I had no intention watching this movie, but I wanted to watch something and this one had good ratings on IMDb which got me curious. It’s also an Australian movie which I have never seen. I ended up liking Tomorrow, When The War Began.
Several friends are going camping for a weekend. When they come back, they find their town invaded by foreign unknown forces. They decide that they should fight back instead of just hiding.
Tomorrow, When The War Began is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by John Marsden.
After seeing the trailer, I felt like it was a typical teen movie where teenagers are just having fun together without a worry in the world, then a major event happens which clearly defines their view of the world. The movie is a teen movie to the extent that the characters are teenagers, but that’s it. Despite the war, things felt quite normal normal with normal teenage jokes, pranks, fun and behavior.
During the entire movie, I kept wanting to know how it would all turn out. One thing that greatly attracted me was the fact that the story is strongly focused on the characters. Each of their unique personality adds a lot to the plot.
In some way, it is much like the TV show Lost with the major difference that this story is told from the point of view of the main protagonist, Ellie Linton. The audience never sees other points of views and certainly not the point of view of the foreign enemy whom we never find out who they are, specifically. I find that to be a very strong point of this movie.
Tomorrow, When The War Began is a story of self-discovery, courage and survival. It shows the capacity for people to be evil as well as the capacity to stand up against this evil.
The movie was successful in Australia and New Zealand and I believe it can find an audience internationally. It’s also liberating to watch something that isn’t filled with CGI.
“I can’t tell if what I did was right or wrong. In the end, I think we just have to trust on instincts.” ~Ellie Linton.
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