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I remember vividly, from my childhood, numerous trips to Disneyland. One of my favorite areas of the theme park was “Tomorrowland,” which offered a futuristic, albeit fantastic, view of what “tomorrow” could become. That is partly why I was excited to see Disney’s new movie, “Tomorrowland.”

Summary

According to the movie’s website, the plot is this: “Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (George Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as ‘Tomorrowland.’ What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.”

Positive elements

This movie offers plenty of visual appeal and bright colors. Some of the glimpses of “the future” show cool advances in technology that seem impossible to us today to make happen. The main character, “Casey,” is likeable, and there are moments when you can identify with her. The musical score in this film has some memorable flourishes, as well.

Negative elements

This movie is supposed to be far-fetched and fast paced. It fails to keep your attention the entire movie, as the twists and turns lead, not to exciting adventures, but rather dead ends. Even the evil villain of the movie is not believable, either in his personality or his wicked designs. The movie was meant for the whole family, but there are repeated times of bad language in the film, which only detracts from the family experience.

Spiritual

“Tomorrowland,” while it grapples with grand themes like fate and destiny, ends up being more of a preachy warning against the effects of socially popular causes, like “climate change.” While the movie causes us to think about “tomorrow” (i.e. the future), it does not help us think about eternity, which is the most important and permanent time of all. And we have another Disney movie in which the child/ youth has a father but no mother (e.g. Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and so on). That is not necessarily a bad thing to depict this reality, but it is interesting that the two-parent home is so often not shown when there was a choice for the movie maker.

Overall

The promises of “Tomorrowland” fall flat. It is not grand enough to be a classic adventure. It is not funny enough to be a memorable comedy. And it is not gripping enough to be dramatic. I, for one, don’t plan on seeing this movie again, though I would like to go back to Disneyland soon.

Rating: 1 (star out of 4)

Photo credit: tomorrowland-movie.com