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 In cinemas Thursday [M]
Director: Stuart Beattie
Runtime: 104 mins.
In the war against heavy, lack-lustre Australian films, Stuart Beattie and co. have most certainly won. Based on the first novel in the Tomorrow series by John Marsden, Tomorrow, When The War Began follows the journey of a group of Australian teens who divert from innocence to become soldiers when their country is unexpectedly invaded.
Our lead character, Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey of Neighbours fame) is the one who rallies when, after returning from a camping trip, she and her friends discover that an eerie silence has crept over their hometown of Wirrawee and their families are missing. These happy-go-lucky teens, usually more concerned with sex and Kevin’s (Lincoln Lewis) abs, must change quickly and without airs and graces if they are to survive. No phones, no parents, and especially no dogs. (Don’t get it? Go and see the movie, you chump.)
Each character has to battle with their own set of standards and morals and decide just how far they will go to win this war and fight back. Hopefully young women will find a fresh take on a teen role model with Caitlin Stasey’s lock ‘n’ load interpretation of Ellie. Other standouts include Homer, Ellie’s bad-boy neighbour (Deniz Akdeniz), and Robyn (Ashleigh Cummings), whose strict religious beliefs result in her stealing the scene approximately three-quarters of the way through.
The decision to install someone with Hollywood experience (albeit mainly writing credits in the form of Collateral, 30 Days Of Night and Pirates Of The Caribbean to name a few) was wise; it ensures the viewer is treated to a Hollywood look and pace, while not skimping on a great story or emotional gravity. The cinematography and lighting, courtesy of Director of Photography Ben Nott, also helps to pull the piece together thematically. The opening shot of Ellie driving a tractor across a large, sunny expanse of field is a brilliant contrast in tone and colour palette to the latter part of the movie, post-invasion discovery.
Set in Australia and made locally on a reported budget of $20 million: it’s a big production, but not ridiculously so. Quite simply, Tomorrow, When The War Began is a credible Aussie action movie with the potential to interest even hard-sell international markets with its charm and – fairly important to the Americans – its pyrotechnics. Well done indeed. Here’s hoping for some sequels.
****
KATIA NIZIC
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