Tomorrowland [2015]: is the new fantasy mystery adventure from Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus) and acclaimed director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol). The secretive story follows a bright young optimist named Casey (Britt Robertson) as she tries to figure out the story behind a mysterious pin that gives her a look into a strange, utopian city. With some help from Frank (George Clooney), a man who has been there before, she tries to answer the question of “What is Tomorrowland?”
Optimism galore! Lindelof and Bird set out to create an original, optimistic blockbuster, and they did just that. However, optimism here is set in a utopian mindset in which the film seems too naive to know that utopias aren’t as great as they are made out to be. It’s a refreshing change from the desolation of many blockbusters, but it is shown too little and without enough thought into its logistics.
Shiny and chrome. The film is undeniably beautiful. The city of Tomorrowland, while entirely CG, is unique and slick and the gadgets on display are super cool. The film is shot beautifully by Oscar-winner Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) with some exciting set-pieces throughout.
A fruitless journey? After a clunky narrative device kicks the film off, the story is actually pretty interesting. There’s about an hour-and-a-half of fascinating build-up, but the goodwill built up over that time is sullied by a disappointing, cookie-cutter third act that leaves a bad taste in the mouth when thinking back on Tomorrowland. Some may say that it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey. I disagree as the destination doesn’t live up to the promising journey.
Disappointing considering the talent behind it.
Still worth a watch, maybe best to rent.
