Review: Tomorrowland

Cinema: Tomorrowland (2015)

Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) ‘knows how stuff works’ and her obsession with space travel invariably gets her into trouble. Coming across a mysterious badge which enables her to travel to another dimension, leads to an epic adventure where the future of the earth is at stake. Oh and it has George Clooney in too.

The trouble with Damon Lindelof is he seems incapable of finishing a story with a satisfying end and in the case of Tomorrowland he sort of finishes it okay, but what could have been far more coherent and contain a real message for the youth of today seems to have dwindled away almost as if Brad Bird (director) and Lindelof lost their bottle half way through or perhaps thought that it was turning a bit too serious for ‘the kids’.

Tomorrowland is in essence one of those great kids movies of old, like The Goonies. It begins so promisingly, with a real live-action Disney feel, the set pieces are thrilling, it gains so much from NOT being in 3D and it looks and sounds beautiful. Even the story is entertaining. Robertson is delightful and a great girl role model, Raffey Cassidy is at once unusual and freaky without being scary as an AI, and Clooney plays against type as a jaded, scared ‘inventor’ who’s glimpsed a better life and ended up back here on earth with a countdown clock, and this is where, for me, the story stutters. The over explanation of the why’s and wherefores become confusing and only throw up more questions as to why and what? And huh?

I’m sure most 8 year olds will notice the gaping plot holes artfully covered up by big robots and glowing blue lights. If the story had been made a little simpler, this would have been a 5 star film. I saw this at a showing with a lot of small children in the audience, the older ones seemed engaged, but a few little ones near me where very bored, very quickly, so if you’re thinking of taking your child, make sure they’re 8 plus or they’ll be wanting a lot of toilet breaks!

All in all a lovely looking film, but just not good enough to join other Brad Bird films; Ratatouille, The Incredibles and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Review by Tina (co-host of 60 Minutes With)