Tomorrow, When the War Began: Review By Wichy

Childhood Innocence Lost:

A story of childhood innocence lost provides movie viewers with interesting twists and turns. It provides psychological issues and the outcomes of those issues. It provides physical ailments, wearing and tearing on the body. It is so complex and thorough that the damage is hard to repair. What made John Marsden's book a hit were his characters life-changing experience and it captured the hearts of millions. Now a major motion picture, director Stuart Beattie will try to provide Marsden's readers with an accurate and respectable film that will capture the audiences who watch.

The Story:

Ellie, who is only seventeen, seems to have her head on straight. She works diligently on her parents' farm and goes to school. But before the holiday break is over, Ellie wants one last escapade. With the help of her best friend Corrie, Ellie decides to take herself and some of her classmates and friends on a camping trip. Among the campers are Corrie (Ellie's best friends since childhood), Corrie's boyfriend Kevin (a jock who only appears tough on the outside), Homer (Ellie's neighbor and friend), Lee (the shy love interest of Ellie), Robyn (the Christian do-gooder), and Fiona (the preppy, beautiful girl) are all invited to go camping where they will hike to a place called "Hell" (which coincidentally is absolutely beautiful). While away, the group is awakened by the sound of many military jets and the overwhelming smell of jet fuel. Simply dismissing it as their own country's aircrafts, the group quickly forgets about the planes and turns the focus back on enjoying their time together. But when the group arrives back home they notice something is missing, particularly their parents, siblings, and neighbors. Everyone appears to have disappeared, there is no electricity, and a danger is looming in the air. Upon further investigation, Ellie, Corrie, and Kevin find that the local showground has become a makeshift prison where their family and friends are being detained. Barely making it out alive, the three reconvene with the others and try to stay alive. The teens are put through everything unimaginable and suddenly have to become adults. Between daring rescue missions, plans constantly fouled, a new member Chris, raging teenage hormones, and a few minor injuries these teens are learning what it means to grow up to fast. Finally tired of being scared, the group is ready to help the fight to save their country from the foreign Asian Coalitions. Using guerilla style warfare, the teens are slowly coming up with ways to defeat the enemy. But can the group ban together and stay focused enough to make any difference?

What Knocked It Out of the Park:

Though sounding similar to Red Dawn, this film is based off a series of books by John Marsden. The story is what really sets the tone of the film. Firstly, the story is overwhelmingly dark. It deals with adult themes yet puts these teenagers into such situations. It is intriguing and interesting to watch teenagers (who are typically considered immature and too young) face adult situations and be successful, perhaps more successful than the adults. The innocence of youth is simply stolen from these teenagers, and it is heartbreaking to watch it unfold. It is a statement about teenagers and the abilities they have when pushed to the limit. Though at times far-fetched, the story is rich in excitement and never lets go once the actions starts. At times brutally honest, the film holds nothing back by letting the viewer become involved in the rush of war. In reality, this type of guerilla warfare would occur in this type of situation and it would be fair to say it would happen in the way the film tells viewers. War tactics always provide an interesting tale and it is amazing the depth that is put into assuring that the type of tactics shown stay true to reality. Though the story is overwhelmingly exciting, it also displays various human emotions and goes in depth into the characters. The story is rich in character development, which is also another plus to such a movie. Character development seems to be lost in action films today, but luckily this film doesn't lack in that area. Each character goes through a change, whether it is psychologically or physically. All characters are tested in one way or another and it shapes who they will become during the course of the enemy's invasion. By the end, the viewer will clearly see the leaders and the followers (which would resemble reality). It is refreshing to actually care about these teens and their struggles when many other action films make their characters almost desp*cable. Overall, the story is full of interesting concepts, ideas, and emotions that are executed in an exciting way.

Though not all of the acting was top-notch from this group of adolescents, there were quite a few standout performances worth mentioning. Caitlin Stasey, who plays Ellie, gives my favorite performance of the film. Firstly, Stasey looks like the girl-next-door. The kind everyone wants to be friends with because of her kindness, humor, and looks. She embodies Ellie in all those ways; she is a lovable character from beginning to end. Secondly, Stasey brings Ellie to life through her acting. Stasey has a noticeable presence from the beginning. She looks like a leader and her body language shows that she is strong and willing. Stasey clearly gives Ellie an emotional depth as well as the physical looks. The viewer can clearly see that Stasey is trying to be strong for the group and is burying her emotions deep within. The viewer can see the hurt through her eyes and her facial expressions. Her eyes convey so much to the viewer; her emotions are clearly shown through them. The way her face softens when she talks to some of the other characters is a subtle hint that not all of her childhood innocence is gone and is a fantastic touch to add to the character. Her face is so complex, going from blameless teen to responsible adult. The clear transformation of Ellie is what seals Stasey's performance as great. Another standout is Rachel Hurd-Wood as Corrie. Hurd-Wood makes Corrie one of the most relatable characters in the film. Corrie is the typical small-town girl and Hurd-Wood breathes a new life into her. When Hurd-Wood's happy-go-lucky character finally understands that her life has changed, it is clearly expressed through her performance. She brings a complexity to Corrie, continually showing her becoming stronger and stronger. At the beginning, Hurd-Wood displays a youthful light to Corrie. But by the end, she has become a different person and it is clear through her tone of voice and her facial expressions. Deniz Akdeniz also gave a fine performance as Ellie's pal Homer. He exemplifies the male teenager from beginning to end. Akdeniz gives a strong performance, making Homer likable when he otherwise shouldn't be. His tone of voice is great, providing much needed humor to such a dark story.

Tension-filled battles and amazing effects make this film visually striking. The actions sequences are staged perfectly, leaving no stone unturned. The battle scenes are intense, providing the viewer with plenty of jaw-dropping explosions to enjoy. The gunfights are amazingly fun to watch, providing action buffs with plenty of thrills. The final action scene is by far the best, providing the viewer with plenty of shocks and triumphs. The machinery (including tanks, guns, etc.) seems to fit perfectly with the story. They appear to be accurate and look realistic. Filled with diversity, the film has plenty of options for weapons. It should also be mentioned that the scenery is beautiful to look at as well. The location of filming provides viewers with magnificent beauty. It is rich in colors, especially the beautiful green of the trees. It seems that the scenery is a secondary character to the story. It plays an important part of the progression of the film. Director Stuart Beattie did an excellent job of combining action and beauty, two things that would seem unlikely to mix. Overall, the films visuals are unexpectedly enjoyable.

What Struck Out:

There were many performances that didn't live up to their characters' profiles. Not only do they not embody the character they are portraying, they also are emotionless and stone-like in appearance. Pheobe Tonkin played the role of Fiona, a character I appreciated from the book. Tonkin, for the majority of the film, looked confused and out of place. Right when I thought she was breaking out of her shell, she went back into it with an unnecessary scene in one of the most tense moments of the film. Ashleigh C*mmings, who portrays Robyn, gives an emotionless turn as the story's religious teen. It would have been nice to see more emotion and thought put into her role, but she remains stone-like and unbelievable. I would expect someone with such strict faith to have an inner turmoil with right and wrong in a time like this, but sadly nothing comes of it. There are others to be mentioned as well. Chris Pang Lincoln Lewis' performances were less than impressive. By the end of the film I did not care what would happen to them, which is a sad thing to say.

As far as the story goes, there are a few minor problems and opinions to be dealt with. Firstly, the enemy's identity was given away. An interesting part of the book is the fact that the teens do not know of the invading army's origins. Instead, Beattie reveals their origins and gives away some of the excitement and mystery of the book. Secondly, the script left a lot to be desired. At times it felt rushed, unkempt, and unrealistic. A lot of work could have been done to improve it. Thirdly, though the gunfights were exciting and fun to behold, they tend to become unrealistic. These teens are under immense gunfire from all directions yet no one gets hurt (this only applies to some scenes of battle). It comes to the point when the viewer will say, "Seriously? No one was hit?" The story does have it's problems and they do become noticeable.

Does Tomorrow, When the War Began Take the Victory:

I believe that as an action film that Tomorrow, When the War Began succeeds. It is a load of fun from beginning to end, giving viewers thrills throughout. There are decent actors that provide us with likeable characters to care about. The visuals prove to be impressive providing viewers with many explosions and battle sequences. But it also gives a great story about real humans thrust into war. An interesting twist on childhood innocence lost to make way for adult duties and morals. The most interesting parts of the film are how the characters continually become different from their former selves. They provide transformations that make watching enjoyable. Tomorrow, When the War Began is a great popcorn flick that provides viewers with a little of everything.