Tomorrowland Movie Review

Movie Review: Tomorrowland
My Rating: 6 of 10 stars
I really, REALLY wanted to like Tomorrowland, and I did, parts of it at least. Unfortunately those  parts were almost completely overshadowed by the glaring problems with the film that loomed onerously throughout the plot  sapping what little compelling drama it had to offer in the first place.

The good: There are a host of films out that portray dystopian realities of the future and paint a horrific picture of technology and how it will turn on humanity, betray us and wreck our lives. Cinema can't seem to think of the future without coupling it with either a failing and corrupt political system picking up the remnants of a self destruction or as machines and technology itself become the oppressors.  Off the top of my head I can think of Terminator, AI, 2001, The Matrix just to name a few.  There is a void in story telling of a genuinely positive future where technology is viewed in an optimistic light and the future a better place than the past or present. As they portray in the film, if we're constantly pumping in the terrible vision of an unenviable future doesn't it kind of become a self fulfilling prophecy telling us the direction we'll head? So because there's such a great need for that genre to be filled, I wanted to love it. This film held the promise of a vision of a millennial future and was unique in being able to paint it in a positive light. And there were moments where it succeeded, during those brief highlights where the main character was transported to an idealized future. This ended up being is pretty much one of the only scenes you really need to watch from the movie.
    The Bad: Other than that the film reminded me of a B grade power rangers show with silly robots chasing kids around town. In fact the whole back plot about a secret army and the conspiracy of a group of men belonging to a secret future club in the Eiffel tower seemed like a pointless last minute addition and the film would have been better off without without it. Hugh Laurie's wonderful acting and character were drowned out by his tangential monologues and poorly written lines that did more to detract from the character than to help it. 
      The special effects which were necessary to bring a vision of the future to life were used excessively in a futile effort to attract interest where character development and genuine human interests would have been better. Keeping effects subtle and stylish would have been a huge improvement to draw the audience in rather than blatantly showing off what technology could do without leaving anybody wanting it.
     The substance of the plot a bright and ambitious young girl trying to rouse a brilliant man who has become disillusioned with a lost dream of a better world was a good foundation. The characters portrayed by George Clooney and Britt Robertson had the talent and appeal to bring this solid plot to life, but was shot to pieces by a ridiculous subplot of the old man's lingering love affair with a child robot. I can't possibly see who thought George Clooney's unrelenting love for a child robot would make for an emotionally compelling story. More like a weird and slightly twisted justification of why people who are in love love technology should be held with a twinge of skepticism.  His acting felt forced when touching the robot theme as well it should in a context that is both un-relatable and inhuman. And the same could probably be said of the other actors, they did well with what they had but a story lacking human interest made them hard to love. Overall I liked the actors, a lot of the themes and some of the visuals were completely awe inspiring and unlike anything I've ever seen, but this beauty was sadly overshadowed by a poorly layered plot plot held loosely together by garish special effects.