- Network: HULU
- Series Premiere Date: Nov 26, 2023
Critic Reviews
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What a waste of an excellent reframing of Australia into an improved Faraway Downs. So to salvage this misbegotten adventure into absurdity, I suggest you watch Faraway Downs only until the midpoint of “Chapter 6” and then press stop.
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“Faraway Downs” does lessen the bombast. Ultimately, however, while more time for scenes to breathe does offer a smoother experience, Luhrmann’s new iteration enlarges but never really enlightens the same grandiose saga. At least, not to any degree that will change your mind about either version of this dusty, sun-baked vision.
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The complexities of real Indigenous culture escape Luhrmann. Still, this is old-fashioned storytelling, with all the strengths and weaknesses that term implies. Luhrmann is a showman who revels in his own extravagance. Sometimes you’re in the mood for that.
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Watching Faraway Downs in the late Peak TV era, it’s easier to notice how thin the characters are, and how lacking in intimacy and nuance their relationships are. The scope that had felt sprawling for a movie feels limited for a show; even at close to four hours, the new version has little room for curiosity about the everyday details of this work, and even less for the characters who linger at the margins.
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While the series boasts easily digestible sections running 45 minutes or less, the disappointing elements plaguing “Australia” remain the same.