Reviews

This could have been amazing, but there are too many plot holes and pointless detours for it to fulfill my (not very high) expectations.

Not only does del Toro show no real understanding of what it means to be "Pacific" (culturally, geographically, in terms of the space or urban landscapes), he manages to conflate pretty much all of Asia into one gigantic stereotype - and those Australian accents were so bad I almost walked out!

At the end of the day, there were a few passingly good action scenes, and a couple of almost- brilliant moments of apocalyptic doom, but the lack of believable (or interesting) characters (and the fact that 3 of the male leads looked almost identical), paired with the absence of any engaging settings (most of the battles are in the ocean), make this a fairly sub-par offering.

And did I mention that accents were really, really terrible? With the lackluster performances from Martini and Kazinsky (a Brit and an American), you could have hired pretty much any Australian guy off the street to do better. And why are Aussie characters so often mean and have bull-dogs? Being stupid and having bull mastiffs would make more sense - or being stoners with an old collie or a cattle dog. But vengeful and competitive, with a British bull- dog? Nothing good to say about those two characters, at all. Waste of time.

There is something unique about this film beyond the plot and characters. Billed as the first Indigenous Australian comedy, Stone Bros. rightly places itself at the forefront of what is undoubtedly an original format. Like many Australian films, Stone Bros isn't shy in pointing out the flaws of its characters, and taking a dig at the local culture. However, the cast of characters are not the usual crowd, and the honest engagement with the audiences potential discomfort successfully manages to overcome a great deal of presumption about Indigenous culture, particularly in a rural or "Outback" setting.

Endearing characters; humorous and ambitious. I'm particularly impressed with the success in fulfilling that ambition for, despite being a bit rough around the edges, this film lives up to its aims: to challenge dominant perceptions and present a film that all Australians can get behind and enjoy on a lighthearted level - but in consideration of serious issues.

An important film, worth seeing:potentially an Australian classic.