Tomorrowland
starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw and Kathryn Hahn
screenplay by Damon Lindelof and Bad Bird
directed by Brad Bird
Rating: ♦◊◊◊◊
I had high expectations for Tomorrowland after seeing trailers for it. But I was disappointed. It is very imaginative and fast-paced, but it feels lost between science fiction, fantasy, and adventure. It seems more fantasy to me than anything. The gizmo-filled alternate world it presents looks like a grown-up version of The Goonies (1985, directed by Richard Donner, starring Josh Brolin, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman). Even as a youngster I thought The Goonies was irritating and I never understood its popularity, especially in Japan. I find myself similarly annoyed with Tomorrowland.
It’s hard to have ideas, and easy to give up.
In the film, disillusioned genius inventor Frank Miller (Clooney), and teenage science enthusiast Casey Newton (Robertson), embark to an ambiguous dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where their actions directly affect the world and themselves. It’s an alternate, parallel world kind of thing - ambitious but a little dull.