You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. – John Lennon, Imagine
EXPECTATIONS | A dream takes shape
Imagine a place where nothing’s impossible. Disney promises us of a breathtaking action-adventure with Tomorrowland. Even before the film came to existence, what first comes to mind when the word Tomorrowland is mentioned, is the Disneyland attraction or the toys fast food chains churn out in the late 90’s. For ravers though, Tomorrowland is a buzzword for something else, possibly akin to Tron in their neon-lit dreams. Would Disney incorporate elements of this annual music festival to bring a more upbeat Tomorrowland to pander to this audience? Thankfully, this pocket of a bright future is kept intact, as evidenced by the earthly tone and natural look of the teasers and poster.
The trailer arrives and the hype is born with this George Clooney-starrer, as directed by the critically-acclaimed Brad Bird of the phenomenal animated films The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. At the outset, the film breathesfresh air to the monotonous sub-genre of dystopias (Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent) and post-apocalyptic landscapes (The Walking Dead, Mad Max) in recent years, from young adult fiction to their movie counterparts. Even superhero books grow increasingly mature and usually darker, with half of this genre’s film adaptations treading the road of Man of Steel. Breaking out of of this familiar theme, Tomorrowland could be the Meet The Robinsons of the 2010s era, a jovial enamouring full-length animation to inspire kids and the kids-at-heart to dream and imagine through science.
Opening with a customized futuristic Disneyland castle, Tomorrowland starts with an unusual comedic instructional video of sorts with the mentor-like Frank Walker (George Clooney) and the eager spirited Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) narrating and providing context of what is about to ensue. The eagerness then builds up as we get glimpses of the land of the future through the eyes of a younger Frank (Thomas Robinson). On the objective of discovering Tomorrowland, the film delivers a modest tease, albeit repetitive in its flying stunts. For younger audiences, the multiple instances of coursing against gravity might be more alluring. Variety is presented with the introduction of Casey, a teenage defender of science and positivity bordering on extremism. Her first-time experience of the proverbial city, possibly influenced by Walt Disney’s real-life vision of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, visualizes the urban life of our dreams. Casey’s exhilaration and the layered score from Brad Bird’s long-time collaborator Michael Giacchino render the exploration more energetic and outstanding than what it looks. How it is abruptly ended is a definite cliffhanger that leaves us longing for more.
From an expansive adventure, Tomorrowland gets into action with satisfying one-note excitement of technology smartly outwitting other technology. The plethora of science fiction references, mostly from Disney properties, are a short-lived delight for the easter egg hunters. These engaging sequences are quite worthwhile but end up forgettable as the film drives to the third act where delivering an inspirational message to us, the dreamers, the hope of the world, is awkwardly used to tie up all the character development. The social commentary is most welcome and even surprising to a point where a studio-finance, family-friendly film pokes at humanity and mainstream entertainment. The presentation of how schools seem to objectively but depressingly lay down all of society’s problems, with students losing their zeal for social change save for a few impassioned individuals, is spot on even in our local universities. For how succint the commentary is, it lost its precision in the proposed solution and the degeneration of the world’s ills to black-and-white. These reflect Damon Lindelof‘s continued hit-or-miss wrap-ups as seen in Lost, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Leftovers, World War Z, Cowboys & Aliens and Prometheus. Beyond the writing, what is more frustrating in the third act is how obviously fake and unnatural the computer-generated imagery and green screen are. At this point, Tomorrowland looks more as a Disney Channel Original Movie with bigger budget and A-list stars.
Overlooking the third act, the best points of Tomorrowland can be found from the in-movie visual and dialogue references, from windows closing to repeated falling action with more palpable humor. The banters among the trio, particularly between Frank and Athena (Raffey Cassidy) are moderately hilarious and could have been explored more to give the audience an attachment to these archetypal characters. Nix (Hugh Laurie) could have gone out of the stereotypical villain route. His more philosophical background and aura of eminence are interesting points left unexplored in favor of bringing an easy-to-digest film.
There are more minor areas that Tomorrowland could improve on, such as the elaboration of its fictional science elements instead of sounding mumbo-jumbo intelligencia. Giacchino’s more inspiring score could be louder while the ending be less preachy. In the end, Tomorrowland had all the right people on its back, from producers to actors, director to scorer, yet failed to be the distinct inspirational sci-fi adventure our dreams of tomorrow are made of.
Disney’s Tomorrowland is showing in theaters nationwide including Ayala Malls Cinemas. Watch the trailer for Tomorrowland here:
Dreams exist outside our reality
