Tomorrowland may only be director Brad Bird’s second live action film, but it’s an admirable achievement nonetheless. Of course, it’s no Incredibles, even if you think our heroes (and antiheroes) have hints of superhuman ability.
The sci-fi film grabs your attention and just goes with it, with stunning visuals and true cinematography skill that will impress even the most cynical. Bird has created a beautiful world that has a semblance of Earth, if only robots roamed our familiar land. At 130 minutes, the film is just slightly too long, especially for a children’s film (is that what this is?), but for most of us, the two hours goes thrilling by thanks to the visuals.
What happens, however, may be up to interpretation. After the film ended, a few crowdgoers said they were reminded of Interstellar, 2014’s most mind boggling blockbuster. And I get that. Tomorrowland tells the story of Casey (Britt Robertson) who, through a series of coincidences, ends up with former sci-fi genius Frank (George Clooney). And off they go on a rather convoluted adventure in Tomorrowland, a place in another dimension that I won’t quite ruin for you now.
Robertson kills it as Casey. She is one of those underrated actresses of the moment that just about shines in everything she’s in, even if it’s a romantic comedy (seriously, watch The First Time right now) or a CW series (she was the best thing about both Life Unexpected and The Secret Circle). She’s relatable, curious, but there’s also a real sense of idealism which is addictive. And Clooney is, well, Clooney. And there’s not that much to say about that. You will most likely spend half the movie waiting for him to appear and when he does, you’ll realize that it didn’t really matter in the first place.
Despite the somewhat confusing narrative, Tomorrowland is a Disney film. And that means a movie with a lesson to teach. I won’t reveal it, but you can probably guess it, making the film’s heart more than predictable. Ultimately, it’s strong performances and even stronger visuals that carry it from throwaway big budget kid’s movie to super entertaining and visually wowing blockbuster. I may not be totally sold, but I’m definitely in.
The film is now playing.
