Tomorrowland

 Brad Bird is one of those directors who always puts great effort into his work. Being most commonly known for his work in animation on “The Simpsons” and directing films like “The Iron Giant,” “Ratatouille,” and “The Incredibles,” he's also had his share of dabbling into live action very well, directing the fourth “Mission Impossible” film, “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” Since he's still got a strong connection with Disney, he was then tasked with helming one of their newest films, “Tomorrowland.”

Now the idea of making a film out of a Disneyland attraction isn't anything new. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise is a prime example of this risky move being successful, with each installment garnering from $600 million to $1 billion at the box office. However, that's not to say there are downfalls, as while the sequels are still enjoyable, they never did match up to the strength the first film brought. But hey, at least they're not as bad as “The Haunted Mansion” starring Eddie Murphy...that's still the lowest point to hit.

So now the main question here is, does “Tomorrowland” have the same appeal as “Pirates,” or is it another “Haunted Mansion?” The answer is, the former.

The film tells of Casey Newton, a young girl who's trying to stop the dismantling of the NASA launch pad in Cape Canaveral. After she's arrested and bailed out, she finds a pin that shows her a vision of a futuristic utopia known as Tomorrowland. Desperate to learn more about, she meets up with the android, Athena, as they set out to find Frank Walker and return to Tomorrowland, with the hope that Casey might be the answer to stopping a world calamity.

Now what exactly works in this film? Well...pretty much everything. Not only does this work as one of Brad Bird's best films, I would even say this is one of the best science-fiction films I've ever seen. I saw the film opening weekend, and I had a blast watching it. It's an action adventure film, that really knows how to blend humorous moments together with the more touching elements. The intro may have been a weird way to start out, but at the same time didn't really bother me as much as it could have.

Casey is played by Britt Robertson, and she does a great job portraying this character. She's a quick thinker, she's rebellious, free-spirited, and has some great moments that let her shine out. I'm hoping that after this, she does get more work in the future. Raffey Cassidy plays Athena, who easily takes the honor of being the funniest character in the film. Her dialogue, her antics, and just the amount of visual jokes that the film does with her are downright hilarious. Her best scene involves her getting hit by a car, and it hardly even fazes her for a minute, before she gets up and starts chasing another. That was brilliant. Frank Walker is played by George Clooney, giving us another damn good performance. Frank is a character who you really feel the most sympathy for, when you finally get through the whole film. I think my favorite scenes with him are when he's interacting with Athena, which can either be very funny, or very sad, which the film handles nicely on both sides. Hugh Laurie plays David Nix, the leader of Tomorrowland and the film's villain. However, what separates David from other villains, is that you actually do buy his reasons for being how he is. Not going to go into detail here, because then I'd be going into spoiler territory.

One of the major things I loved about the film, was the message, which talks about defying the future and standing up to change destiny. We live in a world where we always feel helpless in disastrous events happening in our world, that not as many people are actually taking a stance to do something about it. Global warming, the war in different countries, the extinction of animals, shit films being made, whatever the case may be. We just give up and accept it, letting others who aren't as experienced to handle it. Thank you, Brad Bird, for letting a message like this be delivered.

Overall, “Tomorrowland” did not disappoint in the slightest. It was greatly directed, perfectly acted, brilliantly written, and is one of the best science-fiction films that I've seen. It's a shame that this film is bombing as badly as it is, because this doesn't deserve to. It especially pisses me off that “Maleficent” got to be such a big hit, grossing over $700 million worldwide, and yet this DIDN'T?! I call bullshit on that, Disney!!...*sigh*...oh well, at least Brad Bird will be directing “The Incredibles 2” as his next film.

Rating: 10/10