User reviews

The cast is good enough and you can't complain about the visuals but the script is flawed, due to the makers eagerness into focusing on the teen- romance aspects of the movie instead of the survival aspect.

For instance there is a scene where the gang have a potentially lethal mission going on and 2 girls can't stop chatting about the boys they like, asking if this or that person is a good kisser etc.

And stuff like that happens throughout of the movie, so what everyone they know is either dead or prisoners of war does that really mean we can't go on a date right?

Yeah... But when it's not focused on that it's fairly entertaining.

The violence is very minimal which takes away a lot of the tension that could have been in the movie, okay it's aimed at teens but still war is never pretty.

There's also very little action for it to be listed as a action-movie and the poster makes it look like it's actionpacked as well but it's really not.

In the end of the movie which ends with a cliffhanger of sorts it's kind of obvious that it was always intended as a trilogy or something with this movie being the first part.

And it appears that the sequel is being made as we speak, I'd watch it but I hope they don't focus on too many love-triangles but of the actual war/survivor-story that time.

OK so this was one of those films that I tripped over. It was amongst a list of supposedly "worthy" sci-fi action films in the SMH one day about three months ago. Now I pay to go see films in the cinema that I know I want to see. But films that I couldn't be bothered seeing or paying for but still have a curiosity over - I download using bit torrent. And so it was that this film (along with some of the others) came my way.

Now I wish I had paid for it. Because it certainly is worth a proper screening! This film was a welcome breath of fresh air film making in the tradition of Aussie films where character development and story telling mean more than explosions. That's not to say that the explosions weren't good - they were - but this film brings back a rare thing nowadays in feature films - emotion.

Give this film a go. It's under rated, very delightful to watch and quintessentially Australian. Watching it, you begin to truly believe that "hey that could be my town, my son, my house". It challenges and yet entertains. And most of all, it's simple to watch. You don't need an arts degree to enjoy it - it flows over you.

Be patient with the beginning (like many Aussie films and old cars, it takes a while to get warmed up). In the end, I couldn't fault this film. It's one of the rare recent releases that I know will be watched again and again.

Zordmaker

To the reviews that question the logic of the film and mentioned the driving around "without a care in the world" do not understand military parameters of making a perimeter. In the film the only time they were driving freely was when they were outside of the city limits, where there were never soldiers.

When you play close attention to the small details you will notice things like that rather than writing in a review you found the movie "laughable." I loved the human interaction and how the movie was crafted to not just be a war movie, but something much deeper about people from different walks of life coming together for a cause.

The acting I felt was also very well done, as well was the script. Every character develops in their own unique way, which gave the script a very complete feeling. I really don't have any complaints for how it was presented, it was a very solid film. It was just missing a spark to push it over the top of being good to great.

True Score: 7.3

sometimes i just choose to simply like a movie and not care too much about its possible faults.

(i have not read the book.)

what appealed to me most was the way the story is being told. just enough 'foreplay' to introduce the characters and then: war. the war-thing reminded me a little of 'war of the worlds'. how an invasion takes place but the focus stays on the characters rather than on big guns and fireworks. we don't even know what nation these soldiers belong to. it doesn't matter, that's not the point. it's hat makes the movie special instead of just another war-movie with people taking turns in getting shot. there was just enough romance, humor and action to make it work. after having seen hundreds of action movies, i'm starting to appreciate it, when it's not overdone. sure enough this movie is for teens, but enjoyable for everybody.

to all critics: of course it's impossible for a bunch of teens to steal a petrol truck and blow up the most important bridge of the region. in real life, helicopters would shoot them to bits in a matter of seconds. we know. and we also know that a petrol truck would not cause an explosion like this. this would cause a low-speed detonation at best, because yada-yada-yada...

so stop criticizing you big science-nerd. ;-)

watch it. no worries: you 've seen worse movies, i'm sure!

A group of friends take an extended camping trip into the mountains. When they return, they find their country invaded by an unknown force, their families forced into a concentration camp, and take it upon themselves to begin a resistance movement.

I have not read the book, but as an Australian I really wanted to enjoy this movie, and I did, but I also came away thinking that it could be a lot better. This is probably the most controversial film I have watched in a long time, because I enjoyed the experience of watching it but I found so many problems with it as well:

The Good: Ellie and Homer's character growth is strong and impressive, impressive enough to carry the film past its problems.

The action scenes are generally exciting.

The film manages to maintain suspense even outside of the action scenes. It's good at conveying the emotions one should feel to find that their homeland has been invaded. I cared about the characters, worried about the way they fought with each other, and gritted my teeth for their success.

The Bad:

The other characters don't grow much.

Some dialogue is clunky. The beginning is a little cheesy as all the characters are introduced. The film does not start quickly.

The action scenes are generally implausible: petrol explosions are all too frequent: a crime to intelligence that Hollywood itself has committed numerous times but don't we know better than that now? Petrol is rather hard to make explode because you need to make sure that it's mixed with a specific ratio of oxygen. Yet everything carrying petrol goes off like TNT. At one stage, something containing petrol explodes three times. How?

I complained to some friends about this issue and they said it was the same as in the book. When I suggested changing the explosive they disagreed, because the movie should stay loyal to the book. But the book was about CHARACTERS. It wasn't about the way they did things, but for anyone with a bit of technical knowledge it's clear that John Marsden didn't do a whole lot of research if this is an exact representation of the text.

None of the characters look like year 12 students. I'm a high school teacher. It's very rare that any female students look like the long-legged, tall, slim, beautiful models used in this movie. Likewise not all boys look like buff sportsmen, but in this movie they do. Hence the movie loses some of its plausibility: it doesn't look like school children taking the war to the enemy. It looks more like university graduates. Only one character - Robyn Mathers - actually looked like a real school girl (except her clothes were so cliché-conservative Christian that even she looks a little unbelievable).

Action scenes were implausible: I like the idea of a movie where a bunch of teenagers outwit an invading force. But the director must be careful not to make the soldiers look dumb or incompetent. Instead he/she must make the teenagers look clever, or lucky. This movie does not succeed here.

Enemy strategy is questionable: the whole TOWN was put in a concentration camp! This is not how you invade a country. Are they going to do this for every town/city in Australia? When you're invading a country you dedicate your forces to fighting that country's military, and even once that's finished, you allow the population to keep going about its daily business and put soldiers on the street to keep order. You try to keep local law enforcement intact so they can do it. You don't herd everyone into a camp because then you need to feed them and clothe them yourselves, which, even if not done well, will draw resources away from where they're needed more.

Despite all of these issues, Tomorrow when the War Began has the framework of an interesting story and an interesting concept. It's a shame that anyone with a small amount of technical knowledge will be able to find more holes in this than a colander, nevertheless if these things aren't a concern to you then here is an emotional adventure with a fair dose of suspense and action. I'll be going to see the sequel, and I'll be praying someone remakes the movies in twenty years time.

This film, Tomorrow When the War Began, is the first in an intended series of three films, to be followed by a television series, depending on box office receipts.

It was a substantial investment for an Australian feature film, at $20 million, and its production values are generally excellent. DOP Ben Nott has done a superb job of capturing some of the beauty of Australia's bush and mountains, alternating with that serenity, the fast paced action sequences, with gun fights, car chases, explosions and general mayhem.

Although there are a number of small technical criticisms I noted, this film still rises way above the average fair, and its 143 minutes duration literally flies past, leaving you a little disappointed for want of more.

I have not read the seven book novel series, written by John Marsden, which the film is based on, so I was seeing the film and judging it on its merits, and I know the youth, in particular, who are familiar with the books, will love the film, as will many older folk who do not know Marsden's work.

The actors generally put in strong performances; however, there are a few awful character clichés which more than jar, which does disrupt one's involvement momentarily. I have written a more in depth analysis, which does not contain plot or ending spoilers, but does partly describe some scenes for critical purposes, on my film review site. On other criticisms, some logic and laws of physics have been bent, for dramatic purposes which, in my opinion, detract from the effect.

Realism, if respected on every level, always impresses more. The Hollywood multi-angle multi shot of the same effect is cartoonish and helps to degrade a drama, rather than enhance it. This film does commit some sins, but it is head and shoulders above the usual Hollywood fair, in the action genre.

In closing, I recommend you see this film, for it reveals a, potentially, extremely contentious issue, regarding the invaders, which may have historical socio-political repercussions, more than any other Australian film before it, particularly throughout Asia.

This film will be remembered by many for a number of reasons.

It is definitely worth the price of the ticket!

Based off the best selling Australian Teen novel of the same name Tomorrow When The War Began is the first in a series of books by John Marsden about a group of high school students who take a camping trip before school starts and return to find that the country has been invaded by an unknown force, and they make a stand to fight the enemy using guerilla tactics The cinematography and action in this film is fantastic, from the second the first gunshot is fired the adrenaline really picks up and boy does it deliver big time, the explosions in this film are great, and what makes them great is not their size but the debris and characters they send flying, I mean there were pieces of debris that missed characters by cm's and it really ads extra dimension with close calls if this film had been shot in 3D it would have been incredible to see the film just for that.

Unfortunately what drags the film is its script, the dialogue is extremely corny and clichéd, and the bulk of the characters are blatant stereotypes and this is apparent with the way the characters are introduced, in fact I can go though each of them right now, Ellie - Farmer's Daughter, Corrie - the lead's best friend, Kevin - The coward, Homer - The rebellious bad boy, Fiona - the pampered city girl, Robyn - The upstanding religious girl, Chris - The stoner, and the biggest stereotype of them all Lee - The Asian, don't believe me about the Asian? let me give you his character background: He's an expert piano player, his parents own a Chinese restaurant, he moves swiftly like a ninja as evident when he's climbing down a mountain, he stops a fast moving snake with a stick in one strike, he speaks one or two proverbs I mean I was half expecting him to bust out some Kung Fu with the way the filmmakers were treating his character thank god they didn't go that far.

On the topic of the characters the one that really stood out for me performance wise was the character of Homer, Actor Deniz Akdeniz handles his character really well being as charismatic and witty and probably has the second most character development out of all the characters next to Ellie.

To be fair though this is the first in a series of books so there is defiantly room for improvement if the next movie comes out. Notice I said "if" not "when" that's because being an Australian film it has to do really well domestically if it has even a chance of getting made, if it doesn't do well bye bye The Dead of The Night (the next movie in the series) Overall the film is enjoyable despite the poor dialogue, it defiantly needs a better script writer for the next film, though leave him doing the action, Stuart Beattie did that well and pretty good for a directing debut.

7/10

I've just finished watching the world premiere of "Tomorrow When the War Began" in Sydney with my son. We've both read the complete "Tomorrow" book series, which we loved - so we went expecting the movie to not live up to the book because movies generally don't, do they? Well, we were really pleasantly surprised as this movie is a wonderful adaption.

A great cast of "unknowns" become the characters we know and love. They did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the book with the right balance of action, character development and teenage romance. It really is a fantastic effort and I would be very surprised if this film doesn't smash it at the box office.

We both wanted to sit there and watch it all over again!

Really good film but a total rip-off of Red Dawn. Even if it is based on a series of books, then the books are a total rip-off of Red Dawn, the story lines are practically identical. Enjoyed watching it but at the end I was expecting credits to say based on the original film 'Red Dawn,' because while good it is nothing more than an Australian version of that film. Credit needs to be given where credit is due.

TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN, is a competent movie that plays well, especially if you keep the intended audience in mind. This is, indeed, a movie for youths and should be judged as such. It's not a perfect movie, but its also not trash. Ratings from 5 to 7 are the most defensible. Ratings of 1 and 10 are unwarranted.

TOMORROW sports an attractive cast with acceptable acting chops for a vehicle of this nature. These young actors offer professional, believeable performances, and come off as neither wooden nor over the top.

Certainly, there's nothing new here but a change of scenery. This movie is RED DAWN down under, just done better. While it's light fare to be sure, its not completely devoid of substance and touches on issues such as passivism versus self-defense, racial bias, class, and exploitation of indigenous peoples. Though it oversimplifies some of these very nuanced topics, they're touched on only lightly and thankfully don't become entanglements that detract from the overall entertainment experience.

Oddly, the filmmakers also go out of their way to avoid naming the military aggressor, which can only be China (with a possible assist from DPRK). Vague reference is made to "coalition" countries, but with a cast of Asian invaders, it's a pretty obvious and unnecessary dodge. The Chinese, I'm certain, were not fooled, and events in the region since 2010 have added a bit of weight to the movie's premise.

Overall, TOMORROW is a fun and adventurous movie that's suitable for teen and family viewing. No, it's not CITIZEN KANE, but I'm pretty sure that's not the aim.

Recommendation: Watch.

To start, I haven't read the book. I want to give this movie a higher rating but I just can't. The movie started with well - good character establishment, good scene setting in the Australian countryside and an excellent sound track: And then the war began. As the movie plot revealed itself, it was an enjoyable and believable journey with an air of expectation of what was to come. The character's attributes were strongly portrayed and then.....well as the group confronted the invading force I felt it became more of a kid quest rather than a solid movie. The 'battle' scenes were unrealistic (bullets can do a lot more damage as can being close to explosions-the usual Hollywood b/s and the enemy were quite inept in their tactics. That aside, the movie's overall charm, funny humour and plot remained solid.....and then it ended. A monologue, a few cut away scenes left the feeling as one movie goer put it 'the end of a TV show'. Yes there are more books in the series suggesting sequels, but the ending left the audience I was part of a little bewildered at the abruptness of the ending and the skimping of the detail that if drawn out could have made this movie a real 10.

'Tomorrow When The War Began' - one of Australia's more popular pieces of fiction - doesn't exactly translate smoothly to film in this 20 million dollar blockbuster.

Of course, hearing the term 'blockbuster' attributed to any Australian film is indicative of what we can hope is a growing film industry lathered with potential (let's just forget about 'Australia'). Tomorrow When the War Began aims for the appearance of a big budget, Hollywood- esquire film whilst also trying to keep its feet planted in Australia. It is half-way successful in that regard, as the special effects are surprisingly impressive and large-scale, yet this is perhaps one of the failings of this film.

The attraction of the recent, more popular Australian films is generally in their capacity to impress with such constrained budgets. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and in the case of 'TWTWB', the lack of necessity appears to have made director/writer Stuart Beattie forgot some key requirements for a good film - the most noticeable being an absence of a good script.

Well done if you can be happy with this film despite its sloppy dialog, clumsy characters and urine-puddle acting. At moments, TWTWB feels like a bad horror movie, where the characters lacking sense of urgency during life-threatening moments is at odds with the seriousness of their situation, which dawns more often during moments of relative safety.

Despite their actions being hard to believe, the characters are, at least, well-varied and make a watch-able team. More could have been done to vary the pace of the film, whereas, as it seems to drag you through the mud in a constant onslaught of dire peril, only coming up for air in sporadic moments of misplaced humour.

If it weren't for these failings bludgeoning me over the head every few minutes, I would have really enjoyed this movie. For an Australian film the effects are great and there are some seat-clenching moments. It's much different from what one can generally expect to come out of this country and hopefully it will be well-received, but when you've got films like 'Two Hands' getting seven stars I've got to be honest.

Also I'll note that just because it's drawing material from a book doesn't change the fact that parts of the film could've been given more attention. Direct adaptations have a tendency to fail ala 'HP and the Philosopher's Stone'.

Fans of the Tomorrow book series rejoiced at the news of a cinematic adaptation of John Mardson's iconic Australian teen epic, Tomorrow When the War Began. As an enthusiast of the first 3 books (in a series of 7), I was ecstatic that it would get big screen treatment and not some shitty b-grade telly movie as I had feared. I'm pleased to announce that I walked out of this energised, with a racing pulse and a smile on the face.

For those unfamiliar with the material, the concept of is pretty much identical to Red Dawn – a group of teens from a country town go camping for a weekend to find out their country has been invaded, and their family have been held captive. They hide out and guerrilla warfare ensues.

Thematically, the film captures the clichéd 'working together' virtues of friendship corn from the novel. It is definitely in the writing that the film falls down…well, more of a stumble than a fall. I found this particularly unusual given the writer/director is Stuart Beattie – a screenwriter with an exceptional resume. He handles action far better than he handles characters in his directorial debut. Despite the ham and cheese in the writing, the broader screenplay is emotionally satisfying.

Whilst the acting is not of the highest calibre, I would say it was on par with other large franchise films with a young, teen cast (specifically Harry Potter and Twi). The actor who plays Lee is the weakest link here. Although he has the visual presence for the role, his delivery is consistently wooden. Caitlyn Stacey was a standout for me. She displays genuine emotion, genuine intensity and fear. I would have preferred if she spoke like less of a 'toff', and ripped into that bogan Aussie accent, but she brings a solid and believable strength.

As well as capturing the essence of the novel, the action sequences have been stunningly realised. The visuals have a polished look and feel, on par with films with a much higher budget (this had only $20AUD million) thus I believe it would stand up well in an international market. By any standards, the action is exhilarating and has been directed with clarity. Although I wouldn't have minded a bit more grit to the imagery, the cinematography is exceptional and captures the Australian landscapes beautifully. The soundtrack and score was nicely chosen, and the balance of humour and darker tones was effective.

Whilst not being the major box office success some would have liked, The Dead of the Night has been green lit, so thankfully there is more to come in this promising franchise. Despite some awkwardness, there is an energy in the characters and action that permeates Tomorrow When the War Began, making it an entirely gripping experience. For me, this was resonant action that sweeps you up and takes you on an exhilarating and emotionally fulfilling ride.

I feel embarrassed to admit that I've never read John Marsden's much loved and critically acclaimed seven-part 'Tomorrow' series, the first novel of which is the source material for this Aussie blockbuster. By all accounts the books are terrific and they have sold between 2 and 3 million copies in Oz alone. However, thanks to my shortcomings as a reader, my cinematic experience was massively enhanced when heading in to see Stuart Beattie's directorial debut as I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen, a major bonus as the story is undoubtedly the strongest element of Tomorrow.

Though the trailer hinted at a darker side it emphasised the large-scale components enough to suggest to me this was going to be a run-of-the-mill action flick. Whilst the explosions and gunfights are decent (especially for a film funded by local resources) it's the slow-building and hugely impactful narrative that drew me in. The plot develops in such a way that it's difficult to be sure what will happen next – the appositely strange mixture of foreboding dread and stirring hope cements this – and the intermittent dramatic twists are injected at the perfect moment. It's not a thriller mind, no clean answers are given and you'll not be indulged with simple pleasures like: what country is the occupying force from? Or why are they here? Tomorrow is more interested in examining the blurred line between right and wrong; the lengths we'll go to in order to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

It's not all smooth sailing though, this first instalment certainly has its faults. Lincoln Lewis overdoes the 'true blue' shtick to the point of aggravation, the dialogue is delivered poorly in parts – a scene with the quite obviously beautiful Fiona (Tonkin) expressing how she doesn't think she's good looking is hard to swallow – and a cameo from an experienced Australian thespian is downright awful. Nascent leading lady Stasey greatly improves upon her "Neighbours" standard of work and, despite seeing her soapie roots coming through every now and then, makes for an easily watchable protagonist.

The captivating content and wonderfully ominous mood are slightly undone by subpar acting from the supporting cast, but this remains a recommendable Aussie film.

3.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)

"Tomorrow When the war Began" is the First book in the Series known as the "Tomorrow Series", a series of seven books and a further series known as "The Ellie Chronicles" by Australian Author John Marsden.

This Book was Year ten English reading for many Australian schools in the late 90's and early 00's

Tomorrow when the War Began concerns itself with seven Australian teenage friends from a rural town who go on a camping trip to "Hell" (the name given to the destination), and while on this camping trip find the way to an area many thought myth, a place well hidden, while camping in this newly found place Australia is invaded by an unnamed country, changing their lives forever.

The Movie does live up to the books, though it is ten years since I last read them, I still choke up at the thought of several of the scenes depicted in the book, and seeing them on the big screen, depicted as well as I could have hoped has left me yearning for the rest of this series to be as well done.

I will be purchasing the DVD as soon as it comes out.

Good work.

10 out of 10!

Australian movies are not usually as good as this and thats a fact when it comes to acting, budget, scope and writing (most of the time).Based on the first in a series of novels by Author John Marsden. This is a very good action spectacular that is very similar in many ways to the 1980's cult classic, Red Dawn. A bunch of good looking teenagers are away on a camping trip in a remote, but lush part of the Australian countryside. Things are rosy in the opening stanza but all good things must come to an end. Upon their return their little town has been over run by the military without explanation. They band together, sneaking around gathering weapons and supplies to help them stay alive. there is more to it but I am not about to give it away in this synopsis, just go see it. Stuart Beattie is on debut as Director, he's an accomplished writer of such excellent films such as 'Collateral', his talent at the helm is obvious. The young cast are all very cool, a standout being Phoebe Tonkin, in a star-making revelation as Fiona.