Tomorrowland
Starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson
Directed by Brad Bird
Disney’s latest shoots for the cosmos but barely gets out of the atmosphere. Still, Brad Bird’s risky Tomorrowland is not without its old school charms. First the good news – the film is refreshingly not based on an existing franchise and is not a sequel or a reboot. However, the downside is Lost brainchild Damon Lindelof helped pen the script and the plot eventually travels a rather bumpy narrative road. Former boy-genius Frank Walker (Clooney), who has become a recluse of sorts, reluctantly teams up with young Casey Newton (Robertson) after she uncovers a mysterious pin that can instantly transport her to a futuristic parallel world where kids sporting jetpacks zoom around as casually as birds taking flight. They’re joined by a scene-stealing girl with a secret (newcomer Raffey Cassidy) and pursued by deadly androids hell-bent on stealing the magical pin for themselves.
The family-friendly sci-fi adventure scores major points for strong acting, top-notch visual effects, plenty of dazzling production design and a genuinely engaging sense of unraveling mystery when it comes to story.
This is also where things fall apart, as Lindelof and Bird take the movie’s doomsday environmental message to preachy levels and the hard science logic employed to explain what Tomorrowland actually is seems more suited to an episode of Cosmos.
In the end, Clooney and a capable cast keep things interesting and there are a few surprises along the way but don’t expect this flick to have much lasting impact, even if the tale is earnestly told.
