The big, ambitious and sometimes challenging ‘Tomorrowland’ is due for release, and with a lot of emphasis on the upcoming release of Disney’s newest feature, the question everyone is asking; is ‘Tomorrowland’ a masterpiece or does it gracefully fall short. Let me try to explain my opinion; firstly, let’s start off with the main story line of the film, which personally is completely clouded from the get go, even way back to when the first trailer was released. Even before sitting down to watch the film, I couldn’t fathom what the hell was going on in the trailer, or what the film is actually about. What I got from the film is that ‘Tomorrowland’ is a vibrant and futuristic place that can only be visited by people who bare a pin, to which when they touch it, they are transported to this wonderful world, but only a few people are selected to visit this different world. After experiencing this world when he was a kid, George Clooney’s character Frank Walker was a genius kid whose input was considered great to the people of Tomorrowland until one day they didn’t think he would fit. Flash forward to the present day, we are introduced to Casey Newton played by Britt Robertson who is touted as the saviour of the world and gives hope to the future of mankind.
Confusing, right? For me, that for me is the biggest issue that ‘Tomorrowland’ has; a Disney based family film, which is what it essentially is, will become very challenging, and most likely too deep for younger children to understand and potentially enjoy the film. Apart from that, there isn’t much else to say bad about the film. Brad Bird has yet again delivered us a visually impressive feature in ‘Tomorrowland’; it’s not just when you are in Tomorrowland, even when you are on earth, every little thing is pleasing to the eye. The whole canvas of the film is beautiful, bright and vibrant and is definitely a film to be experienced on the biggest screen possible.
Disney and Brad Bird were both very clever in the casting of George Clooney in the role of Frank Walker; having the screen presence of the experienced actor adds another depth to the film which for me, wouldn’t have been there and thus not making it as enjoyable if he wasn’t there. Additionally, it’s nice to see George Clooney in a different role for once. ‘Tomorrowland’ is a bag full of potential, it has the oomph to be one of the great Disney films of all time, but for me, there wasn’t that Disney feeling in my belly where I felt happy or even cared for the characters. Even with the vast development of the characters, there was still no emotional attachment for me and that’s huge; but, ‘Tomorrowland’ does deliver on massively exciting and entertaining scenes which did make me chuckle and most importantly for the kids, it does gift us with some enjoyable action scenes which at some points were very reminiscent of the old 80’s family films.
‘Tomorrowland’ is a spectacle to see in the cinema, whether it will be enjoyed by all, that’s another question. I did thoroughly enjoy the picture though, even with all little problems that I encountered in this review. I wouldn’t hesitate to watch ‘Tomorrowland’ again, and hopefully with another watch, I can gain a better insight to the characters and the meaning of the film. I’m going to be generous and award ‘Tomorrowland’ 4 out of 5 stars, purely for the fact that it was a visual spectacle and that George Clooney is very enjoyable to watch!
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