Tomorrowland (6/10): An imaginative film that runs out of steam during the second half

“I want you to take me to the place I saw when I touched this.”

After having seen the trailer for Tomorrowland, I didn’t have very high expectations for it, but once I heard Brad Bird was directing this project I knew I had to see it because everything he had done up to this point was amazing. Ratatouille is one of my favorite animated films and The Incredibles was also an entertaining one. I have heard great things about his first animated film, Iron Giant, but I haven’t seen it. Tomorrowland is his second live action film after having directed the latest Mission Impossible sequel which was also quite impressive (that Abu Dhabi scene was breathtaking), so there was no reason for me to doubt Bird and I was ready to give him my full support. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit for taking a risk by directing this unique project instead of accepting to make the Star Wars sequel, and in a way Tomorrowland feels refreshingly original. Bird also co-wrote the screenplay along with Damon Lindelof (one of the writers of my favorite TV series, Lost) so I raised my interest again considering they were involved. Unfortunately this is by far Bird’s weakest film, but I still had a decent time at the movies. 

The film opens with Frank Walker (George Clooney) speaking directly to the audience and explaining what the future holds for the planet in a rather pessimistic tone, but he is constantly interrupted by a young teenager named Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) who wants him to be more optimistic. So Frank begins by explaining that the future wasn’t always as bad as it looks now, and in a flashback we are introduced to that time when as a young boy (Thomas Robinson) he invented a jet pack in order to try to impress a judge at a science fair named Nix (Hugh Laurie). The only problem was that it didn’t actually fly so Nix wasn’t impressed. However, he did catch the attention of a young girl, Athena (Raffey Cassidy), who gives him a special pin and asks him to follow them from a distance. What Frank discovers is a fascinating futuristic place where all dreams are possible. Somewhere along the way something goes wrong and we are back in the present where we are introduced to Casey’s story. She also discovers a pin similar to the one Frank was given and is fascinated by the visions she gets of this wonderful place. Destiny will lead her to search for Frank and try to find a way to return to this place, but along the way she experiences several setbacks as many people try to stop her from reaching him.

Tomorrowland begins with a very promising and gripping first half and I was completely engaged with the story. The visuals were impressive and the action scenes very entertaining. Britt Robertson was delivering a strong lead performance and the quest to reach Tomorrowland felt incredibly refreshing and unique. She shared a strong chemistry with George Clooney and her upbeat optimism contrasted perfectly with Clooney’s pessimism. There is no denying the level of ambition this film has, but unfortunately the second half of the film doesn’t deliver on the promising premise and the ending was very bland. My interest fell completely and I lamented the fact that the film couldn’t maintain that same level of intensity delivered during the first half. Hugh Laurie is a great actor, but as the antagonist he never really felt the part. The film ran out of steam and imagination pretty quickly and delivers a somewhat predictable and uninspired ending. 

The film is also pretty heavy handed in delivering its upbeat message (which is recurrent in most Disney movies) of never giving up on your dreams and being optimistic towards life despite all the negative things surrounding us. The fact that there have been tons of films reiterating the “you are special” message to young adolescents also hurts the movie quite a bit. But I did have a great time during the first hour of the film so I’m still going to give it a mild recommendation. Rafael Cassidy delivers one of my favorite performances of the film as Athena. Matthew MacCaull also has a couple of hilarious scenes playing a Secret Service agent. Tommorowland could’ve been a great film, but it runs out of imagination pretty quickly and settles for a lackluster ending. 

My Reviews: The Oranges (4/10)

¨I´m your ex girlfriend´s boyfriend´s wife.¨

I´d rather sit through an hour long episode of Dr. House, The OC, or Gossip Girl rather than watch this film starring some of the actors from the above mentioned series. The Oranges was directed by Julian Farino, who I had never heard of before this film. I actually went to see this film because I thought it had an interesting cast. The biggest flaw of The Oranges was its screenplay; written by Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss. The dramedy never quite manages to feel authentic and everything felt like a complete farce. The dialogue in this film felt very light considering the subject matter and the comedic moments weren’t effective. The relationships didn’t feel real either, although I must admit that the friendship between Laurie´s character and Platt´s was probably the strongest thing about this movie. Beside the three TV stars: Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, and Adam Brody, the film also stars Allison Janney and Catherine Keener whom I always thought looked very much alike. These are all very likeable actors, but they were given some really underdeveloped characters and the film never really rang true to me. Other films have tackled this subject matter in much better ways. Examples that come to mind for me are The Graduate and American Beauty, but this movie doesn’t even come close to what those films achieved. Despite how much I wanted to like this movie because of the actors, I had a hard time watching this. I would pick any of their television series over this film anytime.

The film focuses on the relationship between two Jersey families. On the one hand, we have David (Hugh Laurie) and Paige Walling (Catherine Keener) who have two children: Vanessa (Alia Shawkat) and Toby (Adam Brody), and then we are introduced to their neighbors, the Ostroff´s, consisting of Terry (Oliver Platt) and Kathy (Allison Janney). Terry and David have been best friends for a long time, and their families get together often. The Ostroff’s have a daughter named Nina (Leighton Meester) who decides to return home after five years for the Holidays. Her presence will change things when she falls in love with David. The two begin seeing each other and it has a tremendous effect on both families. Nina convinces David that there are no rules to happiness, but at the same time his decision affects everyone around him. When Paige finds out about this relationship she confronts David and soon everyone’s life is affected by this relationship.

The film doesn’t seem to take sides on the moral issue, but it doesn’t ever feel like it takes things seriously either. The entire film felt like a complete waste of time. The relationship between David and Nina never felt authentic and there was no chemistry whatsoever between them. The film really suffers from a poor script and the likeable actors aren’t enough to save this film. The narration of the film didn’t work for me either and I felt like it was simply used to simplify things. The question the film seems to be raising is whether it is really worth doing whatever makes you happy without measuring the consequences and how it can affect the rest of the people around you. At first it seems as if it agrees with this premise, but later their consequences catch up with them. Some characters seem to be better off, but things never remain the same. I think I am getting a little too philosophical for a film that really didn’t take itself too seriously, but I definitely felt that something was completely off with The Oranges. It is an awkward film and one I wouldn’t recommend.

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