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| Title: | Tomorrowland |
| Director: | Brad Bird |
| Starring: | George Clooney Hugh Laurie Britt Robertson Raffey Cassidy Tim McGraw |
| Genre: | Sci-fi/Adventure |
| Runtime: | 2 hours 10 mins |
| Music: | Michael Giacchino |
| Studio: | Disney |
| Certificate: | US: Certificate UK: 12A |
| Release Date: | 22nd May |
| See If You Like: | Spy Kids Pirates of the Caribbean |
Brad Bird has made quite a reputation for himself so far in his career. First he brought us The Incredibles and then he gave us arguably the best entry in the Mission Impossible franchise with Ghost Protocol. So when it was announced he was making a 150m dollar movie about the Disneyland attraction Tomorrowland expectations were understandably, very high.
Britt Robertson (Scream 4) is Casey Newton, a young idealist who is on a one woman mission to prevent the destruction of a NASA launching pad because it will put her father out of a job. Her life is changed forever however when she finds a pin in her belongings which instantly transports her to the magical Tomorrowland.
Casey is soon sent on a mission to save this utopia and life as she knows it and is accompanied by George Clooney’s Frank, a Tomorrowland exile who was kicked out for creating something he shouldn’t have done.
With a budget of $150 million Tomorrowland is undeniably a spectacle, at times feeling like a rollercoaster ride in itself. Unfortunately apart from this and some solid performances the film doesn’t have much else to offer. Mixing messages about saving our future and a muddled plot the film feels tied down by its script, written by serial offender Damon Lindelof.
Lindelof’s mucky finger prints are all over this film, with certain plot points, notably the idea of a chosen one saving the world from an alternate dimension feel like they have been borrowed straight from Lindelof’s TV show Lost and like Lost at times the film feels as though it is just making it up as it goes along.
The film’s messages about mankind needing saving from itself are forced down our throats at any given opportunity and make the film drag whilst certain sequences, one including a battle in a toy store using Star Wars toys are examples of corporate synergy at its worst.
When the film is allowed to breathe however it can be an enjoyable and at times exhilarating ride with a set piece on the Eiffel Tower being a stand out moment. Unfortunately though these moments are few and far between. I can’t help but think that there is a good film in there somewhere, if you’re willing to luck past a muddled and sub standard script.
