Directed By: Stuart Beattie
Starring: Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz, Phobe Tonkin, Chris Pang

What It’s All About:
Seven friends who live in rural Australia go on a camping trip into a mountain nicknamed “Hell”. After seeing the sky filled with fighter planes they make the journey back into town to discover their families have deserted their homes. Soon enough they discover that their town has been invaded by a military force and their families are being held captive. It is up to them to free their families and take back their town.

The Final Verdict:
Based on the best selling novels by Australian author John Marsden, Stuart Beattie tries to bring the stories to life on the big screen but falls short. Protagonist Ellie simply fills in time with unnecessary dialogue that runs in a seemingly never ending circle, and her support cast are less than average, even for an Australian film. The action sequences are full on and create a sense of urgency but the movie seems to fall short of creating the same sense of wonder and panic that the source material. Okay for an Australian film but doesn’t hold a candle to anything on the world stage. Such a shame because Tomorrow When The War Began was such a perfect setting for a movie and unfortunately this movie just doesn’t do it justice.

2/5