Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland

Starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy

Directed by Brad Bird

The Story:
As a young child, Frank Walker (George Clooney) had a vivid imagination and an inventive spirit, inventing a jet pack that sadly didn't work.  He presents it nonetheless to Nix (Hugh Laurie), who dismisses Walker's efforts, but draws the attention of Athena (Raffey Cassidy), who gives Frank a mysterious pin.  Frank is then transported to Tomorrowland - a world beyond our world, home of Earth's most prolific artists, engineers, dreamers and inventors.

Decades later, Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is a quizzical teenager who obsesses with keeping a decommitioned NASA launch pad active so her engineering father could still have a job.  It is during this time that Athena drops another pin in Casey's helmet, which she finds after being arrested for breaking and entering.  She discovers that, when she touches the pin, she's transported to Tomorrowland, and sets out to find what it is.

As Casey and Athena head to meet Frank, they're tracked by killer robots who want to keep the mysteries of Tomorrowland a secret, and upon finding Frank and heading back to Tomorrowland, Casey learns the dark truth of this once inventive world, and how it connects with the possible end of hers.

The Synopsis:
"Tomorrowland" is another Disney production that highlights their attractions.  However, unlike the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, "Tomorrowland" lacks that whimsical adventure, and instead resorts to the drollery of a mediocre story that crash lands in the final act.

The story overall is a decent one, with the mysteries of Tomorrowland at full effect, however the delivery to the conclusion is long, drawn out, and plain boring.  The banter between Frank and Casey is funny - for about ten minutes.  Not to mention Casey's constant question asking.  If this was a drinking game and you took a drink everytime she asked a question, you'd be drunk a third of the way through, and maybe then you'd appreciate the ending.  However, if you're sober, you'll be left with a hollow feeling.

That's not to say the acting isn't great.  George Clooney is the best there is.  Newcomer Britt Robertson (who really looks like Jennifer Lawrence to me) does her best impression of an annoying teenager.  Raffey Cassidy plays Athena perfectly, and has a Saorise Ronan look to her which adds to the sci-fi aspect of the film.  Hugh Laurie is just great.  However, the script they were given wasn't a top-notch story - it seemed more like Disney wanting to advertise their attraction rather than tell a story.

The effects in the film are astounding, and they should be with a $190 million dollar budget.  However, there's not a lot of special effects, for a film with such a high budget.  Plus there's the ending.  Without going into details, the ending fell completely flat, it didn't have any true resolution and I felt like there should've been more - but there wasn't.

Throw in a lame politically correct message and you've got a movie that had a lot of promise - but failed to deliver.

The Summary:
Although giving audiences astonishing effects and the hope of a future filled with inventive imaginations, "Tomorrowland" ultimately fails to adequately portray those feelings to the audience, and leaves them feeling empty.

The Score: B-