Tomorrowland

RATING: C+

Sometimes movies can be a little bit frustrating. Namely when it feels like they are so close to reaching greatness, but somehow just fall short. Tomorrowland is definitely one of those movies--a movie with striking ambition and a very clever idea behind it--but it just can't seem to live up to said ambition. 

Tomorrowland is a somewhat weird sci-fi film about an alternate dimension of some sort, and a very ambiguous one at that--one where anything is possible, and yet where little makes sense. A genius teenager named Casey is transported there briefly via a mysterious pin, and immediately becomes obsessed with getting there; she is assisted by disgruntled also-genius Frank Walker (George Clooney) and the mysterious Athena. 

Things end up getting head-scratching fairly quick; we know Tomorrowland is another dimension of sorts, but it's also one where seeing different events in time comes into play (without giving too much away) via some science tech... or something. The climax itself--or at least the cause of it, anyway--is basically a bunch of science mumbo jumbo with the end result, "Let's blow something up and everything will be resolved," leaving our eyes pleased but our brains confused. 

The film actually is somewhat clever; the idea of such a dimension like Tomorrowland is interesting enough, and it reaches for the sky with its ambition. The results are mixed; we are given sporadic moments of cleverness, excitement and greatness; as well as moments that just feel underwhelming or forced. Eventually the movie sort of settles into a "change the world" message/mantra that is made to feel a lot simpler than it really is. These aren't exactly the only problems with the movie, though; finding likable characters besides George Clooney's is near impossible. 

Tomorrowland is a pretty good example of "what could've been, but wasn't quite there." If it had focused more on the parts that made it better (like the occasional political/social commentary) and less on the confusing stuff and borderline-sappy final message, it could've been a lot better. And considering its director, Brad Bird, I would've expected him to be able to come up with a film that felt more focused in general than this one. It's a good effort, but the result isn't enough to write home about.