Tomorrowland (2015)

When director and writer Brad Bird attaches himself to a project, there is enough reason to take notice and anticipate the end result. He directed movies like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, but was also responsible for the exciting Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Tomorrowland is his newest “live action” movie. Is the end result worth watching?

The film opens with Frank Walker (George Clooney), who seems to directly address the audience as you see a nixie clock counting down. He is constantly interrupted by someone off screen, making the movie pause several times. It’s an opening which immediately gets on your nerves. As a viewer you have no idea what the movie is about and when you are getting that info it’s annoying not to hear it.

Eventually the story takes off though and it becomes clear that when Frank was young he discovered a futuristic world while visiting the world exposition in the sixties. The character who keeps interrupting is Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), a young woman who dares to think differently and ask the difficult questions no one else will. She wants to sabotage the demolition of Cape Canaveral and is noticed by the young Athena (Raffey Cassidy) who makes arrangements for her to see that same futuristic world as well. The way that is realised is very funny. Casey becomes obsessed by what she’s seen and want to find out how to actually get there. It’s the start of a long and action filled search.

Visually the movie is a joy to the eye as the effects are great, especially the futuristic city is beautifully realised. It’s a vision as you would imagine it yourself and you are wowed as much as the main characters are. Unfortunately the story doesn’t succeed in matching the visuals, which is disappointing. The cast of the movie is stellar. George Clooney gives a solid performance as the inaccessible Frank, which is also the case for Britt Robertson who also gives the character some funny moments. But it is the young Raffey Cassidy who impresses most. She comes across as someone who’s very sure about herself, but can also be threatening presence, despite her small posture.

Except some moments which could shock very young viewers (please read up on these if you do plan to bring them), Tomorrowland really is a family film which tries to stimulate the viewers to dream and make clear that anyone could make a difference. It is a message which regularly is pointed out a bit too much and at times feels preachy. The end result is a movie which doesn’t feel it’s in balance. It starts in a frustrating way, picks up steam, but loses speed along the way. The mystery of the film is interesting and slowly builds to something which it doesn’t seem to deliver when the main characters eventually reach their destination. The ending feels like a let down. Tomorrowland is like the attractions at Disneyland: A fun ride, but in the end you get nowhere.