Tomorrowland

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) finds a peculiar pin among her stash of belongings after a run-in with the authorities. A mere touch triggers visions of a futuristic world called Tomorrowland, a different dimension where the brightest minds are brought together to come up with the most innovative of inventions. She later finds herself being pursued by a gang of animatronic robots disguised as humans. One of them, Athena (Raffey Cassidy), is actually on her side and is responsible for planting the pin in her possessions. She leads her to an adult Frank Walker (George Clooney), one of the very few humans who ever stepped foot in Tomorrowland when he was a kid. He is reluctant to help at first, but eventually succumbs in the belief that she is the solution to the impending doom involving the end of the world. They must, however, find a way to convince David Nix (Hugh Laurie), Tomorrowland’s leader who must ensure the survival of his realm rather than help humans salvage theirs.

Watching this film feels like getting on and off a popular Disneyland ride. You just feel that excitement which does not really make sense to you as an adult, but letting it all go and just convincing yourself to be a kid while watching the film could actually help. The premise is something that would not require a lot of thinking. Come to think of it, they patterned this after one of Disneyland’s main attractions. In the end, you just have to enjoy all the supposedly techie stuff unfolding in the plot and take it with a grain of salt. After all, you will have a very hard time trying to figure out how they managed to hide a giant spaceship under the Eiffel Tower. Seriously?

Give George Clooney a break. He already has an Oscar and he prefers to star in serious films most of the time. Here, he just wants to have fun, and you can tell that he is indeed enjoying himself. His rapport with Robertson is not that strong, but he has good onscreen chemistry with Cassidy, regardless how strangely pedophiliac that sounds. The dialogues are rather forgettable, but the interaction among the characters does feel genuine at least.

If anything, this film succeeds in allowing the younger generation to imbibe idealism. As we grow older, this school of thought takes the backseat, allowing us to be more pragmatic in a world where realism reigns supreme. Even so, we have no right as adults to take away a kid's right to dream big. This movie obviously caters to the younger crowd, and it does a perfect job in giving them a very positive message that we adults tend to sweep under the rug for the sake of convenience.

In terms of CGI, there is nothing to be disappointed about, although you might find some of the scenes too techie for their own good. In any case, setting your suspension of disbelief level to high would do the trick. As for the casting, if Clooney annoys you that much, be glad to know that he shares most of his screen time with either or both Netwon and Cassidy, the two of which would do to dispel whatever anti-Clooney sentiments you have in mind.

Not everyone will enjoy this movie, and the box office results agree. But since this is more of a family popcorn flick, you might be better off seeing it with the kids. Perhaps, in the end, their enjoyment could very well be your own.