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FILM DETAILS

Certificate 12A

Cast Caitlin Stasey Rachel Hurd-Wood Christopher Pang Lincoln Lewis.

Directors Stuart Beattie.

Screenwriters Stuart Beattie.

Running Time 103 minutes

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Tomorrow, When The War Began
Red Dawn down under

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Plot
Eight Australian high-schoolers head into the bush for a camping trip. When they head home, they discover that a hostile force of foreign invaders have taken over. Guerilla warfare is their way of striking back...

Review
Remember all those Aussie dynamite action blockbusters? Cue first-time director Stuart Beattie and his explosive screen adaptation of John Marsden’s cult teen novel series starring a Neighbours/Home And Away crossover cast from soap fantasy heaven. Ellie (Stasey) gathers a motley bunch of ultra-toned high-schoolers for a short camping trip. Several toasted marshmallows later, they return to find their homes abandoned and under siege from hostile invaders, forcing them into guerrilla warfare and pyromania. It’s a promising start to a potential teen franchise — and yet there’s something missing. It’s called Hollywood.

Verdict
Serviceable action thriller than unleashes John Milius-style guerilla setpieces without the impact of John Milius-style budgets.


Reviewed by Eve Barlow

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Average user rating for Tomorrow, When The War Began

I'm 50/50 on this film

When it’s over, I’m 50/50 on this film. I’m at a disadvantage since I haven’t read the young adult series (total of 7 books by John Marsden) in which this film is based on. TWTWB is the first book , thus, the first film with subsequent books already greenlit for the big screen in Australia. Set in rural Australia, seven teens venture on a secluded camping trip only to find upon their return that their town and homes have come under siege. They band together and bear a... More

Posted by Alene at 15:35, 03 August 2012 | Report This Post

RE: A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

It said 'Internal Server error 500' which explains the multiple posts ... More

Posted by Fluke Skywalker at 20:22, 10 March 2012 | Report This Post

RE: A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

. ... More

Posted by Fluke Skywalker at 20:22, 10 March 2012 | Report This Post

RE: A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

**** MAJOR SPOILERS **** It's an interesting effort really - pretty ridiculous at times (the main girl turns out to be a super guerilla managing to drive various heavy vehicles, fire guns, blow shit up etc.), however the premise is quite a good one. A small Aussie town taken over by a 'coalition' who basically must be a collection of asian countries led by the Chinese leads to an eerie beginning as they find their houses deserted and some tense moments not least one with a helicopter beami... More

Posted by Fluke Skywalker at 20:21, 10 March 2012 | Report This Post

RE: A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

A fairly well done bit of work, though feels very much for teenagers, as is the source material. Should be remembered that its the first of a series and some things are unexplored or unexplained. ... More

Posted by Sotto Voce at 15:48, 16 April 2011 | Report This Post

RE: A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

It seemed like it was of straight to dvd quality to me our print was pretty awfull, with the lines going through it u'd have thought they were using puppets did anyone else notice there were only roughly about 5 or 6 Asian soldiers in every battle scene & also wouldn't Austrailia be 1 of the hardest Countrys to invade mainly because of the Outback where so many people get lost every year & because theyre under the Commonwealth Briain would've retaleated. Seems it d... More

Posted by Wild about Wilder at 09:39, 16 April 2011 | Report This Post

A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

I don't think a group of about seven teenagers would stand any chance against a fully fledged invading army. And Just who was it invading? They looked Chinese but they didn't make it clear who was invading. ... More

Posted by Bighousewill at 13:59, 09 April 2011 | Report This Post

A Tad Unrealistic for my taste

I don't think a group of about seven teenagers would stand any chance against a fully fledged invading army. And Just who was it invading? They looked Chinese but they didn't make it clear who was invading. ... More

Posted by Bighousewill at 13:53, 09 April 2011 | Report This Post

RE: C'Mon Empire!

It's very much a kid's film. The plot doesn't hold up to any kind of scrutiny, and in terms of maturity I'd say if this is for teens it is for very young ones, perhaps 11-13. But even over here we tend to treat them more intelligently than this film does. I know we're probably more used to films that play to crossover audiences these days so this might be a little unfair. But apart from the 'relationship' stuff - which has very little depth to it - it's clear they are working on the b... More

Posted by elab49 at 12:40, 06 April 2011 | Report This Post

RE: C'Mon Empire!

I'll see this, until the Red Dawn remake gets released. Looks like it could be good fun. ... More

Posted by Timon at 11:52, 06 April 2011 | Report This Post

C'Mon Empire!

This has to rank as one of the most patronising reviews ever. 1. Using Neighbours/Home and Away as some sort of put down is cheap. Sure it may not be the best TV but what worked for Russell Crowe, Heath Ledger, Guy Pearce etc is surely called a starting point. If The Hobbit has its downsides are you going to blame that on Rob Kazinsky becase he was in Eastenders? Probably not. Was Animal Kingdom a lesser film because of Ben Mendleson's soap history? No. No. No. 2. Missing Hollywood?! It's base... More

Posted by shalmo at 07:41, 04 April 2011 | Report This Post

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