---
title: "Australia: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/australia/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/australia"
critics_score: 58
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Australia (2008): what the critics said

Critics' score 58 from 9 reviews: 2 positive, 6 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics land in the middle on Australia, and they broadly agree on what it is: a big, old-fashioned melodrama that knows exactly how much it wants to be loved. Where the praise clusters is on Brandon Walters, whom several reviews name as the emotional heart of the film and the one performance everyone warms to. The cattle drive comes next, singled out repeatedly as the stretch where spectacle and story pull in the same direction, and the Outback landscapes earn steady praise even from the doubters.

The reservations cluster around length and tone. Most find it overlong and overblown, with a final act that several describe as contrived or simply falling apart, and a few note patchy digital effects and choppy cutting. The spread is wide. The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian are won over despite the excess, while Eye for Film dismisses the film outright as tedious and poorly acted, a view no one else shares.

## The Hollywood Reporter — Megan Lehmann

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2008. 

Lehmann finds the melodramatic epic rousing and broadly captivating despite some romance and narrative missteps. She singles out Brandon Walters for giving the sprawling story its emotional heart.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-review-australia-125956/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 December 2008. 

French finds the film absurd but entertaining, despite its overblown, Hollywood-style approach. He praises its exciting cattle-drive sequence and the evocative Outback landscapes.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/dec/28/australia-review)

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2008. 

McCarthy finds the film an entertaining, if uneven and overlong, melodrama whose eager-to-please approach should appeal to general audiences without fully sweeping them away. He singles out Brandon Walters’s natural, winning performance and the beauty of the stars and landscapes, while criticizing the choppy pacing and some weak CGI.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2008/film/awards/australia-28-1200472103/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2.5/4. 25 November 2008. 

Ebert’s verdict was mixed, finding the film’s epic ambitions overblown. He singled out its visual spectacle, while faulting the story’s excesses.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/australia)

## Time Out — Nina Caplan

Rating 3/5. 16 December 2008. 

Caplan gives the film three out of five, a middling verdict. The accessible text offers only the premise, so it does not reveal what she specifically praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/australia-1)

## Empire — Chris Hewitt

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2008. 

The critic finds the film visually impressive but wildly inconsistent, with an overlong and contrived final stretch. They praise its stunning visuals and thrilling cattle stampede.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/australia-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Dan Callahan

Rating 2/4. 23 November 2008. 

Callahan finds the epic corny and implausible, though intermittently enjoyable. He singles out the sincere Hugh Jackman as seeming lost in the collapsing third act.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/australia/)

## Paste — Russ Fischer

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2008. 

Fischer finds the film overblown and uneven, but says its romance works and its social intent is admirable. He singles out Brandon Walters’s performance as the heart of the movie.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/australia/australia)

## Eye for Film — Chris

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2008. 

The critic strongly condemns the film as tedious, predictable, and poorly acted. Brandon Walters is singled out as a bright spot amid the weak performances and contrived storytelling.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/australia-film-review-by-chris)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/australia.md