OK, so I must confess to being a tiny bit nervous on my way in to see this movie. Mostly, because I had such high expectations -- I must have read the book series 10 or 12 times as a teen (and beyond). And while the trailer was promising, it had one glaring difference that had me worried: 2010 technology. The trailer blatantly shows our heroes using their modern wi-fi capable cell phones for taking photos, and later (after the world has turned upside down) searching for reception. And this became my first concern: how, in this day and age, do you (an invading army) completely kill the cell network of the country you are attempting to conquer? Blast satellites out of the sky? The books, fitting perfectly into the 1990s, have no such obstacles. They are simply the tale of a group of Aussie teens who go camping during their summer holidays in remote wilderness... and return to find that a neighboring (unnamed) nation has reached the point of being FED UP with our abundant space and low population density, and they want to take it for themselves.

Our group of teens? They Go. To. WAR.

For the next six books (plus a three-book coda, The Ellie Chronicles), they wage inexpert but surprisingly effective guerilla warfare upon an enemy that outnumbers and outguns them. Along the way, they lose people, find people, fall in (and out of) love, and reunite with family members. It’s gut wrenching, horrific, and (somehow) feels real.

This is probably because John Marsden is such a legendary and skilled writer.

Big shoes to fill, for the person who dares make a movie version of the Australian cornerstone of literary history. And writer/director Stuart Beattie does it -- with two BIG thumbs up.

The resulting movie is full of action, along with a little humor -- the introduction of the rebellious Chris Lang (Andy Ryan) relieves a lot of tension, and caused my audience to bust up laughing for a good few minutes -- and is deadly scary. The helicopter-surrounding-the-house-scene? I don’t remember the book giving me anywhere NEAR those chills. Ellie freaking out when Chris falls asleep on sentry? INTENSE. The credit belongs to the actors and the casting, so I will give kudos where it is due -- the cast rocks every scene. The only objection (which I convinced myself to get over early in the movie) is that our cast speak with clear, precise elocution -- not the broad, lazy Aussie accents you’d expect from farm kids. They’re practically British! “Townies” Fiona (Phoebe Tonkin) and Robyn (Ashley Cummings) might as well be from London. But I got over it, as will you. The plot and execution win you over to the point where the Aussie Outback scenery and setting become secondary anyway.

Overall, this movie ticks every box, and I hope it does huge things for the Australian Film Industry (*cough* please see this movie in other countries *cough* so the budget is approved for a sequel or two *cough*). Knowing from the books how much bigger and scarier the war becomes for our heroic teens, I am truly wishing to see at least a trilogy made. I think it’ll blow the minds of even the harshest of critics (me) and win over the world at large (you).

And if it can conquer you without invading your land, it’s a win all round.

  -- Cathy Thomson