Baz Lurhman directed the feature film Australia in 2008 and it wasn’t met with great reviews. He’s reworked it into a longer six-part series with episodes ranging from 24 to 49 minutes. And it’s much improved! Nicole Kidman plays a proper British lady who travels to her husband’s ranch in Australia, only to find him dead. In rides Hugh Jackman, who plays a “drover,” to help her drive her cattle and save her land. This has all the elements of a classic big screen epic: excitement and peril, gorgeous landscapes, inevitable romance, villainous conflict and political controversy. Lurhman has staged it in the style of period widescreen Technicolor adventures with dramatic lighting, bold colors and theatrical angles. Kidman proves a comic delight in early scenes and Jackman plays the typical rough guy with aplomb. While I didn’t love the original, this version is truly new and improved. It’s an ambitious series with all the right elements to create a grand and thrilling romantic adventure. 
(4 / 5)