What happens when the world died while you were away on vacation? What happens when you return to a world you don't recognize to find that your home has been invaded and seized by an enemy far more powerful than you could ever hope to comprehend? That's the dilemma faced by a group of unlikely Australian teens when they venture out in to hell for the weekend, a retreat for relaxation and peace that they revel in for as long as humanly possible. But for them they've discovered hell is far from anywhere near the wilderness. And with their homes ram sacked, their beloved pets slaughtered, and their towns taken over by an unknown armed force, they can do nothing but rely on their wits and speed to get through an ordeal that will test their love and devotion to their family. Stuart Beattie's adaptation of the novel has been likened to the eighties cheese cult classic "Red Dawn" about teens who band together to take down armed forces who invade their town, but "Tomorrow" is so much better.

Meanwhile, director Beattie focuses on the carnage and the psychological turmoil of each member of the group who has to face a skilled warrior on the field and can do nothing but hide and re-think their next plan that has a good chance of failing right out of the gate. "Tomorrow, When the War Began" is a stark post-apocalyptic war film and one that takes the brilliant potential premise for "Red Dawn" and turns it in to something so much more than a flag waving ode to a country. It's a "Stand By Me" tale mixed with "Lord of the Flies" that teams the youth against a larger than life ordeal that could seal the fate of the world. The question that constantly lingers is: Is this world worth saving? and most importantly: Do any of them even want to save the world after the horror they've witnessed in the battle fields? Director Stuart Beattie stages some of the most riveting action sequences I've seen in an Aussie film in years, and through some magnificent car chases and wonderful gun fights, he manages to stage a fantastic end of the world ditty that keeps the characters constantly on the wobbly edge, using their home grown talents against instructed and learned skill and finesse that keeps them at a stand still on the battle field.

"Tomorrow, When the War Began" pits together a marvelous assortment of young actors to star, and by the end of picture you'll be wondering what you ever saw in that other eighties concoction and how laughable it will be to see the remake try to live up this pure entry of action survivalism.