TOMORROWLAND - FILM REVIEW

T O M O R R O W L A N D

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

dir: Brad Bird

★★★

FILM | Henry Kelly

LOGIC: HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROWLAND...

Tomorrowland begins with a direct address from Frank Walker (George Clooney), setting the context for the story he wants to tell, yet one that is promptly interrupted by a young girl asking him if he’s sure this is the best way to begin the story. It’s all in jest, and more than a touch postmodern, but nevertheless is a savvy moment that, inadvertently or not, raises some fundamental questions about film narrative: what do we tell the audience? When do we tell them and how? Unfortunately, it’s in the handling of these very questions that Brad Bird’s admittedly spectacular visual adventure ultimately falls short.

What is Tomorrowland? It’s a question and enigma many will have asked when gazing at the alluring promotional material featuring Clooney standing in a sun-soaked corn field with an elegant metropolis photo-bombing the star. There will be vague familiarity for some to the Disneyland theme park landing of the same name, yet there’s an ambiguity and mystery that the films marketing has been keen to welcome - the aforementioned posters, for instance, drawing ones gaze away from it’s A-list lead and instead towards the cityscape behind; the fantasy and unknown it represents.

"What is Tomorrowland? It's a question and enigma

many will have asked... there's an ambiguity and mystery

that the films marketing has been keen to welcome"

The film wastes no time in perpetuating the intrigue once again when a young Frank Walker in 1964 is given a mysterious pin by a young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) that, when touched, grants Frank a glimpse into the titular futuristic city where hover cars roam in the sky above and buildings sprout upwards, converging in brilliant monolithic structures. It’s a design that isn't particularly dissimilar to what we've seen done in Sci-Fi before, but unlike, say, the Coruscants and cityscapes of the Star Wars prequels, Tomorrowland doesn't just feel like a beautifully realised yet ultimately shallow backdrop; the characters instead feel part of the world, they actively walk through it and let it pass them by, and it's this sense of perspective that creates a scale and texture that makes Tomorrowland more believable and impressive as a result.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, another impressionable young girl named Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is given a similar pin by a seemingly identical and un-aged Athena, whose powers also transport her to the same alluring city. Like Frank, she is instantly smitten and when the pin stops working is determined to go back. Her path inevitably leads to a now older Frank, whose affections for Tomorrowland have turned to bitter resentment after his being kicked out. Athena convinces both of them that together they must return to Tomorrowland, throwing in some customary ‘chosen one’ inferences and ‘Save The World’ mentality for good measure and motivation.

One of the more involving elements of the film, however, is actually in the interplay between the characters of Frank and Athena, a relationship which began as a childhood romance but has since soured on accounts of the robotic Athena being seemingly distant and unconcerned, whilst Frank is a man scorned. It’s a dynamic that certainly strikes a profound cord, helped immensely by both roles being played to perfection by Clooney and Cassidy alike. Cassidy plays Athena with wit and wisdom that belies her appearance and seem at odds with her body so childlike and vulnerable. Clooney delivers his trademark snark and quips that bounce off the younger cast to great effect, but again it is his scenes with Athena that reflect his best work. Many of their moments could easily have devolved into being a disturbing fantasy all of their own, but in being played so brilliantly by Clooney they instead comes across as genuine and heartfelt.

"Many of the moments between Clooney and Cassidy could

easily have devolved into being a disturbing fantasy all of

their own, but in being so brilliantly played by Clooney

they instead come across as genuine and heartfelt"

Unfortunately, away from this central relationship, Tomorrowland gets caught in a friction between wanting to provide a reasonably accessible family adventure whilst also wanting to intrigue the more mature audience with an involving Science Fiction story. It attempts to explain Tomorrowland itself as something made by ‘dreamers’, but it’s a vague concept that the movie struggles to tie down to a plot that is both relatable and logical.

In fact, the first half of the movie lives off of the intrigue factor as mentioned, yet as it repeatedly continues to knock an explanation just out of the characters reach, so does it provide the audience of any such grounding. The film does attempt to anchor the fantasy by introducing the idea that the Earth is somehow in jeopardy, but it isn’t very generous in terms of detail, and by the time the ideas are fleshed out, some of that intrigue has already turned into frustration.

The film also spits out global issues like climate change and war as if crossing off a contemporary film thematic checklist, which is a shame as Tomorrowland is at its best when it is broadly soaring into the realm of dream and fantasy. When it comes crashing back down to Earth, the audience is brought right back down with it. Enemy robots track the group but their intentions remain cloudy, and yet by the time the central villain is revealed, themes and ideas that were once elusive instead become heavy and are delivered so directly and unsubtly that it is tempting to reject them as one would a syringe to the arm over a pill nicely masked by food. It’s a critique that has been lain at the door of screenwriter Damon Lindelof’s (of Lost fame) door numerous times in the past - particularly encapsulated by a very wordy final reel and a not altogether satisfying ending which will likely have a more mature audience still asking questions after the final credits. Sound familiar?

"Tomorrowland is at its best when it is broadly

soaring into the realm of dream and fantasy. When

it comes crashing back down to Earth, the audience

is brought right back down with it."

Despite this, there are undoubtedly moments and set pieces in the film that will capture children and adults alike, boosted by the tremendous visual effects work throughout. Scenes such as Frank’s first journey into Tomorrowland, and later an unforgettable scene involving the Eiffel Tower are so well realised and hold such a sense of playful wonder that they truly capture the elation and thrill akin to a child on an amusement ride.

Which is ultimately where Tomorrowland thrives, and what it seems at its most confident and entertaining being - a big, fantastical, immersive amusement ride; it’s in its heavier and indeed headier moments where it feels less confident and will risk losing audiences. It will likely find an audience who appreciate some of the questions the film asks more than the resolutions it offers, and as mentioned there will be plenty who will delight in the vision crafted by Brad Bird’s sweeping direction and the visual splendour on offer, but in stoking up such fervent flames of intrigue to begin with, its only natural that an audience will expect those elements to be transposed into a narrative that satisfies and rewards the fostered curiosity. That Tomorrowland isn’t quite able to pay off its narratives debts makes it all the more of a struggle to overlook its storytelling short-comings, and despite plenty of visual invention and a peppering of thrills, makes it difficult to shake the wish for a different, less cumbersome vehicle to explore what is undoubtedly a genuinely intriguing premise.

MUSINGS

+ Strong performances, particularly Raffey Cassidy as Athena

+ Genuinely interesting initial premise and sense of intrigue

+ Visually stunning, particularly notable Visual Effects

+ Some of the set pieces are exhilarating

- Disappointingly underdeveloped ideas and concept

- Friction between Sci-Fi ambitions and family film trappings

- Disjointed pacing

Release Date: Friday 22 May 2015

Run Time: 130 minutes

Format: Theatrical Release

Official Website: www.tomorrowland-movie.com

#review #ticker #mainstory