It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A short bit into watching this film, it dawned on me (no pun intended) that this is the Australian version of Red Dawn. Which is not a bad thing. I've always enjoyed the original version of Red Dawn. And just like it, TWTWB is not overly deep, but is an entertaining movie that will not bore you.The good: The movie is visually stunning and has a good soundtrack. The action sequences are fun with excellent effects. The acting, while not great, is good enough to not be an issue. Caitlin Stasey and Deniz Akdeniz were the best of the bunch. Also, a special shoutout to the opening and closing credits, which were really cool.The not so good: The script was a bit weak. The character development was rushed, but I think this was to enable the movie to get to the action. I imagine the book is much better, but I have not read it.Summary: This is not a deep movie, and I suspect it appeals to a younger audience (like the Hunger Games demographic). But it holds your interest and actually goes faster than you'd like it to. I was surprised when it was over that an hour and 43 minutes had passed. If you're looking for amazing concept and dialogue, you won't find it here. But if you are looking to be entertained for 103 minutes, TWTWB will definitely do the job.I give it a solid 6 stars!

Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey) and Corrie McKenzie (Rachel Hurd-Wood) are best friends in the small Australian town of Wirrawee. They plan an outback camping trip during the Australian Day holidays and invite a few of their classmates; Corrie's boyfriend Kevin Holmes (Lincoln Lewis), Ellie's neighbor Homer Yannos (Deniz Akdeniz), townie Fiona Maxwell (Phoebe Tonkin), preacher's daughter Robyn Mathers (Ashleigh Cummings), and Lee Takkam (Chris Pang). The group witnesses several military planes flying overhead. They return home to find an invasion by an unnamed Asian force. Most of the town has been rounded up. The nearby bridge is a key access to a port captured by the enemy. The group struggles to survive and fight back.The plot is basically Red Dawn. The kids especially the girls are all YA pretty. There is some YA romancing. The action is better than bad. It has good real and good CGI but not good realism. While there is action, the tension is never high. This is derivative. It doesn't have the guts to name the invaders. Caitlin Stasey has good screen presence. The acting is generally good enough but the material is not that great. There isn't anything great or that original to recommend here.

I wasn't 35 minutes into this 'movie' when I started to realized how stupid it was, and I really gave it a chance. I mean, it's a clear rip off of Red Dawn (1984) to begin with, but stopping to stare like a deer into a search light, pausing on the street to argue when your life depends on being discrete and simply slow to react when someone says "let's go"! Spread out and go to different rooms, then look out the window as the helicopter shines it's searchlight into your faces. Take your time getting out of the house as the helicopter marks your position for a bombing run. You would think that if you were fighting for your life, the lives of your family, friends and country that you would do everything you could to defeat the enemy but sadly that is not the case here. Talking about relationships exposed on a battlefield with your only line of communication switched off is simply stupid. Even though the enemy has given away their position by walking behind your stolen vehicle with their tactical lights on giving you ample warning time.. smmfh! Stopping for an emotional moment between you and your one night stand only to be shot in the side instead of doing the rational thing and running for your life. Hell, the enemy was on foot and wearing body armor! In summation, I would like to say that this movie was utter bull****, but since not many films come out of Australia then it is better than nothing.. I think.

Some tart wrote: "yes, we see the invaders, and they're obviously Asian. But the question of the invading country is skirted in the film, as it was in the book. When the characters discuss flags and nationalities, one chimes in with "what difference does a flag make?" which is nice way of avoiding the ethnicity elephant in the room."And yet, apparently no one heard of Sun Tzu's art of war, know your enemy. This disconnect from the world the characters live in is dull and lacking creativity. There's no emotional connection built up for the duration of the movie or an event to make me care about what happens to them. The acting is as plastic as the plot.