Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is a thrilling adventure movie with a nice mix of scifi and fantasy (it’s also a great Disney fix for Mouse lovers like me!). Directed by Brad Bird, we are introduced to a young Frank Walker (George Clooney), who is full of hope and optimism for our world and believes in sharing that enthusiasm with others, in the dream of a better life and world. It’s 1964 and a young Walker is attending the New York World’s Fair to compete to win an award with his newest invention – his flying jetpack.
Upon arriving to the Fair, Walker meets the head honcho, David Nix (Hugh Laurie) and young Athena (Raffey Cassidy). Nix is not impressed with Walker’s invention, largely due to the fact that it doesn’t fly, however George explains that it will inspire others and let them know that “anything is possible”. Walker is dismissed with his ego burst, however, Athena finds him and gives him a secret “pin” and tells him to follow her. His prize pin gives him access to a new world. A future dimension – Tomorrowland.
Walker finds himself in a new world, filled with wonder and possibilities. A place where all of the top inventors, artists, and engineers have come together for the good of the people, to create a better world. Unfortunately, in a few years, Walker is exiled from Tomorrowland and is left back on present day Earth, where he has become a gruffy, older, less optimistic version of himself.
Fast forward to present day, we meet the energetic, wide-eyed, teenage dreamer, Casey (Britt Robertson) whose father (Tim McGraw) is now an unemployed NASA scientist due to the demise of the space program and plans to dismantle the launch pad. Casey is so distraught about this happening, she continually (and successfully) tries to sabotage this event. A young Athena (who soon we find out is actually a “recruiting” robot also exiled from Tomorrowland), gives Casey her last token pin, in the hope that Casey is the answer to saving Tomorrowland and our present-day world.
With pin in hand, Casey is able to get a glimpse of Tomorrowland and all of its glory and wonder. The catch is that she now has to seek out Frank Walker to help her get there. Resistant at first, Walker eventually agrees to help Casey get to Tomorrowland (the fact that his house was completely incinerated after an evil robot battle helped convince him). When Walker sees the hope and optimism Casey is full of, he is again inspired and hopeful.
The trio set off for Paris (via satellite transportation, of course) and make their way to the Eiffel Tower, which is really a secret monument designed by Gustave Eiffel, Nikola Tesla, Jules Verne and Thomas Edison, to hide their “spaceship” to travel to another dimension, Tomorrowland. They activate this ship and make their way to Tomorrowland, which is now a shell of the glory it once was, filled more with gloom and doom.
In the end, Walker and Casey are victorious and save Tomorrowland and our world. The message of this film is very positive, upbeat and inspiring, daring dreamers to keep dreaming!
We give it a 7 out of 10.
