BASED on the series of seven books by John Marsden, which have sold more than 2.5m copies, Tomorrow, When The War Began, unfolds from the perspective of eight teenagers caught up in an unimaginable conflict.

Seventeen-year-old Ellie (Caitlin Stasey) and her pals take the family Land Rover to a remote sinkhole known as “Hell” for one final hurrah before the school holidays end, only to find, when they return to their hometown of Wirrawee, an invading force has rounded up the entire population.

The youngsters vow to overcome insurmountable odds to reclaim Wirrawee and rescue their parents.Tomorrow . . . sows the seeds for successive films in the series.

Dialogue teasingly hints at escapades to come, and it’s clear any of the characters could be killed in their pursuit of freedom.

The actors are largely unknown here but deliver strong performances, anchored by Stasey, who stares at the face of a dead enemy soldier and realises she has just killed a girl.

Ellie, and perhaps some of her friends, may suffer a similar fate before the saga reaches its conclusion.