Tomorrow, When The War Began (2011)
Certified: 12
Duration: 104 minutes
Directed by: Stuart Beattie
Starring: Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz, Phoebe Tonkin, Chris Pang, Ashleigh Cummings, Colin Friels
KRS release
Tomorrow, When The War Began is an adaptation of the first in a series of seven novels aimed at young adults by John Marsden that has taken Australia by storm.
Also translated in over five languages, the series shows what a group of youths do when Australia is occupied by a foreign non-specified military power.
The film has become Australia’s highest grossing homegrown product for 2010 and the two subsequent novels will soon be adapted into films with their shooting taking place back to back.
Like the novels, the film takes the stand of not giving us information on the war on a large scale but keeps it down to the perspective of the youths through whose eyes we are seeing this story unfold.
The story never pins down the nationality of the aggressors, making these occupying forces mysterious yet hated and at the same time never rooted to a cause or to some current piece of television news. In what is some sort of parallel alternate reality, the film follows a group of teenagers who go off on a camping trip. It’s all fun and games but when they get back to their village they find that the country has been invaded.
The film follows the teenagers as they try to handle the situation, preserve their freedom, through guerilla tactics and fight against the invaders. Ironically, the group will fight using tactics very much made famous by the Vietcong in Vietnam.
It helps that the production has gathered a cast of very likable young actors who really make this film a crowd-pleasing affair. Caitlin Stacey who plays Ellie and through whose eyes the film’s story is told brings the audience on board. Deniz Akdeniz brings a bit of wildness as Homer while Phoebe Tonkin as the posh local girl also seems to be having fun.
Stuart Beattie directs the movie in the Michael Bay mode with explosions galore and tight-packed action. This leads to some really intense scenes. He also makes the best use of Ben Notts’s excellent cinematography to bring out the best from the lush Australian scenery to provide a beautiful background.
The film climaxes in an explosive style as the teenagers find themselves taking all risks in order not to let the world around them crumble.
This film is about ordinary teenagers who are placed in an extraordinary situation, doing extraordinary things to get themselves out of it.