An unfairly dismissed family film that explores interesting questions about “What happened to our idealism?” and “Why have we embraced post-apocalyptic stories?” It’s not a perfect movie but any kid’s film that puts climate crisis, and why we aren’t doing more to prevent dystopia is definitely doing something right.
What Works: A solid cast, some interesting set pieces, and not half-bad characterizations (I especially liked Raffey Cassidy as a pre-teen android). This is a movie that knows exactly when to have a main character run over by a truck when the pace is flagging or goose the sci-fi aspects when we’ve spent a little too much time in the everyday world–such as Kathryn Hahn and Keegan-Michael Key as evil robot henchmen. But the most positive aspect of the movie is its message, like Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” Tomorrowland is interested in why we’ve given up on big ideas or grander ambition, and I can’t help but think that’s a great message to give to kids.
What Doesn’t: Other reviewers have pointed out that very little of the movie actually takes place in Tomorrowland, and maybe not enough of it does. Plus, George Clooney is always welcome, but this may be the most obvious paycheck film he’s ever done and even though it’s an exceptional one you can see some of the dispassion play out in his performance.
What I Would Have Done Differently: It might have been smarter to portray Clooney’s character as less of a cantankerous older man than as an aging flyboy of the anything-can-happen 60’s, and play up more of the movie’s wonder-inspiring appeal. There’s one sequence where we see Tomorrowland in all its glory with floating swimming pools and jet packs, and the movie might have benefitted from more of those scenes.