Remember the Patrick Swayze film “Red Dawn” from the 1980s? It was about a group of high school students who, upon invasion of a foreign power, resist via guerrilla warfare. I’ve never actually seen it myself, but it comes to mind when hearing about a recent Australian film making its debut in Louisville.

Village 8 Louisville Exclusives presents a limited run of “Tomorrow, When the War Began.” As mentioned, the plot should be somewhat familiar; several friends take a trip out to the country, when suddenly they witness an invasion by an unknown foreign power. They band together, carrying out hit-and-run attacks, trying to bring down the enemy any way they can. The film stars Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, and Lincoln Lewis.

“Tomorrow, When the War Began” marks the directorial debut of Stuart Beattie, a name that may not be familiar except to credits-watchers – he was screenwriter for such films as “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Collateral,” “30 Days of Night,” and “Australia.”

The film is an adaptation of John Marsden’s young adult novel of the same name, which was written in 1993. The book is the first in the seven-part “Tomorrow” series. As such, filming for a sequel has commenced; it is tentatively titled “Tomorrow 2” and based on the second book in the series, “The Dead of Night.” The third book in the series, “The Third Day, The Frost” is also in consideration for film adaptation. So if you like this one, be of good cheer: more is to come.

“Tomorrow, When the War Began” will play at Village 8 Theater until this upcoming Thursday, March 1. Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchman’s Lane. Theater information and show times can be found at the Village 8 Theater website.

Image courtesy of the Internet Movie Database.