Based on the John Marsden novel of the same name, ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began’ is the story of seven Australian teens who decide to go camping for a week in the wilderness of the Aussie bushland. When they return they discover their houses abandoned and all power cut off. They soon find that their entire town has been taken hostage by an invading threatening force and they soon have to take matters into their own hands.
I am a very big fan of the books (there are seven in the series), and as far as film adaptations go this was very close to spot-on. The Australian film industry proves we’re perfectly capable of blowing stuff up just as well as the big budget Hollywood films. The action sequences were pulled off with great expertise and gusto.
I was surprised to see how well a bunch of kids from “Neighbours” and “Home and Away” can make their characters believable in what is essentially an action/war epic. Caitlin Stasey does a fantastic job carrying the film as Ellie. She seems very natural in the role as does Deniz Akdeniz who plays Homer, her criminally inclined, Greek best friend. There were a few weak links in the performances, but whether that was the actors’ fault or the writer’s is anyone’s guess. The dialogue often came across as unnatural and forced, filled with plenty of Australianisms just to remind international viewers of the origin of the film and story.
Overall the film is very entertaining and all fans of the book should go and check it out.
Rating: 3.5/5
Max
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