Tomorrowland (Review)

Tomorrowland (2015)

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Directed By: Brad Bird

If there is one guy we all want working more in this business, it is Brad Bird. His films are more or less universally loved in the film community and for good reason. Starting out in animation he made his debut on the television anthology series Amazing Stories with his short "Family Dog" and from there went on to work on The Simpsons until making his film debut in 1999 with the criminally unappreciated The Iron Giant, a movie I adore. He followed this up with two fantastic Pixar movies, The Incredibles and Ratatouille that have gone on to find great success. It was in 2011 however that Bird finally took the jump from animation to live action with the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise, Ghost Protocol. Within those frames he proved to the world that he wasn't only meant for children movies but something far greater. Ghost protocol was a visually stunning action film with one of the best stories and cast of characters in the entire MI series. He left us all wanting more, a lot more.

They set you in the mood right away with a new Disney graphic designed to look like the futuristic Tomorrowland, a nice touch if I say so myself. We open right on Clooney's face as his character appears to be recording a message to the future. All the while a girl off cameras keeps complaining that he is being too negative and he needs more optimism, a clear theme throughout the movie. This allows for a smooth transition into a flashback of Frank Walkers (George Clooney) past and how he first made it to Tomorrowland. We find out he was recruited at the World's Fair in New York as a child when he presents a Jet Pack prototype he built himself. The folks behind the secret world are looking for young, fresh minds who haven't given hope for the future.

Bring us back to present day where the world has vastly changed and our outlook toward the future has warped into something completely different. Here we meet our main character of the movie Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), the daughter of an ex NASA engineer. Casey seems to have inherited his intelligence and desire for science as she keeps trying to stop construction crews from taking down an old rocket launch site. After being arrested for trespassing and vandalism she finds a mysterious pin with her belongings. This pin takes her to another world; a future world. When the pins magic wears off she knows she has to find a way to get back there. Her new knowledge sets her on an adventure to track down whoever knows about this place and use them to get back. Casey does this with the help of mysteriously little girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) who claims to be from Tomorrowland. In my opinion she steals the show, even among powerhouse George Clooney she is the standout performance.

What I love about this movie is that it feels like an old school summer blockbuster. In today's age of massive action movies and super CGI we have been saturated with movies taking place in other worlds almost entirely. What Tomorrowland does that separates itself from these is that it makes the other world the mystery of the movie. I have already seen a number of people complaining that they wanted more of the movie set in the Utopian world but I personally thought the lack of said world is what made the movie work best. Bird and Lindelof clearly had a message they wanted to put out there and they couldn't have it resonate while spending two hours in another world entirely. Bringing the story to our world, to our now makes the message that much more effective.

What message is that? Simple: be better. People have tagged this movie as being way too preachy for a family summer blockbuster but I disagree. While it is at times a touch preachy it's not like they are promoting a negative message. The filmmakers are simply asking us to be better, to care more, and to not just sit back and let the world crumble while we do nothing. Is that such a bad thing to preach? I don't think so. This is also used as a clever technique to show how the view of the future has changed from generation to generation, each time seeming to become that much darker. As a 24 year old in today's society I can say that my generation typically doesn't look at the future as an optimistic place. Most of us see it ending in our own self destruction rather than redemption so I like that they are asking us to take action, any action.

Bird was at one point attached to Star Wars Episode VII but would ultimately drop out due to a commitment to an under wraps Disney project called Tomorrowland. The announcement surprised everyone and instantly built a huge curiosity around his new film. If he was willing to pass on a Star Wars, than it must be something special right? Damn right. There are a ton of small Easter eggs to pick up on, some obvious and some not so much. Ranging from Star Wars to all of Bird previous films, there are small details for everyone to enjoy. Add on some wonderful little cameos that will definitely put a smile on your face and this film embodies just about everything that makes a good summer blockbuster.

I know a lot of people are thinking "how original can a movie based on a theme park ride really be?" the answer is that it can be totally original, all you need are the right people. Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof have brought together a fun family tale that manages to find a deeper message than most films of its nature. The film has a few dull moments in its mid-section but every time it seems to be slowing down a little too much they throw you right back into the action.  It may not be as epic as say The Avengers but I believe Tomorrowland is a film that will grow over the years, as the message becomes more prevalent the audience will grow. This is the first big family blockbuster of the summer so grab everyone and take a trip to the theater this holiday weekend.

As always, thanks for reading! I am Zach Who Watches Movies and you can find me on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later