Movie Review-Tomorrowland
Walt Disney
Disney World’s theme park has for many years inspired various films, notably The Country Bears, and The Haunted Mansion. Tomorrowland adds to this list of exciting films influenced by Disney. The film is a futuristic Sci-Fi adventure that celebrates optimism, positivity and imagination. The moral lesson drawn from Tomorrowland is that dreams are valid for the optimists, dreamers and visionaries. Will the film live up to its billing of a bright future full of optimism as director Brad Bird had envisioned, or are we setting ourselves for a structurally muddled mess? Tomorrowland’s visual effects are both spectacular and ruthless but an uneven storytelling turns out to be the film’s major undoing.
The film’s setting is in 1964. Frank Walker, a creative and inventive lad, looks to the future for inspiration and designs a jet pack. The movie script takes us forward to 2014 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Casey (Britt Robinson) is the daughter of Ed Newton (Tim McGraw), a NASA rocket scientist. NASA is making budget cuts of sorts, and this has necessitated dropping off some of their projects. Unfortunately, Ed’s project is affected and he will soon find himself out of work.
Casey is a rare optimist in a world where scientific curiosity, especially coming from a young girl, is frowned upon. She accidentally comes across a mysterious pin planted in her belongings by her temporal guide Athena (played by Raffey Cassidy). The audio-animatronic robot Athena is also a close friend of Frank Walker. Casey meets Frank (played by George Clooney). Apparently, Frank has been to Tomorrowland. He however revealed deep secrets of the society, prompting Governor Nix (Hugh Laurie) , the society’s leader, to banish him. In the meantime, Governor Nix has dispatched Audio-Animaronics’ men to capture Athena and Casey. Frank has to defend the pair.
Athena and Casey are highly optimistic about the future of a world that is increasingly coming under threat from various quarters. Franks seems to have lost the inspiration that he once had but the enthusiasm of the two youngsters appear to rub on him. This compels Frank to find a way to have the pair travel to Tomorrowland.
The film has an uneven quality to its plot. The cast spent nearly 30 minutes explaining to the audience the film’s concept instead of plunging straight into the story. Bird and scriptwriter Damon Lindelöf take their time to explain the significance of optimism and imagination and
hardly shows either. George Clooney cuts an image of an irritable surrogate father whose abdication is reversed by youthful passion.
What I liked the most about Tomorrowland is its visual effect. However, this cannot atone for an imbalanced script that is obviously overwritten with a turbulent narrative and numerous ideas crammed in. However, we can perhaps find solace in the highly dependable character of George Clooney whose inventive skills complement Robinson’s character.
I would have loved it if Bird integrated expository dialogue in the film’s script instead of a dull and long non-linear narrative. Kids will, however, love Tomorrowland as their rich imagination is invigorated by spaceships and laser guns. Other positive takes from the movie are its optimistic view of the future and the importance of conserving the environment.
