In cinematic terms, the title Australia 3D brings to mind two equally terrifying possibilities. The first: a smorgasbord of stereotypical Australian images – kangaroos, stubbies and budgie smugglers – forced down our gullets. The second: another version of a terrible Baz Luhrmann movie, Hugh Jackman’s wardrobe-sized pecs now puncturing the third dimension.
Thankfully, this Imax documentary is neither of those things. It’s stuffed to the gills with visions that are uniquely and resplendently Australian, much of the footage being objectively, unquestionably beautiful, including sweeping landscapes and lots of photogenic creatures and critters in close-up. However, I have mixed feelings about its 3D elements and structurally the film is hampered by the impossible challenge of squeezing Australia’s vast natural history into only 45 minutes.
This, of course, leads the filmmakers to emphasise particular elements and rush over others. They rightly begin by acknowledging the immeasurable impact of Indigenous people and their role as custodians of the land for millennia. We meet, for instance, Bunna Lawrie, a senior elder of the Mirning people of the coastal country of the Billiaum Mocalba, whose Mirning family are known as whale dreamers with a long tradition of preserving and protecting the natural world.
The film is narrated by Mystery Road actor Mark Coles Smith, who introduces Australia as a place “30 million years in the making, sculpted by the forces of nature, and deep time”. Matched with eye-watering long shots, these early moments, like many Netflix documentaries, feel like a commercial for the production we’re about to watch – or, perhaps more charitably, like an academic abstract, summarising the experience.
Things steady when Smith explains that Australia, like all land masses, is constantly drifting, once upon a time being connected to Antarctica – “where it all began”. Like in a David Attenborough doco, big talking points are matched with smaller studies and factoids: did you know that kangaroos learned to hop to preserve energy while travelling large land masses? The images are majestic but the tone feels a tad brochure. Despite its residence at Imax, most of the film wouldn’t look out of place in a tourism video playing on the back of a plane seat.
I’ve never been a true believer in the 3D format and this film certainly didn’t convince me; I’m not even sure it benefits from the technology. Some shots look lovely in their 3D forms, particularly close-ups of animals, but many appear surprisingly flat, failing to create any real sense of depth. This gives the experience an uneven, immersion-breaking rhythm; I often found myself wondering, “why doesn’t this look more 3D?”
The film only briefly mentions the Great Barrier Reef, which I found surprising, given it acknowledges the landmark as the world’s largest living structure. The press notes suggest a motivation to highlight lesser known places: “The Great Barrier Reef and the outback are world famous, but the stunning limestone cliffs of the Nullarbor, or the rugged mountains of the Flinders Ranges, will be a surprise to viewers.” Despite Australia 3D concluding with a general comment about the need to preserve the natural world, there’s no discussion of climate change, including the bleaching that’s fundamentally altering the nature of the reef. Which is understandable – this film already has way too much to fit in – even if it does feel a bit like making a Titanic documentary and not mentioning the iceberg.
Perhaps Australia 3D is best viewed as a starting point or launch pad: an experience that can lure school kids and entice them to learn more about the natural world. Thank god Hugh Jackman’s pecs were nowhere to be seen.
Australia 3D is out now at Imax Melbourne
