On an Australian battlefield, soldiers are in position amidst gunfire and explosions in the distance. Major Meredith (played by Damian Callinan) receives orders to retreat and not engage with the enemy up ahead. However, when a nearby explosion occurs, he disobeys and orders his soldiers to advance. As a result of the Major’s command, thirty-seven thousand men lose their lives that day in an encounter with a group of emus who were armed with weapons, including guns.
After this encounter, the Australian Prime Minister addresses the nation and advises that the emus have declared war on the Commonwealth of Australia. Thankfully, Major Meredith is given another chance and reassigned. Now, the Major leads a small platoon into enemy territory, travelling behind enemy lines to seek out and destroy the emus’ leader, the Queen Emu. This platoon, which includes four rag-tag misfits, is Australia’s only hope against the Emu War!
The Emu War is best described as a comedy spoof film and is loosely based on Australia’s Great Emu War of 1932. According to historical accounts, the war began when emus were causing extensive damage to crops in the Campion district of Western Australia. Emus, in large numbers, were causing significant damage and became a real nuisance. The war’s outcome is still debatable; some say that the emus lost the battle but won the war, while others argue that the farmers lost, having used a lot of ammunition to kill only a few birds. In any case, Australians had underestimated the emus. It’s also worth noting that the film is dedicated to the fallen heroes of the Great Emu War.
Nothing is off-limits here when it comes to comedy. There are plenty of random, shocking and unexpected gags from the very opening. The reception of the comedy and gags will vary among viewers, given the themes and general nonsense that occurs throughout. Sure, jokes about emus walking around with guns is obvious. Still, there are also plenty of crude, inappropriate jokes, such as incest, bestiality, a male threesome (one being a priest), and witnessing the queen emu with large breasts feeding a male human milk. We also see a soldier being a father to a baby Emu (yeah, figure that out for yourself). Sadly, I can confirm the majority of the film is highly ridiculous and apart from a few chuckles, the extremely vulgar humour didn’t work for me, and if anything, I found it more sickening. Attempted jokes relating to suicide were also an odd choice to make fun of.
I acknowledge the noticeable budget limitations and appreciate the efforts put into the green screen effects and clever puppetry that bring this idea to life. I must give credit where it’s due; I admired the commitment shown by the entire cast throughout the film. Despite the incredibly absurd nature of the story, all the performances are brimming with an excessively high level of energy, including that of the film’s lead, Damian Callinan.
Overall, the reception of The Emu War will be subjective based on one’s taste in crude and naughty humour. While I chuckled a couple of times, most of the gags on themes such as suicide, incest, bestiality, and a male threesome just didn’t do it for me. Credit where credit is due: I loved the puppet work here and the CGI’s cheesy use. It’s a solid concept, and I admire all the energy from the cast, no matter how ridiculous many scenes are. Ultimately, I still found this film far from “Emusing”.
The Emu War (2023) is Now Available on Blu-ray & Digital in Australia thanks to Umbrella Entertainment!
4.0/10
9th September 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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