Every Baz Luhrmann movie ranked from worst to best
Flashy and flamboyant, the films of Baz Luhrmann exist in their own cinematic bubble, where style often comes to define substance. A cabaret filmmaker, Luhrmann capitulated to international popularity following the success of his ‘red curtain trilogy’ that explored the freneticism of the theatre, with his debut Strictly Ballroom providing the springboard for him to make Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet.
Ever since his success in and around the turn of the new millennium, the Australian filmmaker has become a staple of modern cinema, even taking his skills behind the camera to several other creative art forms. In addition to his six feature films, Luhrmann has created high-profile advertisements, collaborating with such companies as Chanel, Prada and H&M, among many others.
A style guru and maker of outrageously enjoyable cinema, Luhrmann is a methodical artist, having only made a handful of films since his inception into the industry in 1992. With that being said, when he does crop up in modern cinema, he makes each and every one of his creations totally and utterly unmissable.
Take a look at our run-down of the filmmaker’s work in our list below.
Baz Luhrmann movie’s ranked from worst to best:
6. Australia (2008)
The Australian filmmaker’s 2008 movie may be the only one in his glittering filmography that could be considered truly ‘bad’, with the downright boring release failing to rouse many fans in critical or commercial circles. The tale itself is an epic romance set in northern Australia shortly before WWII, where an Englishwoman inherits a vast ranch and is tasked with moving thousands of cattle across unforgiving desolate lands.
Clocking in with a runtime of two hours and 45 minutes, Australia is no easy breeze of a movie, with national heroes Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman unable to do the heavy lifting to save this dull script.
5. The Great Gatsby (2013)
Time has been quite kind to Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby, with the flashy style of the modern movie being seen as more charming than tacky nine years later. Winning two Academy Awards for Costume and Production Design, it doesn’t take a genius to see the allure of Luhrmann’s bedazzling adaptation that goes for style over substance.
It helps that the movie bulges with industry class, featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan in front of the camera, whilst the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé and will.i.am each contributed to the soundtrack.
4. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Luhrmann’s camp cabaret 2001 musical Moulin Rouge! stars Ewan McGregor, who brings vim and vigour to his leading role, elevating the film to a higher contemporary status. From Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ to Elton John’s ‘Your Song’, Luhrmann’s electrifyingly eccentric film is lit up by McGregor, playing Christian, a poet who falls for a cabaret performer.
Winning Academy Awards for the films Art Direction and Costume Design, Moulin Rouge! is well remembered as one of contemporary cinema’s greatest musicals, as well as the first time McGregor was able to show off his theatrical singing abilities.
3. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
No doubt the most famous and most popular modern adaptation of William Shakespeare, Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is an ingenious take on the iconic romance tale that oozes style and passionate 1990s glamour. Headed up by Leonardo DiCaprio, who was soon due to hit global fame with James Cameron’s Titanic in 1997, the success of the ‘90s classic was both fortuitous and undoubtedly well-deserved.
Welcoming a significant number of young people into the world of Shakespeare, Luhrmann’s take on a classic doesn’t merely rest on its laurels. It takes risks and shoots for the stars.
2. Elvis (2022)
Thanks to a central performance from Austin Butler that is both painstakingly accurate as well as dramatically on-point, Luhrmann’s latest movie, a biopic of the American musical icon, Elvis Presley, is a rousing success. Chronicling his journey from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s, the film focuses on the relationship between him and his manager whilst exploring the mind of one of the most famous men in American history.
Though Tom Hanks gives a somewhat peculiar supporting performance, his role adds to the camp glamour of Elvis, which also stars Olivia DeJonge, Natasha Bassett and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
1. Strictly Ballroom (1992)
Luhrmann’s very first film remains his all-time best, with Strictly Ballroom being an utterly fabulous comedy-drama that contains all the style and comedy of the director’s remarkable filmography. Built on the foundations of camp Australian cinema, the filmmaker’s debut feature film is a spectacular surreal satire so sharp that it feels like it was ripped from the world of South Park. The story sees a gutsy, creative ballroom dancer named Scott (Paul Mercurio) defy the rules of conventional dancing and seek a higher level of the craft by embracing such a free-spirited ethos.
With a similar wit and striking approach to satire, Luhrmann created a rom-com that was undeniably contemporary whilst inextricably linked to the classic structured ‘follow your dreams’ formula.
