Tomorrowland (2015)
Brad Bird is one of those directors that could seemingly do no wrong. The futuristic imaginative man has crafted some of our most memorably childhood memories. Between The Incredibles, and The Iron Giant, the man has our hearts in a glorious and colourful grip. Heck, he even created the best Mission: Impossible with Ghost Protocol. He is also the voice of Edna Mode. And that is fabulous darling.
Last year, Bird returned with Damon Lindelof (the dude who wrote Star Trek Into Darkness) to bring us a brand new movie - that failed on a commercial level and provided a lot of sub-par reviews.
Starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Tim McGraw, Tomorrowland revolves around a shared destiny between a teenager with scientific promise and an inventor who used to be a boy genius. When they try to unearth the secrets of a mysterious place that they have both been dreaming of – they are sent on a wild and beautiful journey. Which would be great if they weren’t pursued by murderous bots and a megalomaniac leader of a new world...Can they save the future and the world?
Why is it Bad?
The film was a box-office bomb for Disney and a black mark against Bird’s name. Writing this and trying to figure out reasons as to why it flopped so spectacularly is tricky because the movie is actually enjoyable. Many of the complaints were the lacklustre energy that was squandered over the runtime and an overcomplicated plot. Yeah. I can see how some people would draw that conclusion and I understand the faults. For once, however, I don’t feel them and while I can see where people would criticise, I don’t explicitly relate to them either.
Because I loved Tomorrowland.
Why is it Good?
Tomorrowland is actually an impressive film with a theology and scientific intelligence that is never so over-complex that younger viewers (or older ones) will be bewildered. Yes, it commands your attention but, similarly, there is a great story to invest in. What’s more, the story is driven by a moral message that curdles like glee within your stomach, teaching you that the gift of hope and dreaming is vital for our world to continue gloriously. Aiming for those who look to the stars, the skies, and captures it with science, art, philosophy, maths, and more, Tomorrowland strives to showcase exactly what is important - imagination and optimism.
Added to the acting talents of Britt Robertson - who plays a really impressive teenage lead that steers clear of the usual Disney garb -, Clooney, and Laurie (who is always wondrous when he is playing villain,) and Tomorrowland racked up a lot of hate for a genuinely impressive film. Maybe people had made up their mind before they had read it, maybe they knew that they weren’t going to enjoy it. For whatever reason, this blogger genuinely found a heart and energy that was inescapable. What’s more, it brimmed with this kinetic emotion to tell us to keep moving forward and to keep doing something worthwhile to better this world (and importantly, share it with your fellow man.)