Now please, please don't think that I'm talking this movie down. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It wasn't a groundbreaking movie, and it was far from a masterpiece, but it was a lot of fun, and overflowing with good old fashioned optimism, which is rare in any media these days. Combine that with absolutely top of the line special effects, some great cinematography and general aesthetics, good humor, and some great and genuinely moving performances, and you get a movie that left me feeling good. There really isn't another way of putting it.
So let's talk about some of these things. Aesthetics first, because everything in this movie was grounded by the aesthetics, and because I'm trying to learn how to actually spell aesthetics without spell check, and I need the practice. The movie effectively started at the '65 World's Fair, and from the beginning it was routed in the look and feel of SciFi from the late '50's to mid '60's. Once we get our first look of the titular location, it is dripping with that old SciFi serial charm, from big loopy buildings, to jet packs, to the stereotypical Flash Gordon-esque rocket ships. It was, for lack of a better word, charming. Like the Tomorrowland section of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, but given a modern makeover that didn't sacrifice the basic aesthetic foundation. It kept Tomorrowland itself from being generic and uninteresting, even if it wasn't the most unique setting ever in a SciFi film. It really did end up being a place that you want to find and visit.
However, notice that I said "once we get our first look", because a large portion of this movie doesn't take place in Tomorrowland. We get a flashback from George Clooney's character's perspective at the beginning, the visions from the pin seen in the trailers, from the perspective of Casey Newton, the main character, played by Britt Robertson. We don't really get a look at the real, modern Tomorrowland until the final act. This movie isn't so much about Tomorrowland as much as it's about getting there so that Casey, who is in some way special even among special people, can "fix" something. But you don't mind, because you get to take the journey to Tomorrowland with some of the most likeable characters that I can recall from modern cinema.
Let's talk about these characters, shall we? Clooney, of course, is Clooney. He was great, as always. Even in Batman and Robin he wasn't bad, he was just horribly miscast. In this movie he plays the curmudgeonly Frank Walker, who once found his way to Tomorrowland, with the help of a young girl named Athena, and a man named David Nix, played by Hugh Laurie, before he was eventually exiled after making a serious mistake of some kind. He lives alone for something like thirty years until he is found by Casey, with the help of Athena, who hasn't aged at all. Casey wants his help to find the place that she sees when she touches the pin that Athena gave her. A few explosions and chases with evil robots later, and they reach their goal. There is an action climax, and a heroic sacrifice, and the movie is over, and it's a fantastic ride. Still, it is fairly generic, and in many ways it is saved from being pretty mundane by the performances.
Britt Robertson carries the movie with ease. Her character is quirky and funny and charming, and real. She is the kind of character who you miss once the movie is over. Her interactions with her character's family, and with Clooney, are always compelling, allowing for multiple scenes of exposition to be utilized without bogging the movie down. And then there's Raffey Cassidy. Dear lord, this girl needs to be in more things! She plays Athena, who is effectively a super-intelligent adult in a young girl's body, and you never once doubt it. This movie wouldn't have worked without this character, and despite being a child actor, child actors usually being the bane of any TV series or film, this young girl pulls it off. She is, in fact, better in her role than quite a few adult actresses I could name. If I actually had a list of my top ten actors, she'd be on it. I mean, just wow.
However, nothing is perfect, and this movie is no exception. Firstly, there was quite a bit of predictability here. The story was somehow simultaneously unique and conventional, and took few real risks. There is also the issue that the message of this movie was very, very heavy-handed. See the movie, and you'll see what I mean. And I'm not just saying this. You should see this movie. Flaws aside, it was a helluva ride. I give it a 7 out of 10 and genuinely recommend it.
I agree although I enjoyed it so and the nostalgia that I would give it almost an 8
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