Review of Tomorrowland (2015) by Jack F — 28 Aug 2016

The Disney Corporation has had a good run of success lately with converting some of its properties into live-action motion pictures, whether it be their old animated classics ("Cinderella," "The Jungle Book") or attractions at their theme parks ("The Haunted Mansion," the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series). However, I'm not so sure that it was a good idea to actually try and make a movie out of an actual section of their theme parks, as they tried last summer with "Tomorrowland.".

Actually, if I'm being honest, I'm not quite certain that the Tomorrowland of the theme parks serve as the inspiration of the film. If I'm being even more honest, I'm not quite certain of a LOT about "Tomorrowland," a curious, odd little entity that teeters between a rousing family adventure and a brainy sci-fi film. It's not very successful at either, and the result is a muddled storyline with tonal problems up the wazoo.

I mean, who is the actual target audience for this film? The presence of the child robot and the scenes involving the kid on the jetpack seem like they were aiming more towards families with younger children, but the film also has a couple heavy, sci-fi themes that will sail right over their heads if not bore them to tears. And then there's also the creepy android henchmen, whose features look plastic and who are prone to vaporizing people with their ray guns. Seriously. (The violence is by no means gruesome, but even so, once these people get vaporized, it's pretty clear they're not coming back...).

"Tomorrowland" was considered a box office disappointment, and at the time, part of the blame was placed on the marketing department. But I've seen the film, and I'm not sure how the hell to market it either. It falls in that unfortunate category of being too grown-up for kids, but not realized enough for actual grown-ups.

Britt Robertson stars as Casey, a precocious teenager prone to asking challenging questions. She loves science and believes the world around us is filled with surprises and mysteries just waiting to be uncovered. That makes her a perfect candidate for Tomorrowland, a highly-advanced, futuristic metropolis that exists...I'm not exactly sure where. Another dimension or something. But Tomorrowland is where the best and the brightest of the world's scientists go to unlock the mysteries of the universe.

Well, it USED to be anyway. Now Tomorrowland has fallen into disrepair, and the aforementioned child robot, Athena (Raffey Cassidy), believes Casey is the city's only hope. So Athena introduces her to Frank (George Clooney), a brilliant, cantankerous recluse who's a former Tomorrowland resident himself. It's up to them to save the city!

Except...not really. The real goal may actually be saving the real world, OUR world, and it's up to young people, the future scientists of the world and...yeah, the whole thing is kinda murky. Writers Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird (who also directed), and Jeff Jensen have crafted an uneven narrative that never really seems to find its footing. I'm still not sure why Clooney's Frank left Tomorrowland in the first place; was he disillusioned with their world or ours? And was his departure of his own will, or was it forced? (The movie seems to indicate both.) And why exactly are the android people chasing after Athena? (Or is it Casey? Again, I'm not sure.).

I love Clooney, but he's miscast here. While he's certainly been able to suppress his charm and suaveness in other roles, I just didn't buy him as a grizzled, crotchety, crabass who seems to have lost his faith in humanity. (The irony here is that the movie also stars Hugh Laurie, who was absolutely fantastic playing just this kind of role for eight years on "House.") Robertson is appropriately fetching, even though she seems far too old to be playing a teenager, as the Hollywood casting department machine is wont to do.

Bird is a gifted director, having previously helmed "The Incredibles" and "Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol," and he stages some pretty effective set pieces here. Some of the visuals and action sequences are actually quite reminiscent of "The Incredibles," as we've got people taking on a few giant killer robots. There's also the amusing sequence set inside Frank's home when the android people try and break in, and it turns out he's got a dozen futuristic booby traps just waiting for them. While it sometimes gives off a bizarre "Home Alone" vibe, at least this segment is quite fun.

Indeed, visually, "Tomorrowland" is often dazzling, beautiful, and breathtaking. It's the problematic screenplay that ultimately does the film in. Unfortunately, it looks like "Tomorrowland" will be joining the likes of "John Carter" and "The Lone Ranger" in the Disney big-budget, live action disappointment scrap heap. On the basis of this film, I'm not exactly looking forward to the inevitable films surrounding Fantasyland and Frontierland.

Think that won't happen? I'll take that bet.