The fantastical world of “Tomorrowland” has arrived and it evokes the ideas of yesteryear to make an enjoyable ride from start to finish.
The film centers on a bright young girl named Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), who receives a pin that shows her glimpses into another world that leads her to Frank Walker (George Clooney), an aged former boy-genius inventor and they embark on a journey to the long hidden world of “Tomorrowland”.
Director Brad Bird made a cautionary science fiction tale with a lengthy runtime that flies by. It’s near impossible for audience not to be amazed by the sights and sounds as creativity comes to life on the big screen, forgetting that another hour just passed by.
The highlight of the film is any scene with Raffey Cassidy, who plays Athena and is acting circles around her fellow co-stars. This 12 year old is holding her own in scenes with a veteran actor like Clooney, while bring charm and heart to the experience.
The first quarter of “Tomorrowland” is a mixed bag until the whole crew unites for the adventure, then it picks up and never stops. Jokes for example are rarely something that everyone ever laughed at, it’s either one person or the other chuckling, furthering the notion that some parts are disjointed by a split audience.
The film is a bit all over the place in terms of coherence, with a few points feeling likes it’s geared towards children, while most of it feeling like it’s a sci-fi action film aimed for teens and adults, supported by the ending that will undoubtedly go over the heads of young viewers.
The lowest point of the film is after the opening sequence when it’s focusing on Casey, she just doesn’t have that much going on with her. Casey was just not as interesting as other characters, such as Frank and Athena, who had a way more compelling backstory and dialogue.
The music was a little grating at certain points, in case some forgot they were watching a Disney movie, the horns would come blaring in to remind them. These are few and far between and by the end, you either accept the campiness or don’t.
The “dead mom” cliché is also reminds that it’s a Disney movie. There must have been a law made years ago making it illegal to have a mother figure in these stories, as Casey’s mom leaves the film as if to say to viewers ”you know how this goes”.
The world they build was so fascinating and it’s a shame they didn’t explore it more. Athena alludes to other people that also received the pin, basically teasing other stories taking place before/during the movie’s start. There was more lore than there was actual story, which is still a good thing.
“Tomorrowland” is filled with many great fight scenes that feature a lot of creative weapons and gadgets. The best uses of these gadgets are shown when Frank’s house was under attack, making for a thrilling scene as he and Casey try to escape.
Inspired by a time when imagination was at the forefront, Frank tells Casey and basically audience members that want to nitpick into the science something to the effect of “can’t you just be amazed and move on?”
The set and costume design is excellent, really nailing the futuristic 50’s look and a city that looks like it was designed by a bunch of dreamers.
An aspect of where everything doesn’t stand as tall is the special effects. At times they look exceptional when used in smaller instances, while in other moments they look like something off of Youtube in 2008.
Hugh Laurie’s Nix character is the antagonist of the film and really embodies that word, because he’s not really a villain, but rather somebody in the way of the trio completing the journey. His reasoning for wanting to stop them is so reasonable, I found myself kind of rooting for him to win.
“Tomorrowland” is a great complex concept, that’s acceptable when it drops the ball at points only because of how good it is when it does deliver. It features everything, a British “villain”, compelling twists and the brilliant Raffey Cassidy; I just had to give her another shout out and find a way to end this review abru-
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