Aussie Dawn

Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)

Based on the novel of the same name this adaptation from writer/director Stuart Beattie stars Caitlin Stasey. Seven teenagers of different stereotypes are camping in the bush when Australia is invaded and have to decide what to do.

So the obvious comparison here is the 80s classic Red Dawn (1984) and while there are a number of similarities the main difference is in tone, this film involves a lot less nationalistic flag waving but also covers a lot less material. As part of a series of novels the film tells a less complete story than Red Dawn and I would say this was the real weakness when comparing the two films. Realism does seem to go out of the window on a number of occasions, mostly during action sequences, but this is not a bad film even if not especially original.

3/5