Review of Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) by Dean M — 18 Sep 2010

Australia has been waiting for a franchise to compete with the likes of HARRY POTTER, LORD OF THE RINGS and TWILIGHT. TOMORROW is that franchise. Writer and Director Stuart Beattie has crafted an action-adventure film for the Gen-Y market that speaks volumes to a generation. This iconic 7 book series has had the first book adapted into a brilliant film that author John Marsden should be very pleased with.

Although essentially pitched at teens and young adults who studied the text at school, the film doesn't pull any punches. There are one or two confronting scenes. There is chemistry that exists between all the pairings on screen and the ensemble seems to work and behave well together.

The film is largely told from Ellie's (Stasey) perspective. Ellie seems like the most outgoing of the girls and perhaps the group as a whole. Stacey does well to capture the essence of the character and does well to embody the type of idealist young woman that her peers would like and look up to.

Pang who plays Lee, the quiet one in the group and the one who fancies Ellie is good. He seems fairly wooden to begin with but seems to develop incharacter as it grows on him as an actor. This is Pang's first film so it is no surprise that some early nerves appeared. Lee is likeable by the end of the film and the audience actually invests in his and Ellie's burgeoning relationship even if Ellie doesn't.

Akdeniz plays his Homer a little like too much like an extra in WOG BOYS in the beginning and softens to be palatable as the film progresses. His character is rooted in family values and likes a good fight, so when the time comes for the tribe to defend themselves he is in his element and really shines on screen.

Cummings as Robyn is the sweetest surprise. She is the moral compass in the piece who has family instilled religious beliefs that she tries so fervently to cling to whilst attempting to harness the group to do the right thing. She learns that her definitions of right and wrong can change with circumstance and her character arc, although certainly the most exaggerated, is great to watch.

Andrew Ryan who plays Chris, is in this film the least of all our leads. He makes good use of his screen time however with clever comic timing derived from stoner humour. Although there were clever comic moments littered throughout the script, Chris was responsible for a large portion of the laughs and he did well to command them.

The cameo from Colin Friels had him returning to top form rather than his underwhelming role of recent history and it was good to see he still has good characterisation in him and can make good use of limited screen time.

Beattie's script underwent a modernisation to work in 21st Century references. The dialogue was well paced and like the book, very few words were without meaning.

Primate had grave concerns that the CGI effects of the bombing and such would be substandard and detract from the rest of the film. These fears were largely allayed and the particular scenes in question looked excellent on the big screen.

There are plenty of explosions and moments of shirtlessness to satisfy those who crave it.

Cinematographer Ben Nott did a superb job in framing the piece. Of particular note was the staging scene at the fairground where the temporary prisons were erected. This was a powerful scene and the work that he, the props team and set designers did is commendable.

The film's soundtrack is littered with Australian talent both well known and otherwise including a very apt version of the iconic 'Flame Trees'. This truly is a blockbuster that makes the tough transition from book to movie with seemingly effortless ease.

There are many themes at work here with multicultural overtones, war, politics, occupation and POW camps. Marsden's book woke a generation up about real issues that were affecting home soil in the 90's and Beattie's movie is a wake-up call to the local industry that loudly borrows from a famous Aussie's line in another epic film and says ?this is our land? and these young patriots do their very best to defend it, and it is truly something spectacular.