chemistry between Kidman and Jackman, Walters’ strong performance as a child, and Wenham’s effective portrayal of a villain all contribute positively to the film. Ben Mendelsohn and John Jarratt also appear in smaller roles. It doesn't quite reach its full potential, and it seems like there may have been some interference during production (having three co-writers probably didn’t help). Nevertheless, there are moments of genuine enjoyment and beauty, combined with emotional resonance and a reminder of an important period in history. Luhrmann aimed for something akin to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" but fell short, though it's respectable and well-crafted for entertainment purposes. 7/10

Source on TMDB