Put your prejudices to one side, there's plenty to savour in the quasi-camp Australia
HCC Reviews Team - 11 May 2009 - 9:44am

Australia is a sleight tale told on the grandest scale possible. A tale of love and competing cattle ranches in the Australian Outback, the film is every bit as episodic and uneven as you would expect from writer/director Baz Luhrmann, even finding time to also confront the Japanese bombing of Darwin and Australia's Stolen Generation.

Indeed, this constant striving for 'epic' status is the film's biggest downfall as it almost stretches out the tale to breaking point. But Luhrmann's melodramatic sensibilities and almost over-the-top theatricality ensures that it never takes itself too seriously and - at the very least - always provides an enjoyable ride.

Mark Craven: Strewth! As with Baz Luhrmann's earlier films, Australia is a real feast for the eyes. And this bonzer Blu-ray's 2.35:1 AVC encode is an early contender for best 1080p transfer of the year. The imagery boasts a warm and inviting colour palette, remarkably well-defined detailing (full of subtle nuances in texturing) and excellent black levels throughout. Admittedly, I spotted instances of colour banding in a couple of scenes, but these were quickly forgotten when confronted by the excellent clarity and overwhelming visual impact found in sequences such as Chapter 11's cattle stampede.

Steve May: The 24/48kHz 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack is lush in the extreme. Sweeping ambiance and effects are constantly stirred, while punches land with a tight, hard LFE and Nicole Kidman shrieks and whimpers in the higher registers. Sonically, there's something happened all the time. In less crafted hands this might become tiresome, but Australia is a 'beaut. The film has the cheeky tone of a musical (perhaps not surprising given Baz Luhrmann's catalogue), and at times its tongue seems firmly stuck in its cheek. When Rolf Harris's wobbleboard rises up through the mix it's impossible not to grin. And yes, it really is Rolf Harris bending the board! The result is as tasty as a 'roo on a barbie (which apparently is not only delicious, but healthy too).

Anton van Beek: This otherwise impressive set comes a cropper with its extra features. The Australia: The People, the History, the Location featurette provides a look at the events that inspired the story, but is too brief to go into much depth. Also included are a series of nine behind-the-scenes podcast videos previously available through iTunes and a pair of deleted scenes. While all of the video content is presented in 1080p, it does seem like the bare minimum of effort was put into sourcing bonus content. Finally, there's also Digital Copy of the film provided for those who like the idea of watching this epic film on a small screen while on the move.

We say: Beautiful to look at and listen to, Baz Luhrmann's hi-def Aussie epic is a real spunk.

20th Century Fox, Region B Blu-ray, £28, On sale now

HCC VERDICT: 4/5