"Tomorrowland" Review

Title: Tomorrowland

Directed by: Brad Bird

Screenplay by: Jeff Jensen, Brad Bird, and Damon Lindeloff

Year: 2015


I have always found Brad Bird to be an interesting director. He has given us some really great movies, such as The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. He clearly understood what it took to make animated movies and proved that he was a fine director of action as well. But Tomorrowland is a very different movie. Yet, with its whimsical and fantastical elements, it seems like Bird could get it right. Is Tomorrowland another success for such an acclaimed director, or is it a simply a film based on a Disney theme park area?

Brittany Robertson plays Casey, an intelligent teenager with immense curiosity and a love of science. She finds a special pin that, when held, transports her to another, mysterious realm. She embarks on a journey to find this place, but will need the help of Frank (George Clooney), a man who is familiar with the place, and Athena (Raffey Cassidy), a young girl who comes from this magical utopia.

The cast for Tomorrowland is quite interesting. There are some big name actors such as George Clooney and Hugh Laurie while also some lesser knowns like Brittany Robertson and Raffey Cassidy. Robertson is a good lead for this movie. She does well at portraying the young, adventurous spirit, and the character is written well, for the most part. There are instances when Casey acts out of character. For example, the scene where she first finds the pin (which was the main marketing for the film) shows us a very different Casey than what we are given. Personally, I prefer the Casey we see during this scene but she comes off as a different character from the one we have known thus far. Also, she can come off as a bit "too cool at times. There are a few moments at the beginning where everything Casey says or does has to be clever. All that aside, she is a good protagonist and portrayed very well. Clooney is by far the best actor in this movie. I am relieved to say that he does not give a phoned-in performance. He throws himself into the material and emerges as one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film.

Raffey Cassidy proves herself to be an incredibly talented young actress by playing Athena. I only wish Athena was a better character. She is likable most of the time, but then there are those moments when she is very "showy," mainly in the way she speaks. What I mean by this is that she'll say something that neither Casey nor the audience understands (since she is from another place), and then she'll have to dumb it down and repeat the line. There are also times when she gets dialogue that makes no sense. I will give credit to Athena in that she is quite an interesting person, but a mixed bag of a character. Though I cannot stress enough how fantastic Cassidy's acting is.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* One cast member I have yet to mention is Hugh Laurie. Hugh Laurie also brings a good performance to the table but his character is very dull and very weak. He is introduced at the beginning of the film  and his short screen time is great. He does the job well and then seemingly exits the film. However, it is revealed at the end that he is the villain (of sorts). And what a terrible villain this is. His motivations are unclear, there is no reason for there to be a human antagonist in the film to begin with, and all he really does is spout dialogue, albeit good dialogue. In fact, he gives a terrific speech near the end, but aside from that, there isn't really much to this character.

*SPOILER FREE* Despite its title, Tomorrowland does not really feature much of the place. We are given a quick look at it at the beginning and it is teased throughout the majority of the movie until the third act. The film is less concerned with showing the place than it is getting there. The movie centers around the journey of getting to Tomorrowland. Fair enough, this could work in favor of the film. And for the most part, it does. Watching these characters interact and try to formulate a plan to get to Tomorrowland, which is apparently impossible now, is great fun. There are three scenes of the journey that stand out. The gift shop, Frank's home, and the Eiffel Tower.

The gift shop is something that Disney needs to invest in immediately. It had such a great design and provides for a hilarious scene that also gets across plenty of exposition. Never would I have expected to see Keegan Michael Key in a film, but he makes the most of it and provides plenty of laughs. The scene at Frank's home, where we first meet him as an older man, is really exciting. We see all of these very creative ideas and inventions, as well as being treated to a well handled action sequence. Frank's house is like a treasure chest for zany and clever ideas. Finally, the scene at the Eiffel Tower is beautiful. It is perfectly lit with gorgeous colors and a little bit of stealth thrown in. Very original and one of the film's defining moments.

Another one of the film's best scenes is right at the beginning with the World's Fair in 1964. The child actor they got to play young Frank looked remarkably similar to George Clooney. Once again, the colors and lighting play a huge part. The scene is very Disneyesque in terms of the theme parks yet also very unique and different. I love the use of the "It's a Small World" ride (ironic choice) and how Frank's character is built up. Much like Casey, he is a curious boy with a passion for science and unbreakable determination (one of these changes as he grows older).

As I've pointed out already, this film looks stunning. The use of colors is dazzling and the movie has a polished look to it. The titular Tomorrowland and the field of wheat around it is the visual highlight. The bright lighting and smooth resolution make it feel real. Also, the way Tomorrowland is designed was obviously the product of well thought out originality. Some of the ideas that the creators came up with are unbelievable. Brad Bird creates a visual treat for the audience with this film. His direction is solid and sleek, which is very fitting for the movie.

As enjoyable as the film is however, there is one major detriment to it. I've already mentioned minor annoyances with some of the characters and touched on the weak villain, but this film's worst enemy is its third act. The small band of characters doesn't actually reach their destination until the final act. In the following paragraph I will go more in depth about this with spoilers, but for now, just know that the final act of this movie is very by the numbers when it comes to family adventure films.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* For some reason, plenty of family adventure movies feel they need the third act to incorporate a breakdown in terms of the relationship between the characters, a much darker tone, and a tacked on resolution, which all culminate to form a weak ending. Sadly, Tomorrowland falls into this category as well. We find out that the countdown introduced in the beginning is signaling the end of the world. However, Tomorrowland will be spared from this calamity. David Nix (Laurie) refuses to allow the people of Earth to move to Tomorrowland for safety, which is what makes him the villain. But there was no build up to his character. He is quite literally a last minute addition.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* The film also has Casey breakdown emotionally and fight with Frank and Athena. This cliché has been done to death, but thankfully it doesn't last long here. And though the resolution as a whole is weak, it does have a few clever features. The idea of the tachyon particles is genius, for instance, but some of their uses make no sense. One of the worst aspects of this is that some of the reasons are unexplained. Nix's motivations are very unclear, even after that very long speech. We also see that Tomorrowland has essentially been abandoned...but we are never given a clear indication as to why that is. The film seeks to answer all the wrong questions.

*SPOILER FREE* It is amazing how Tomorrowland feels like two very different films. The first two acts are a gripping and a fun adventure. The third act however is bogged down with some very unnecessary story elements and lazy writing. From the start, the film has your mind working. The beginning of the movie has George Clooney seemingly recording an important message for the people of the present. I must say that for the first two-thirds of the film, this "message" is very suspenseful and keeps the audience guessing. It is just so disappointing what actually becomes of it. And that is the best way to describe the movie as a whole. It is an exciting journey with great build up, with some minor missteps, that leads up to a very disappointing conclusion. What elevates this film to a positive status is that the stuff that is good, is usually very, very good. I would say that Tomorrowland was poorly marketed. I believed the film would be more about the actual Tomorrowland and explore some great ideas and become one of Disney's great classics. Instead it is more a film about reaching the titular location (which is not a bad thing) and saving the future. Tomorrowland is not a bad film, but more a disappointing one. But the journey and adventurous aspect make the film worth checking out.

Grade: B-