Tomorrow, When the War Began (film)
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''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' is a 2010 Australian action-adventure war
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
written and directed by Stuart Beattie and based on the 1993 novel of the same name (the first in a heptalogy) by John Marsden. The film was produced by Andrew Mason and Michael Boughen. The story follows Ellie Linton, one of seven teenagers waging a guerrilla war against an invading foreign power in their fictional hometown of Wirrawee. The film stars
Caitlin Stasey Caitlin Jean Stasey (born 1 May 1990) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her role as Rachel Kinski in ''Neighbours''. Previously she played Francesca Thomas in '' The Sleepover Club'', although her breakthrough movie role ca ...
as Ellie Linton and features an ensemble cast including
Rachel Hurd-Wood Rachel Clare Hurd-Wood (born 17 August 1990) is an English actress, best known for her film roles as Wendy Darling in ''Peter Pan'' (2003) and more recently for her television role as Rachel Maddox in ''Clique'' (2017–2018). Early life Backg ...
,
Lincoln Lewis Lincoln Clay Lewis (born 24 October 1987) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles in the movie '' Tomorrow, When the War Began'' and in the television series ''Home and Away'' and '' Slide''. Early life Lewis was born in Brisbane, ...
and
Phoebe Tonkin Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin (born 12 July 1989) is an Australian actress. She is known for portraying Cleo Sertori in '' H2O: Just Add Water'', Fiona Maxwell in '' Tomorrow, When the War Began'', Faye Chamberlain in ''The Secret Circle'', and ...
. Production began in September 2009.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began on 28 September 2009, and concluded on 6 November 2009; filming took place in the Hunter Region and the Blue Mountains, in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. The teaser trailer for the film was released on 31 March 2010. The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on 2 September 2010. It was later released on 15 April 2011 in the United Kingdom, and on 24 February 2012 in the United States.


Plot

The film begins with a video log by Ellie Linton. She asks the camera how she can tell their story. She suggests to herself "from the beginning." Ellie, a high school student in the fictional rural New South Wales town of Wirrawee sets off on a camping trip to a remote valley known as "Hell's Gate", or simply "Hell". She is joined by her close childhood friend Corrie McKenzie, Corrie's boyfriend Kevin Holmes, Ellie's next-door neighbour Homer Yannos, her high school crush Lee Takkam, and her friends Robyn Mathers and Fiona "Fi" Maxwell. During their second night camping, Ellie wakes to a sky full of military aircraft. Returning to Wirrawee, the group finds their homes abandoned, without power, internet or telephone service. From a hilltop, the group sees that the only lights are at the hospital and the showground. Upon reaching the showground, they find that the townspeople are being detained by a foreign military force. Ellie witnesses a man being shot in the head, and in her horror retreats too quickly, being spotted by a searchlight. They flee but are pursued by soldiers into the backyard of a house. Ellie explodes the fuel tank of a ride-on lawn mower, eliminating the soldiers. In the confusion, Lee and Robyn go missing. Hiding at Corrie's house, the group witness an
RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
jet fighter being shot down by enemy aircraft. When an enemy helicopter performs a close examination of the house, Homer shoots out its searchlight. The group barely escape as a jet destroys the home. Ellie and Homer sneak back into town, and find Robyn in her house. Lee has been wounded, and is being treated by Dr. Clements, the local dentist, who informs them that the invading forces are bringing in their equipment from ships moored in Cobbler's Bay, over the Heron Bridge. After a brief skirmish with a pair of armed buggies, Robyn, Homer, Lee and Ellie meet back at Corrie's home. They decide to return to Hell. On the way, they stop at a house and are greeted by school mate Chris, who is incredibly stoned and has no idea that a war is going on. Ellie and Lee have a deep conversation about their lives, briefly kissing. When Ellie checks on Chris, who is meant to be standing watch, she finds him asleep while a military car narrowly passes by the house. She angrily wakes Chris up, rebuking him for almost getting them killed, and prepares to shoot him, but when her friends witness this, she relents. They return to Hell, with plans to use it as a secluded hideout. While there, Lee tries to talk to Ellie about their feelings towards each other, but she angrily replies that she is confused and storms off. The group hears a radio transmission revealing that Australia has been invaded by Asian "Coalition Nations", who want Australia's vast natural resources to sustain their own growing populations. The transmission also reveals that Cobbler's Bay is one of only three main ports being used by the invaders. The group then makes plans to destroy the Heron Bridge, disrupting the supply chain. The group sneaks into Wirrawee. Ellie and Fi steal a petrol tanker, park it near the bridge and wait for the rest of the team to take their positions. After being discovered by guards, they rush to drive the tanker under the bridge. Homer and Lee scare a herd of cattle onto the bridge, forcing the sentries to flee their posts, allowing Ellie to park the tanker under the bridge. They manage to explode the tanker, destroying the bridge, but Corrie is shot as the group escapes. Despite certain capture, Kevin decides to drive Corrie to the hospital and remain by her side. After those two depart to an unknown future, Ellie breaks down and cries in Lee's arms. Ellie then finishes her video log, revealing that the group have returned to Hell for their ongoing guerrilla war. She states that they will keep on fighting until the war is over.


Cast


Production


Development

In June 2009, Screen Australia announced that it would fund the development of the feature film to be produced based on the novel, to be written and directed by screenwriter Stuart Beattie. The film was released on 2 September 2010. Critical response to the film was mixed and it failed to find an overseas audience.


Filming and locations

Filming began in the Hunter Region of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia on 28 September 2009 with early shooting in
Dungog Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire local government area and at the 2016 census it had a po ...
.
Raymond Terrace Raymond Terrace is a town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about by road north of Newcastle on the Pacific Highway. Established in 1837 it is situated at the confluence of the Hunter and Williams rivers. The town was nam ...
was chosen as a major location for producing the film as it is "a great country town". Historic King Street, the former main street of the town, was transformed from a normally quiet location into Main Street, Wirrawee. The street began its transformation in September 2009, with set areas including the "Wirrawee Cinema" and the Lee family's Thai restaurant. Filming began in King Street on 21 October 2009 and continued until 27 October 2009. Filming in other locations in the town ended on 6 November 2009. Other filming locations included
Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...
, the Blue Mountains and the Luskintyre bridge. The
Fox Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
site in Sydney was also used. The explosions of the house and bridge were filmed, scaled-down, at
Terrey Hills Terrey Hills is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 25 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Forest District and ...
in northern Sydney.


Reception


Critical reception

Review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports that 64% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's consensus is that "While the script isn't amazing and the story's race issues linger, this adaptation of John Marsden's book is an exciting, action-heavy adventure that should please fans of the series." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has a score of 54% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Marc Fennell Marc Fennell is an Australian film critic, technology journalist, radio personality, author and television presenter. Fennell is a co-anchor of '' The Feed'' and the host of ''Mastermind''. Career Film critic In 2002, Fennell was a winner o ...
of ''
Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
'' wrote that ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' has "patchy acting, fantastic action and some great slivers of humour in a movie that only gives off the faintest whiff of a xenophobic nation terrified of being invaded."
Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz (born 14 July 1944) is an Australian film critic, writer, producer and television personality. Early life Pomeranz was born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen on 14 July 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney. She was educated at the P ...
of '' At the Movies'' wrote that "Stuart Beattie handles the action well; I think he's less adept at handling the development of character, but I'm sure the numerous fans of the book will be satisfied with the movie." A review by the Australian
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
was less generous, pointing out parallels to the 1984 film ''
Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance ...
'', starring
Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...
and
Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
. It called the plot weak and the ending a letdown.


Box office

Despite not coming close to its A$27 million budget, the film was popular at the Australian and New Zealand box office, though internationally it was far less successful. In Australia, the film debuted at No. 1 and made $3.86 million during its first weekend and grossed 358,653 in its No. 1 debut in New Zealand. Within two weeks, the film grossed over $7.7 million in Australia to become the highest-grossing domestic film of 2010. Paramount acquired distribution rights for the UK, Russia, South Africa, Portugal and Scandinavia and said upon its acquisition that they "look forward to bringing this story to international audiences." The film earned over $13.5 million at the Australian box office, but "failed to find an international audience" and earned a total of under $3 million in the rest of the world combined. This included $341,995 in the U.K. and $1,026,705 in New Zealand.


Awards


Soundtrack

*
Steer Steer, Steers or Steering may refer to: Animals * Steer or bullock, castrated male cattle * Ox, a steer used as a draft animal People * Steer (surname) * Steers (surname) Places * Steer Creek (West Virginia), a tributary of the Little ...
- Written & Performed by Missy Higgins *
The Honeymoon Is Over ''The Honeymoon Is Over'' is the third studio album by Australian indie rock band The Cruel Sea, which was released in May 1993.McFarlane, Ian (1999). ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and PopThe Cruel Sea'entry. Retrieved 13 November 2 ...
- Performed by The Cruel Sea *
Cosmic Egg The world egg, cosmic egg or mundane egg is a mythological motif found in the cosmogonies of many cultures that is present in Proto-Indo-European culture and other cultures and civilizations. Typically, the world egg is a beginning of some sort, ...
- Performed by
Wolfmother Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since ...
* Restaurant Piano - Written, Produced & Performed by
Guy Gross Guy Gross is an Australian film and television composer. He is known most for writing the award-winning music for the Australian science fiction series ''Farscape'' and the international hit film ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ...
* Fader - Performed by
The Temper Trap The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album '' Conditions'' in June 2009 to favou ...
* Don't You Think It's Time? - Performed by Bob Evans * Black Hearts (On Fire) - Performed by Jet * Poison in Your Mind - Written & Performed by
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drumme ...
* Tomorrow - Performed by
Nic Cester NIC may refer to: Banking and insurance companies * National Insurance Corporation, Uganda * NIC Bank, a commercial bank in Kenya Politics, government and economics * National Ice Center, an agency that provides worldwide navigational ice a ...
,
Davey Lane David Daniel "Davey" Lane (born 31 January 1981) is an Australian musician. He is a solo artist and lead guitarist of You Am I (since 1999).Spencer et al, (2007) 'Lane, David' entry. Retrieved 4 February 2010.McFarlane'You Am I'entry. Retrieved ...
& Kram *
Flame Trees "Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album ''Twentieth Century''. One of their best known songs, it was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and keyboardist Don Walker. On its release it reached No.&nbs ...
- Performed by
Sarah Blasko Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow (born 23 September 1976), known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band, Acqui ...
* All Music - Composed by Johnny Klimek and
Reinhold Heil Reinhold Heil (born May 18, 1954) is a German-born musician and film and television composer based in Los Angeles. He initially achieved success in Germany as a member of the post-punk and Neue Deutsche Welle bands Nina Hagen Band and Spliff ...


Home media

The DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film were released on 30 December 2010. Both editions were released in widescreen and have additional special features. Some Australian stores released the DVD of the film earlier than expected on 21 December 2010, nine days before the official release date. This was later confirmed by the film's official Facebook page. Special features include John Marsden's view and an alternate ending. ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' now holds the record for the biggest first week sales for an Australian independently produced and financed film after selling almost 105,000 DVD copies since its release on 30 December. The previous record was held by George Miller's animated film ''
Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, and ...
'', which sold about 95,000 copies in its first week in 2007.


Adaptations


Cancelled sequel

In September 2010, executive producer Christopher Mapp stated that there may be two sequels, based on the novels '' The Dead of the Night'' and '' The Third Day, The Frost''. He also stated that there may be a television series, adapting the remainder of the book series. In December 2010, ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...
'' reported that ''The Dead of the Night'' had been
green-lit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
for production, which would commence once the script by Stuart Beattie was completed, with release scheduled for 2012. Filming was due to commence in September 2011. On 20 November 2011, Sydney's '' Daily Telegraph'' reported that the sequel had apparently been cancelled.
Lincoln Lewis Lincoln Clay Lewis (born 24 October 1987) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles in the movie '' Tomorrow, When the War Began'' and in the television series ''Home and Away'' and '' Slide''. Early life Lewis was born in Brisbane, ...
stated "At this stage it doesn't look like it's going to go ahead." In December 2011, the official ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' Facebook page posted that
Kieran Darcy-Smith Kieran Darcy-Smith is an Australian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for starring in the films '' The Cave'', '' The Square'', '' Animal Kingdom'', and '' The Reef''. He made his feature film directing debut with 2012 fil ...
is working on a script for a sequel. In August 2012, it was announced by producers that they hoped for filming to start in early 2013.


Television adaptation

After several years of no word on the sequel, in 2015 it was announced that a television adaptation of the ''Tomorrow'' series was then in the works. The cast from the film adaptation did not reprise their roles. The series consists of six episodes and aired on
ABC3 ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...
. Filming took place from 14 September to 13 November 2015 in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, and premiered on 23 April 2016.


See also

*''
Tomorrow, When the War Began ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' is the first book in the ''Tomorrow'' series by John Marsden. It was published in 1993, and is a young adult invasion novel, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Th ...
'' * '' Invasion, U.S.A. (1952 film)'' * ''
Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance ...
'' (1984) * ''
Battle Beneath the Earth ''Battle Beneath the Earth'' is a 1967 British sci-fi thriller film starring Kerwin Mathews. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film also features character actor Ed Bishop. Plot Scientist Arnold Kramer believes that rogue elements o ...
'' * '' Invasion U.S.A. (1985 film)'' * ''
Red Dawn (2012 film) ''Red Dawn'' is a 2012 American action war film directed by Dan Bradley and written by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne ...
'' *
Invasion literature Invasion literature (also the invasion novel) is a literary genre that was popular in the period between 1871 and the First World War (1914–1918). The invasion novel first was recognized as a literary genre in the UK, with the novella '' The ...


References


External links

* *
Interview with Stuart Beattie about Tomorrow, When The War Began
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomorrow, When The War Began (Film) 2010 action drama films Films set in New South Wales Films shot in New South Wales Films directed by Stuart Beattie Films scored by Reinhold Heil Films scored by Johnny Klimek Films with screenplays by Stuart Beattie Films based on Australian novels Australian action drama films Australian war drama films Fiction about invasions Tomorrow series Australian teen films 2010s teen drama films 2010 films Paramount Pictures films 2010s war films 2010 directorial debut films Guerrilla warfare in film 2010s English-language films