Unpacking triple j's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs

The race has been run, with 2.65 million votes tallied, and INXS' romantic waltz-turned-unofficial footy anthem Never Tear Us Apart has topped the table in triple j's countdown of the Hottest 100 Australian Songs.

The prevalence of tracks that wouldn't have been out of place on a BBQ/beer-drinking compilation album has led some to remark that the poll results are indistinguishable from a Triple M Ozzfest countdown.

But realistically, this is just further evidence that the boundaries around music are disappearing thanks to the internet and the insane amount of music now at our fingertips.

Whereas triple j once stood as a guardian of "the alternative" amid the glossy noise of "the mainstream", its key demographic of 15-27 year olds no longer sees the musical landscape in such binary fashion (18-29yos were the biggest voting demographic in the Aussie Hottest 100 by the way). 

There is just good music and bad music, just as Jimi Hendrix pointed out in 1969.

This is because the reach and strength of the gatekeepers has diminished. The power of the big record labels has all but vanished, MTV no longer deals with the M in its name, and commercial radio is a dying medium. As a result, it's harder to spoonfeed the masses their music anymore. The rise of streaming means people are more likely to seek out what they want to listen to of their own volition, rather than being split into the once-important camps of "alternative" and "mainstream".

Hence triple j leaning into pop more, leading Beyonce/Chappell Roan/Olivia Rodrigo/Gracie Abrams to become playlist regulars. But this is what its audience wants, as reflected by the voting in annual Hottest 100s. These types of acts are no longer considered "mainstream" to the youth, because that term is meaningless to young people now, and triple j gets that. Except in the case of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, for some reason.

So where triple j listeners would have once bristled at the likes of Farnsy, Barnesy and The Veronicas vaulting the wall that kept them in Mainstream Land and landing in the Alt Domain of triple j, they are now acknowledging that good music is good music, and that the wall doesn't really exist anymore. Old, new, commercial, alternative, pop, country, whatever, it doesn't matter. Explains why Fleetwood Mac's Dreams is still in the ARIA charts, right?

And it explains why triple j's playlist is the way it is these days, and why the Hottest 100 Aussie Songs list is the way it is.

But that's just my perspective.

Anyway, whatever. Feelings aren't facts, so let's crunch some numbers. Here's the hard data from the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.

1. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS (1987)

Despite the OG Double J being big supporters of INXS back in the day, by the time the triple j Hottest 100 era rolled around with the All Time lists in 1989-1991, Michael Hutchence and his merry men were the epitome of mainstream, having sold millions of records in the US alone. Hence the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs being the first time any of their songs made it into a Hottest 100 (Need You Tonight was #59).

But INXS' Hottest 100 debut actually came about in the Hottest 100 of Australian Albums in 2011, where Kick landed at #5. Interestingly, 43 out of the 100 songs from the weekend came from albums that scored a slot in that Aussie Albums poll. In fact the highest ranking album on the Aussie Album list that didn't yield a song in the Aussie Song list was #12 - Grinspoon's Guide To Better Living.

One other pleasant oddity - the winner of the 1989 and 1990 All Time countdowns? Love Will Tear Us Apart. But now it seems love will Never Tear Us Apart. How times have changed.

2. The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods (2003)

With three appearances in the Aussie Song countdown, Hilltop Hoods now has 37 entries across all Hottest 100s (so that's including all the all-time/best of the decade/20 years/best albums polls they've done). That's the most of any Aussie acts, which goes nicely with their crazy 25 entries in annual Hottest 100s (also an Aussie record). 

In terms of All Hottest 100s, here's the Aussie leaderboard now:

37 - Hilltop Hoods

32 - Powderfinger

31 - Silverchair, Flume

26 - Tame Impala

23 - Grinspoon

22 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

20 - The Living End, You Am I

3. Untouched - The Veronicas (2007)

While Untouched and 4ever were the first Veronicas' songs to make the Hottest 100, they were not the first appearances of The Veronicas in a Hottest 100. That honour goes to their collaboration with Allday for the Like A Version of Big Yellow Taxi, which made it in at #42 in 2023's LAV Hottest 100. 

The Origliasso twins, Missy Higgins, Kimbra, and Julia Stone were the only women to make it into the top 20.

4. Scar - Missy Higgins (2004)

Despite coming second in her annual Hottest 100 countdown in 2004, Missy Higgins' Scar outperformed all the annual #1s when it came time to vote for our favourite Aussie songs. Twelve of the 16 Aussie songs that have won an annual Hottest 100 countdown and were eligible for this poll (sorry Wiggles) made the grade, four did not - more on that shortly. 

But what about the runners up? There were nine #2s in the Aussie Songs countdown out of a possible 18, with Scar topping the pile. Among the nine unsuccessful #2s: Something For Kate's Monsters, Ben Lee's Catch My Disease, Amy Shark's Adore, and Little Red's Rock It.

5. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House (1986)

When the Hottest 100 began in 1989 it was an All Time poll - ditto in 1990 and 1991. Crowded House featured on none of those three lists, perhaps because they were too new and "mainstream" at the time. But Don't Dream It's Over's rise through the subsequent Hottest 100s it was eligible for accurately reflects its ascent to classicdom. 

In the All Time Hottest 100 of 1998, it was #76. In the All Time count of 2009, it was #50. Its parent album Crowded House was #13 in 2011. And it chimed in at #5 on the All Time Aussie Song list. Quite the rise.

6. My Happiness - Powderfinger (2000)

Of the 12 annual countdown winners that made the list, this topped the pile. But spare a thought for the four #1s that didn't get a look in - Buy Me A Pony by Spiderbait, Amazing by Alex Lloyd, Hoops by The Rubens, and Say Nothing by Flume feat. May-A. Maybe they'll get a run in 200-101 (airing on Double J on Saturday, August 2).

Powderfinger were part of an elite group of bands that scored three entries in the Aussie Song countdown - how's this for a who's who of great Aussie acts: Powderfinger, Crowded House, Hilltop Hoods, Jimmy Barnes, AC/DC, Silverchair, Midnight Oil, and Gang of Youths.

And who was the only person to get four entries? Powderfinger's Bernard Fanning of course.

7. Flame Trees - Cold Chisel (1984)
8. Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel (1978)

Sarah Blasko's sublime cover of Flame Trees, which reached #15 in the 2005 annual countdown, 100 per cent helped keep the higher ranking of the Chisel songs in the consciousness. But this Aussie Song poll was the first time Cold Chisel's rendition of Flame Trees has appeared in a Hottest 100. Different story for Khe Sanh, which appeared in the 1989 All Time poll (95) and the 1998 All Time poll (94).

Cold Chisel were also the only band that went back-to-back in the Aussie Song countdown. No mean feat, particularly when both songs make it into the top 10.

9. How To Make Gravy - Paul Kelly (1996)

Untouched was the highest placed song in this Aussie countdown that was released post-1993 but didn't make it into the annual countdown of its year. How To Make Gravy is also on that list, along with Sweet Disposition, Innerbloom, Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Torn, 4ever, I Want You, and Red Right Hand. 

How To Make Gravy is also one of 28 songs that had never appeared in any Hottest 100 song list previously. 

10. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra (2011)

This previous annual Hottest 100 winner is in rare company because it's one of only three songs to make the Aussie Song list, the best of the 2010s Hottest 100, and the 20 Years poll of 2013. The other two songs on that list are Big Jet Plane by Angus & Julia Stone, and Brother by Matt Corby. 

Gotye's #1 also has another claim to fame after cracking the top 10 here - it's one of only two songs to appear in the top 10 of four separate Hottest 100s. The only other song to do that is Hunters & Collectors' Throw Your Arms Around, which managed the feat in the All Time countdowns of 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1998. 

Some other random notes:

Appearing on the most lists possible

Speaking of Throw Your Arms Around Me, it has now appeared in seven out of a possible seven Hottest 100s. It remains the only song to have appeared in every All Time countdown (1989, 1990, 1991, 1998 and 2009), plus its parent album Human Frailty is on the Aussie Albums Hottest 100 of 2011 at #76. 

A close equal second is Silverchair's Tomorrow with six out of six possible appearances - the 1994 annual countdown, the 20 Years poll of 2013, the All Time lists of 2009 and 1998, and the Aussie Albums list via Frogstomp at #2, and Prisoner of Society by The Living End, which has the same results, except swap 1994 for 1997.

The old timers return

The only song aside from Throw Your Arms Around Me to appear in the Aussie Song Hottest 100 and the three OG All Time countdowns (1989, 1990, and 1991) is The Church's stone cold classic The Unguarded Moment.

And they are part of a cohort of five songs that appeared in both the original 1989 Hottest 100 of All Time and the latest Aussie Songs Hottest 100, with the other three being Khe Sanh, Power & The Passion, and Eagle Rock.

It was a very good year

Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock (1971) was also the oldest track on the list, while Amyl & The Sniffers' Hertz (2021) was the youngest. Amazing to see 50 years between the ends of the scale - serendipitous given this Hottest 100 marked 50 years of triple j.

The most represented years were 1997 (six entries) and 1987 (five entries).

The decade representation goes thusly: the '00s (27 entries), the '90s (23), the '10s (22) and the '80s (21). There were also five songs from the '70s and just two from the '20s.

And...

... there were three covers in the countdown (Black Betty, The Horses and Torn), and two Kiwis in the top 10 (Neil Finn and Kimbra) because we love to claim them.

Superman (2025)

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Victoria's Statewide Mornings program on July 24, 2025.

(M) ★★★★

Director: James Gunn.

Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Wendell Pierce, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell.

"You know you're going to have to fix the sidewalk, right Mr Superman?"

I have no idea if this is a controversial opinion, but this is the best live-action Superman film of the past 50 years.

Yes, the 1978 one is iconic and integral, with great performances and some effects that still hold up to this day, but it's silly by modern standards and features one of the worst retconning plot devices of all time. It's 1980 sequel is also strong, but suffers from a goofy tone. And the less said of Superman III and IV the better.

Superman Returns was solid but ultimately forgettable except for Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor (which isn't something to crow about these days), while Man Of Steel was a dour boring mess unworthy of Henry Cavill.

Which brings us to this rollicking ride of superhero movie. While it doesn't feel as groundbreaking or all-time classic as The Dark Knight, Iron Man, or Gunn's own Guardians Of The Galaxy, Superman is a solidly plotted story that overcomes the key problem with Kal-El - that he's an unbeatable bore - and uncovers new depths to the character.

Wisely deciding against yet another origin tale (let's face it - we all know how that goes), Superman takes flight mid-story, with the Man of Steel (Corenswet) suffering a physical defeat in the wake of interfering in an international conflict without US government authorisation, handing Superman a diplomatic defeat to go with his literal wounds.

As Superman grapples with his place in the geo-political landscape, as well as his relationship with Lois Lane (Brosnahan), Lex Luthor (Hoult) is hard at work, plotting to destroy Superman from all angles.

Corenswet is a natural in the super-suit. We don't see him in Clark Kent mode a huge amount, but his Superman is a wonderfully well-rounded character, full of frustrations and fears, with a health dash of ego and humility, yet also fundamentally good in that special Superman kind of way. Gunn has written his Man of Steel to perfection, and Corenswet brings him to life in self-assured style.

Similarly, Lois Lane feels like a real person, unlike previous renditions, and ditto for Jimmy Olsen, which is again tribute to Gunn's script, but also the performances of Brosnahan and Gisondo. Lex Luthor is also great, and full points to Hoult and Gunn for making the character genuinely smart and genuinely dangerous. Luthor feels like a threat to Superman in more ways than one, and best of all, he thinks he's in the right, which is always the best way to write a villain.

The movie leans into its comic-book nerdiness, making good use of characters and situations that might not be so well known to the non-nerds, including Mr Terrific, Metamorpho, and the Guy Gardner version of the Green Lantern. Hawkgirl is sadly underwritten, but the rest are given enough depth to make them interesting beyond their powers.

Superman moves quickly - not quite like a speeding bullet - but its pace keeps it fun, never getting bogged down. Even the film's biggest character moment, in which Clark allows Lois to interview Superman, is full of tension and drama, making it a highlight scene amid the bombast and CG destruction.

The film could do with being funnier, as a few too many laughs fall flat, but it's an interesting and intelligent take on a character we've seen plenty of times in the past half a century. The DC Universe is in good hands with Gunn at the helm. To deliver the best Superman film to date is a superheroic feat.

Who will win triple j's Hottest 100 Aussie songs of all time?

Damn this is difficult.

Usually when I analyse and forecast a Hottest 100, there are some pretty straight-forward factors to assess - vote aggregator 100 Warm Tunas, how much an artist has been played on triple j/Spotify/YouTube, ARIA chart position, Tik Tok views, and the bookies.

But compiling predictions on the Hottest 100 Australian songs of all time is much harder because it boils down to one indefinable quality - cultural cachet.

Run this poll annually, and you'll see songs rise and fall as their status and legacy are re-evaluated and re-assessed by an adoring public. Just look at the first three years of triple j's Hottest 100 when it was an All Time poll. There are 56 songs shared between the first two countdowns of 1989 and 1990, while the 1991 Hottest 100 only featured 39 songs that hadn't appeared in either 1989 or 1990. Part of the reason why triple j ditched the All Time format was because each year was going to be too similar, but it was, for a short time at least, a fascinating real-time record of cultural cachet. It was basically the national equivalent of how our favourite songs might change on any given day/week/month/year, depending on our mood and what comes to mind.

So how do we assess cultural cachet? I have no friggin' idea, but here is what I do know, which is a mix of available data, gut feeling, and intuition.

Past winners

There have been 17 of Aussie winners of annual Hottest 100 countdowns. For the record, they are:

Buy Me A Pony - Spiderbait (1996)

No Aphrodisiac - The Whitlams (1997)

These Days - Powderfinger (1999)

My Happiness - Powderfinger (2000)

Amazing - Alex Lloyd (2001)

Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet (2003)

Wish You Well - Bernard Fanning (2005)

One Crowded Hour - Augie March (2006)

Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone (2010)

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra (2011)

Riptide - Vance Joy (2013)

Talk Is Cheap - Chet Faker (2014)

Hoops - The Rubens (2015)

Never Be Like You - Flume feat. Kai (2016)

Confidence - Ocean Alley (2018)

Elephant - The Wiggles (2021) 

Say Nothing - Flume feat. May-A (2022)

All of these songs are a pretty solid shot of making the Hottest 100 (except for The Wiggles' cover of Elephant, which is ineligible because triple j has ruled out Like A Versions, thank god).

But some are more likely than others. Songs like Amazing, Are You Gonna Be My Girl? and Hoops feel like their esteem has faded in the decades since they were voted in, while tracks such as Riptide and Somebody That I Used To Know have remained in the zeitgeist like bugs trapped in amber. Riptide has spent 14 weeks in the ARIA top 50 this year alone, for chrissake. If that's not a tick of approval, then I don't know what is.

Best of the '10s

Here are the top 10 Aussie songs from the best of the decade (2010-2019) Hottest 100 that aired in 2020 (with their actual finishing position in brackets):

1. The Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala (1)

2. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra (2)

3. Covered In Chrome - Violent Soho (4)

4. Innerbloom - Rufus Du Sol (5)

5. Magnolia - Gang Of Youths (6)

6. Never Be Like You - Flume feat. Kai (8)

7. Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone (9)

8. Brother - Matt Corby (10)

9. Talk Is Cheap - Chet Faker (11)

10. Riptide - Vance Joy (13)

Six of these were previous Hottest 100 winners, which goes to show that's a meaningful stat. The non-winners in this list are also pretty key, and will more than likely make the Hottest 100 Australian songs of all time. Innerbloom in particular is one to watch - the original and a remix both made it into this countdown of the '10s.

2013's Hottest 100 of the previous 20 years

From 2013's Hottest 100 of the previous 20 years, here are the top 10 Aussie songs (with where they finished in that countdown in brackets):

1. The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods (4)

2. These Days - Powderfinger (8)

3. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra (9)

4. My Happiness - Powderfinger (10)

5. Hearts A Mess - Gotye (12)

6. Tomorrow - Silverchair (17)

7. Prisoner Of Society - The Living End (20)

8. One Crowded Hour - Augie March (24)

9. Frontier Psychiatrist - The Avalanches (27)

10. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap (38)

Given that this poll covered 1993 to 2013, it's a really key one because it hits in the sweet spots for a lot of the older demographic that's likely to return to triple j for a vote. All these songs are a solid bet to make it into this poll, and I would be shocked, shocked I tell you, if these 10 don't make the 100.

The cover band version

The Horses - Daryl Braithwaite

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel

You're The Voice - John Farnham

Never Tear Us Apart - INXS

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil

Throw Your Arms Around Me - Hunters & Collectors

Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? - The Angels

Down Under - Men At Work

I spent a lot of years playing covers songs in pubs, and it's quite the microcosm of musical criticism. If you ever doubt that Wonderwall really means a lot to people, go and hear it played live in a shitty pub through a shitty PA by a group of shitty musicians and see how it still hits the mark.

With that in mind, here are 10 songs that hit the pub band cover setlist/backyard BBQ playlist demographic that are a fair shot to make the list. And remember that thing I said before about cultural cachet? Well this list has a lot of it. The Horses is basically a meme, but irony is dead so it will go really high - expect it in the top 10. Don't Dream It's Over is edging towards a billion plays on Spotify and is the #1 Australian song on the ARIA charts at the moment. Thunderstruck is #2 on that same ARIA chart and has 1.8 billion plays. Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? was a Like A Version in recent years, and Down Under got sampled and flogged on triple j recently as well. And I couldn't even squeeze Paul Kelly's How To Make Gravy in here, which got turned into a goddamn movie and has made the 21st of December into the next best thing to a national public holiday.

The Aussie albums list - can it teach us anything?

Here's the top 10 from the top 100 Aussie albums Hottest 100 that triple j did way back in 2011.

1. Odyssey Number Five - Powderfinger (2000)

2. Frogstomp - Silverchair (1995)

3. Back In Black - AC/DC (1980)

4. The Living End – The Living End (1999)

5. Kick - INXS (1987)

6. Internationalist - Powderfinger (1998)

7. Apocalypso - The Presets (2008)

8. Wolfmother – Wolfmother (2005)

9. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (2000)

10. Unit - Regurgitator (1997)

All of these bands are a shot to be in the countdown, but Powderfinger and Silverchair loom large. Powderfinger had four albums in the top 50, while Silverchair had all five of their albums within the top 70. These Days, My Happiness, Tomorrow, Straight Lines - these are the songs to watch from these two powerhouse bands.

The last all time list - 2009

It's been 16 years since triple j did a countdown of the Hottest 100 songs of all time (which Smells Like Teen Spirit won yet again), but here's every Aussie song that made the cut.

1. The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods (17)

2. These Days - Powderfinger (21)

3. Throw Your Arms Around Me - Hunters & Collectors (23)

4. My Happiness - Powderfinger (27)

5. Tomorrow - Silverchair (33)

6. Prisoner Of Society - The Living End (34)

7. Into My Arms - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (36)

8. Betterman - John Butler Trio (47)

9. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House (50)

10. Berlin Chair - You Am I (52)

11. One Crowded Hour - Augie March (59)

12. Thunderstruck - AC/DC (63)

13. Hearts A Mess - Gotye (77)

14. Back In Black - AC/DC (91)

15. Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil (97)

The Nosebleed Section was #9 in its year and if you were paying attention you'll notice it's popped up on two other non-annual lists. It's a landmark track in Australian music - only 1200 Techniques' Karma precedes it as an announcement of the arrival of Aussie hip hop. But all 15 songs on this list are strong favourites to make the countdown come July 26.

Pop go the ladies 

The Hottest 100 Australian songs of all time is going to be a sausage fest, because the history of Australian music has been dominated by men. triple j has proven that if you start playing a balance of music from male, female and nonbinary people, audiences love it, and will demonstrate this love by voting for music that isn't just performed by white dudes. But this upcoming countdown is going to be a return to the white men, because that's what history is.

With that in mind, here is the female pop equivalent list of that cover band list from earlier.

Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie

Untouched - The Veronicas

My Island Home - Christine Anu

Born To Try - Delta Goodrem

Sweet About Me - Gabriella Cilmi

Chains - Tina Arena

Bedroom Eyes - Kate Ceberano

Physical - Olivia Newton John

I Touch Myself - Divinyls

Torn - Natalie Imbruglia

The bookies really rate that Veronicas song, and if there's not a Kylie song or two in the countdown I'll be hugely surprised. In terms of cultural cachet, Divinyls have never gone away, nor has Kylie or Natalie Imbruglia's cover of Torn, and is it just me or has Tina Arena been having a moment in recent years? These are all things to watch out for come July 26.

The most streamed Aussie songs on Spotify

This is by no means precise, but here (to the best of my reckoning) are the most streamed Aussie songs on Spotify that have previously appeared in an annual Hottest 100.

1. Stay - The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Beiber (3.56 billion)

2. Dance Monkey - Tones & I (3.28 billion)

3. Riptide - Vance Joy (3.18 billion)

4. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye (2.14 billion)

5. Chandelier - Sia (2.033 billion)

6. The Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala (2.028 billion)

7. Be Alright - Dean Lewis (1.998 billion)

8. Glimpse Of Us - Joji (1.56 billion)

9. Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun (1.23 billion)

10. Never Be Like You - Flume feat. Kai (0.967 billion)

"Overplayed" is totally a thing, but you can't ignore the sheer insanity of the numbers here. People aren't sick of these songs, even if you are, so watch out for some/all of these tracks to get a guernsey in the countdown. 

Sportsbet

Here are the odds from Sportsbet (WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH?) as of July 10.

1. My Happiness - Powderfinger ($2.37)

2. The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods ($3.75)

3. The Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala ($8.50)

4. Innerbloom - Rufus Du Sol ($10)

5. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye ft. Kimbra ($11)

6. These Days - Powderfinger ($13)

7. Untouched - The Veronicas ($15)

8. Down Under - Men At Work ($17)

8. How To Make Gravy - Paul Kelly ($17)

10. Riptide - Vance Joy ($19)

10. The Horses - Daryl Braithwaite ($19)

This is a really solid list. I'm stoked that it's close to my list, but who the hell knows, right? And remember: you win some, but you lose more.

So here are my predictions

1. These Days - Powderfinger

2. The Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala

3. The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods

4. Riptide - Vance Joy

5. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra

6. The Horses - Daryl Braithwaite

7. Innerbloom - Rufus Du Sol

8. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

9. Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun

10. Stay - The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Beiber

I feel like this takes all the bits and pieces of cultural cachet and data that I've been talking about and throws them together. I'm not super confident about The Kid Laroi, but recency bias and huge Spotify numbers get it into the top 10 for me. If I had to swap it out, I'd swap in a Flume track like Never Be Like You.

Jurassic World: Rebirth

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Victoria's Statewide Mornings program on July 9, 2025.

(M) ★★★

Director: Gareth Edwards.

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Ed Skrein.

"Quiet... Spielberg is coming."

There is something repetitive and comforting about the Jurassic Park franchise. Every movie is effectively the same - Man creates Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs eat Man - but the sight of CG reincarnations of these incredible creatures never gets old.

What does get old are the plots and characters and contrivances around these CG creatures of a bygone era. And so my review of Jurassic Park #7 basically boils down to this - if you love it when dinosaurs attack, and that's all that matters, then it's three stars. If you're over it, then it's a two.

The plots, characters and contrivances this time around see a team led by gun-for-hire Zora Bennett (Johansson) and palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis (Bailey) heading to one of the islands formerly used to clone dinosaurs to recover DNA samples from three of the biggest beasts, at the behest of a pharmaceutical company led by Martin Krebs (Friend).

Along the way they stumble upon a family on a yacht trip in need of help, and a couple of dino mutants that definitely didn't exist 66 million years ago.

The biggest problem with these movies isn't the dinos, but the people. The first third of Rebirth grinds, most notably in a scene where Johansson and Ali talk about their pasts and their problems. It feels forced and slows the film. Worst of all, it feels like a scene written into the film to accommodate the two A-list stars attached to the project.

And perhaps this gets to the issue here. Having Johansson and Ali as the surprisingly lovely and charming mercenaries means they have to be front and centre as the protagonists. But the whole thing would be better if told from the perspective of the family. It would have increased the intrigue and mystery, and added a layer beyond the film's plot of "find dinosaur, extract sample, go home". It also would have made the film about half an hour shorter.

Instead the low stakes of the mercenaries' mission overwhelms the more interesting tale of survival,  and strips the film of much of its potential tension. Fortunately the meh moments are punctuated by dinosaurs doing what dinosaurs do best.

There are a couple of great sequences here, most notably a raft ride near a T-Rex that's straight out of Michael Crichton's original novel. It's heart-in-mouth stuff. The opening scene, with its mist-shrouded Big Bad running amok, is also great, harkening back to the horror-tinged openings of the first two films, while a cliffside encounter with a Quetzalcoatlus and a surprisingly funny yet tense cameo from an old dino fave are also very welcome.

The incredible thing is that even though this is among the worst of the Jurassic Park movies, it's still okay. Rebirth is enjoyable despite its familiarity. It's formulaic and frustrating, but you're here to see some dino action, and on that point it never fails to deliver.

How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Victoria's Statewide Mornings program on June 26, 2025.

(PG) ★★★

Director: Dean DeBlois.

Cast: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz.

"Fly Cat-Bat!"

I have no problem with people remaking films, but good lord, have an actual reason to do so beyond "money".

Modernise it, gender-flip it, put it in space, explore its themes through a different lens, improve it. But don't just make the exact same movie again. And certainly don't do it with the same director.

Because that's what is going on here. And in redoing this charming 2010 CG-animated film as a CG-heavy live action film, How To Train Your Dragon loses a lot of its charm, and gains very little in return.

It's still the tale of Hiccup (Thames), the son of a Viking chieftain (Butler), who lives on an island besieged by dragons. After a run-in with the most fiercest dragon of them all, Hiccup learns these creatures aren't evil, just misunderstood, and sets about changing the destiny of his clan.

Admittedly it's been a while since I watched the original (15 years in fact), but this remake feels pretty close to a beat-for-beat retelling. There is nothing new here - the director, who co-directed the original, has even boasted of recreating sequences shot-for-shot. At least when Gus Van Sant did that with Psycho it felt like some kind of cinematic thought experiment. This just feels like an attempt to make money.

Leaving aside the remake thing for a moment, if the 2010 version of this didn't exist, on its own this film would be okay. It's weirdly flat in terms of tone and laughs, but there is no denying the beauty and power of its story, and some of the flight sequences are exhilarating and look incredible. 

The cast also does a pretty solid job. Thames is too handsome to play Hiccup, but the kid can act, and Parker is great as the star Viking teen Astrid. Butler gives perhaps the best performance of his career in the role of Stoick, which he voiced in the 2010 original, and Frost does a pretty good job at providing comic relief. The incredibly talented Serafinowicz is oddly wasted though, and the kids are largely annoying, but not enough so as to ruin the film.

But compared to the original, this live action knock-off feels oddly charmless, with nothing new to offer. It fails to recapture the spark of its predecessor, which perhaps says just as much about the nature of cinema as Van Sant's Psycho experiment. Even with all the same ingredients, sometimes a dish just doesn't taste the same.