Review: 'Tomorrowland' (2015)

Walt Disney Pictures

If Tomorrowland was to transfer even just half of the effort it puts towards staying in a neutral gear over to it’s story, we would probably be talking about one of the best adventure movies of the year, possibly beyond that. But were not. Instead the focus on Tomorowland is how it refuses to movie forward, staying in one spot, never making any progress in plot or message. Even if the chair your in is the most comfortable in the world, wondering when things are going to get started time and time again, even an hour and a half in, gets old. What’s worse though, is when things finally do start moving, Tomorrowland finds it’s self in reverse, rolling to a finish line that has been stripped of most of its value.

It may be valuable to know that before watching Tomorrowland, all trailers, T.V. spots or any other marketing should be disregarded. I don’t want to say it’s all wrong compared to what the movie actually is but it’s close enough to make sure that no stock should be put into it. For starters, marketing suggest that the primary setting of Tomorroland is Tomorrowland but in reality, earth is the backdrop for a strong (really strong) majority of the film.

It is on earth, Florida to be more specific, that the audience is introduced to Casey (Britt Robertson), an optimistic teenager who believes that the future is something that can changed for the better. Even though surrounding opinions drastically vary from hers, including teachers and even her ex-NASA engineer of a father (Tim McGraw), Casey is determined to keep a spirit of exploring and discovery alive. This means attempting to single handily stop the deconstruction of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

Her attempt doesn’t go unnoticed as Casey is arrested by authorities. Also noticing Casey for her actions but more her motives and mindset is Athena, a robot disguised as a young girl from Tomorrowland, a place located in another dimension filled will creative and optimistic individuals attempting to invent devices that have the capability to make the future a better place. Because she sees similar traits in Casey as the individuals in Tomorrowland, Athena places a round pin looking device in Casey’s motorcycle helmet as an invitation to Tomorrowland. When she touches this pin, she will instantly be in this out of the ordinary place.

Noticing that this description of the films set up, or one part of a very long set-up, offers no mention of George Clooney, you are probably asking yourself “Isn’t Clooney the star of this show?”. In another case where marketing has not been totally honest, Clooney as Frank Walker, once an individual that was a part of Tomorrowland but now just a cynical middle aged man, doesn’t show up until after half way through the film. In fact, Thomas Robinson as a young Frank Walker may be in the film just as much.

Clooney enters when Casey and Athena need Franks (George Clooney) help to stop Nix (Hugh Laurie), a major figure at Tomorrowland with a pessimistic view of how people approach the need for change. Because of this mindset, Nix wants to use Tomorrowland to end the world. When the three finally reach Tomorrowland together, the hour and a half plus set up technically comes to a close. Sure this first ¾ of the film has some entertaining moments such as the group of robots, under Nix’s authority, arriving at Franks house guns blazing but for the most part it accomplishes very little in a very large amount of time, never moving forward until they are face to face with Nix.

This refusal to get things moving along earlier in its showing could be forgiven with a finale that pays off but instead things just get bad in a hurry. For starters, Nix is a poor excuse of a villain. A villainous character can’t be expected to make much of impact if he only appears in the films climax, which in this case is the finale also, and make some statement how to many people wait for somebody else to start change because it’s not urgent to them in the present. While it is interesting point and his monologue is intriguingly stated at times, because it’s unearned and has little support, it just can’t make much of an impact.

Maybe what hurt’s Tomorrowland the most is how it’s message of how dreamers and optimist can make the future of the world we live in much better than we think it will be is never really given any reality. Of course, these ideas can be presented in the way of fantasy and spectacle like Tomorrowland is but there has to be a component that can be related. Director Brad Bird initially does this through the character of Casey but once encounters with Tomorrowland, Athena and Frank begin, it is put to the side.

Maybe this is one for optimistic eyes only. Maybe like the pin in the film, Tomorrowland is an invitation for dreamers only. Dreamers or not, I will say however that Tomorowland is clearly for a younger audience so maybe the message at hand is perfectly catered for a young demographic. This comes as a surprise though as Bird, with his trio of animated classics, has proved that he can skillfully attract both audience of young and old. Even if Tomorrowland is directed towards the youngsters in the crowd, it still fails to make for anything that haven’t seen before, causing for more of reaction of boredom rather than awe.

Grade: C-