EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

evanbevan I read the books as a kid and have good memories of them, although I can't remember enough specific details to draw direct comparisons between them and this TV series. I have read that they have changed certain details, but I am sure those are ultimately minor and irrelevant to the overall quality of this series as they have got the fundamentals of storytelling and character development so badly wrong.The entire first episode is like a long sequence of short indie music clips tied together. Lot's of slow motion scenes of laughing when they should have been building tension or showing at least some suitable level of character development. The characters all seem to have the same shallow, fake, annoyingly positive, Triple J presenter-esque personality. I found them all completely unmemorable, unlikeable and almost indistinguishable personality-wise from each other.The multi-cultural cast is also entirely unconvincing as a bunch of Australian country kids. They dress, act and talk like a bunch of city kids. To think that this group of ignorant hipsters would be even remotely capable of starting an armed resistance against an occupying foreign army requires far more suspension of disbelief than I was able to manage. That is, until you see the absolute incompetence of this ridiculous army in action.They try hard to give emotional weight to particular scenes early on, but they have never earnt these moments. They are superficial and unconvincing, just like this entire production. Everyone involved should be ashamed of their work, except for the camera crew. They actually did some nice work.

dfreyberg_rocks All up, this series is a terrible adaptation of a much-loved Aussie book series.The casting is poor, the acting is far worse, and the whole thing just fails to capture the essence of the books written by John Marsden. This adaptation failed to capture the essential elements of the first book, and stuffed up a lot of important events (often putting them in backwards order). Corrie wasn't meant to get shot until the end, where they all blow up the bridge, but she got shot way too early. Not to mention that they plan to blow up the bridge AFTER she is shot and Kevin is taken prisoner. Overall, there is barely any chemistry between the characters on-screen. Nice attempt at reviving a book series, but failed big time in the long run. If you are a hardcore fan like J am, then please save your time and money.

willcalcutt To preface this review, I should note that I've never read the book, nor seen the 2010 film adaptation. Nor, I should add, am I part of the demographic the show was aimed at.In a time when young adult, dystopian novels and their respective adaptations fill our cinemas, 'Tomorrow, When the War Began' draws on a tried and tested approach to the genre.The writing might not be particularly strong in places, and indeed causes patches of almost-stagnated dialogue. However, the cast of young actors carry the story well and you find yourself rooting for them to escape and survive the unnamed occupying army. Thankfully, as the first season develops, these issues slowly work themselves out.It is the cast of young actors, some of whom have never appeared on television or in film before, that really draw you into their world. Molly Daniels does well to lead the group of rebels as Ellie, whilst newcomer Madeleine Clunies-Ross and the more established Madeleine Madden and Narek Arman are particularly likable, adding humour, drama and the youthful naivety you'd expect from teens drawn into such a situation.There has been criticism about this adaption not meeting the same standards as the film and the novel series, but, as the series progresses, this becomes increasingly unwarranted. A longer adaptation might have allowed the production team to help convey how the lives of the young 'rebels' have changed, but a six-episode run does not detract from the high production value of the series.Further seasons, drawing on the source material, would allow the series to grow and really explore the world after the war began.

billmalibu-1 After the books and the quite not so bad movie, it sadly has gotten quiet for the franchise. And now suddenly there is a TV series! I was very excited and the first episode was not totally bad. (Except for the continuing slow mo stuff.)********* spoiler warning *************sadly someone had the not so great idea to stress the part of the story that was almost entirely left out in the books: what's happening in the camps and around the families of the protagonists! And they came up with the same dung they always throw in. Not knowing what is happening on the other side of the fences is a great feature of the story and adds to the suspense of the situation of the kids (in the books and the movie). Not anymore I guess. It's a sad thing that every TV story/series seems to be in need of the same key elements.There is no need for a specific enemy figure, especially so early into the story, because the situation, the whole occupation army and the unknown are enough enemies as is. The same goes for the moral and betrayal nonsense they put in at the parents side. No need to show parents awkwardly deleting pictures of their kids before the interrogation one pic at a time. But maybe that's just me.This has always been a story of a group of kids in a hostile country takeover. And that's been more than enough to fill a whole stack of books and to entertain many people for a long time.******** end spoiler warning *********** With this words in mind I start into the third episode, hoping to find the story going back to the books and the movie and focusing on what makes the original story great, and not trying to put something in for everyone. One can hope I guess.