Film Reviews

Tomorrow, When The War Began

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Rachel Hurd-Wood
• Details: AUS/103mins 12A

An Australian adventure film that plays like an episode of Home and Away with explosions at points, Hollywood screenwriter Stuart Beattie nonetheless makes a decent fist of his directorial debut. While clichéd characters are here in abundance, and the plot reminiscent of the likes of Red Dawn and Toy Soldiers, the action is surprisingly well handled and some of the Australian scenery is gorgeous.
Caitlin Stasey's Ellie rounds up a group of friends and acquaintances and sets about heading to the remote "Hell" for some camping and frolics. Actually quite nice and not at all a giant pit of burning souls, the gang have a gay old time until they return to their homes to find their families gone and their dogs dead. Soon realising that they are in the midst of a foreign invasion, they struggle to stay alive and together.
Aimed squarely towards the tween market, there is a certain simplistic charm to 'Tomorrow'. Based on a series of books, Beattie could've done with losing a few characters, and spending the rest of the time beefing up some shoddy back-story on the remaining few. They're merely there to balance the plot and the only one that feels remotely real is Stasey's Ellie. Doing stellar work with slight material, she's solid; eschewing vulnerability and strength when applicable. Others don't fare so well, but aren't really given a chance to do so.
Beattie's execution is slick and the Australian Tourism Commission must be delighted with how well he shoots the outback. It also packs a comparatively bigger bang for its relatively small budget, giving the flick something of a blockbuster feel. When the explosions go off, they do so with almost Michael Bay like grandiose. It predictably struggles when falling back into the necessary but tepid character interaction.
Those in their early teens will probably lap it up despite its faults. And in fairness, they're precisely who this film is aimed at. It's also been successful enough down under to warrant a sequel you will be seeing next year.

Review by Mike Sheridan