Tomorrow When The War Began

Driving home from the cinema this afternoon I was trying to think of the last Australian action flick I'd seen. I don't mean a hybrid one like Daybreakers when our brilliant local talent were asked to leave their Australian accents at the door in an attempt to satisfy a foreign market, but a real Aussie action flick. I still can't think of any besides from Mad Max! That can't be right. I'm sure one will come to me one day, I do have a pretty ordinary memory... If you can think of one I may have seen, please let me know!
Australia's answer to Red Dawn, Tomorrow When The War Began is the first in a series of books by John Marsden, all of which I have not read... yet.
Screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Australia) has adapted the book for the big screen and, for his first time, directed it as well.
Almost eighteen year old Ellie (Caitlin Stasey - Neighbours) lives on a farm with her folks near the small town of Wirrawee. Her best friend Corrie (Rachel Hurd-Wood - Dorain Gray) has just had sex with spunk Kevin (Lincoln Lewis - Home And Away) and is keen to have more.
The two decide to invite Kevin on a camping expedition and bring some other friends along with them. There's the rebellious clown Homer (Deniz Akdeniz - As The Bell Rings), ditzy blonde Fiona (Phoebe Tonkin - H2O), bible-hugger Robyn (Ashleigh Cummings - Home And Away) and Ellie's geography crush Lee (Chris Pang).
They trek out to a place called Hell; a beautiful water hole hidden deep in the bush. After a meal of two minute noodles, the gang fall asleep under the stars. Life is sweet.
Ellie wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of planes flying overhead but thinks nothing of it.
The next day, they wake up in a changed world. After panicked visits to four empty family homes it's clear that something dreadful has happened. Australia has been invaded.
A foreign army (from where again?) has rounded up the whole town for 'processing' as armed troops parade the streets looking for anyone they might have missed.
The magnificent seven get themselves organised and plan what to do next. They can either give up or fight. They choose to fight, but at what cost?
Wow. Look World, look at what we can do! I urge everyone to go and see this film, not just to support our film industry but to see the high quality of film that this country of ours is capable of producing. Beattie has done a great job as a first time director; I can honestly say I had chills throughout the film, waiting to see what happened next.
The only flaws I could find were character related and probably stemmed from the books. Does every pretty blonde girl have to be dumb in the beginning and sorta smart in the end? I think we've seen that character arc a few times now, perhaps time to move on.
Also, religious-Robyn annoyed me. Her cross bearing 'thou-shalt-not-kill' stance one moment and machine gun bearing shoot-em-all 'crisis of faith' could have been left on the cutting room floor. Are we supposed to applaud her for giving up her beliefs or scold her for dismissing them so easily? Anyway...
The use of Australian music throughout the film is most welcomed with the likes of Missy Higgins and Jet. We've got some amazing musicians here, it's great to see them shown off like this. Those sweeping shots of the bush and the mountains are bound to pull in a few tourists from around the place.
Special effects are well done with some kick-ass explosions that literaly shook the cinema! There's even a clever line in the film comparing book to film adaptations; the book is always better. Great marketing there.
Is there a sequel in the works? I do hope so.
Things I learnt: never put a stoner on watch duty; get a truck licence; always have a lighter.
Well done, Oz!
Eight out of ten.