TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN

High schooler Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey) and her friends escape the small country town of Wirrawee for a much needed break in the bush. However once they return home they find their parents are missing, and their town – and the rest of Australia - has been overrun by a mysterious invading military force. Their backs against the wall the teens resolve to fight back hoping to free their parents and their town.

Based on John Marsden’s beloved series of novels (compulsory reading for many high school students) Tomorrow When the War Began (TWTWB) is director Stuart Beattie’s attempt at an Australian action film that offers Hollywood level spills and thrills. Is he successful? The short answer is yes.

TWTWB offers great action sequences including a car chase involving a garbage truck and a pair gun toting buggies. There are some genuinely suspenseful moments as the teens find themselves stalked by helicopters from above and soldiers on the ground. The film lags when the characters are forced to reflect on their changing circumstances, changes in behaviour while warranted at times ring hollow; but given the compressed nature of a book adaption this is to be expected (I haven’t read any of the books so I am not sure what, if anything, has been lost in translation to the big screen).

Overall the young cast including Rachel Hurd-Wood, Deniz Akdeniz, Pheobe Tonkin, Chris Prang, Ashleigh Cummings and Lincoln Lewis, do their best, making the rag tag group feel like a group of friends; former Neighbours starlet Caitlin Stasey is the definite standout as Ellie the films emotional anchor and narrator. Some of the more emotionally dramatic moments are overwrought so it’s a shame that scene stealer Andrew Ryan’s stoner Chris doesn’t turn up until halfway through as he brings much needed levity to proceedings.

Tomorrow When the War Began is the third Australian film I’ve actually bothered to see at the movies this year; and probably more than I have seen in the last 3 years combined. I applaud Beattie and his crew for making a mainstream film that will appeal to a variety of audiences, and not just those that enjoy small independent films about life in the dreary Australia suburbs! Hopefully box office results are healthy and more films of this ilk can be made – perhaps even Tomorrow’s sequels can find their way to the big screen.

3 ½ of 5 Stars