Tomorrowland: A Real Travesty

George Clooney leads audiences on a lackluster trip to a dismal future in Disney’s Tomorrowland.

ON CONTINUITY

ARTH VADER (AV): Inspired by the famed Disneyland ride/attraction of the same name, Tomorrowland focuses on a dream–inspired future-topia where people are whisked away, to enjoy all the comforts of a technological paradise where they even get to fly around on personal jet packs. While many of those concepts are derived from the Disney themed ride, the movie attempts to foreshadow a pretty terrific future wouldn't you say Pontificator? 

THE PONTIFICATOR (TP): Dunno about that Vader. Seemingly an original story wherein a boy-genius all grown up and a scientifically savvy youth must team up to solve the mystery of Tomorrowland, and save the world. Original…except for the recurring theme of the world being saved (once again) by a gifted child (sigh).

CASTING, ACTING AND DIRECTING

AV: George “Gravity” Clooney heads up a pretty ho-hum cast that includes Hugh “House” Laurie and well. honestly it doesn’t matter. Sure, the cast was fine. But ex-Power Ranger Britt Robinson spends so time screaming at 'things that shouldn't be', her character quickly became annoying. The grizzled Clooney is a bit too young to pull off the grumpy old professor thing as he attempts to mentor a gifted young girl through her mundane life. The direction by famed family film director, Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Up, Ratatouille) was competent but also transparent. Pontificator, the acting was near appalling but I did manage to sit all the way through it and trust me, that was no easy task.

TP: I thought the cast was great and the actors presented their characters marvelously…for their target audience. I’m not a huge George Clooney fan, but he didn’t detract from the film. Britt Robertson didn’t get annoying for me and I enjoyed her scenes with Raffey Cassidy. Hugh Laurie made an interesting villain although it’s just hard to see him and not think “House.” The film moved along at a steady pace which helped it since the story was just “meh.” 

ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

AV: The visual effects were ok. While breaking no new ground, the effects attempted to do more than they should have. A time-stopping freeze gun is a great idea that is used in a toy store and then never heard from again. A rocket ship hidden within the Eiffel Tower is a great idea, until you attempt to execute it. Then, it’s just a dumb, forgettable visual dud. The rocket jet packs had a moment but once you’ve seen the Rocketeer (1991) you’ve seen what you needed to see from that particular piece of technology. P-Man?

TP: Seeing this film in IMAX 3D was a great decision. Disney is certainly dependable when it comes to special effects and this film did not disappoint. In fact, the effects were another high point that helped it along and kept it interesting.

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

AV: Why on Earth this film was ever green-lighted is far beyond this mere mortal. Things happen that aren't explained, like the distribution and use of special pins that are the key to Tomorrowland are introduced but aren't explained. So you get one that's rare and then you go places. Huh? 

And while there are tons of sci-fi nods to Star Wars, The Day The Earth Stood Still (the classic one) and a host of others–these props do little more than complicate an already confusing string of events. A pedestrian screenplay, lack-luster cast, downright mediocre script and characters too dull to even mention (Tim McGraw, I’m looking at you m’man) I found that the most redeeming quality of this film was the end-credit graphics. Fun and engaging, they are everything the movie is not.

TP: Well…I could get really deep here with all the subliminal nuggets and real world foreshadowing, but instead let me just say that the commentary given in this film about the state of the best humanity has to offer is a message no child should be subjected to. I think it’s disturbing given the message Disney just sent with Avengers: Age of Ultron (remember Ultron was on the internet for five minutes and decided humanity had to go the way of the Dodo). In this film the commentary continues as to why Ultron would think that as the best minds of humanity have managed to screw up “paradise” and in so doing, doomed the planet whom they view as in need of destruction anyway! It all works out in the end, but that doesn’t change everything we had to go through to get there. 

ON SEQUELS

AV: No reason for that. 

TP:They could… but probably shouldn’t. This film was fine for what it was, but should stay in “yesterday” and avoid “tomorrow.”

RATE IT!

ARTH VADER rates Tomorrowland: Swing and a miss, Disney. If you’re looking for a way to siphon 90 minutes from your life that you’ll never get back, then Tomorrowland is for you. This movie tries to matter–it really does, but in the end… it just doesn't. A huge disappointment despite the reported size of Clooney’s payday. I was barely able to strap on two (2) Busted Blocks as jet engines to jettison the sleep-inducing snooze-fest called Tomorrowland into the heavens, never to be seen or heard from again. 

THE PONTIFICATOR rates Tomorrowland:  Good performances (for the target audience) and great special effects made this a very enjoyable film to watch. The lackluster story though, prevented this film from being better than it was. In the end, this movie traveled into tomorrow and only returned to today with six (6) busted blocks.

Tomorrowland – 4 Busted Blocks

After Thought

The post-apocalyptic After Earth weighs in as a far-future tale that is both gritty and adventurous in its mediocrity.

ON CONTINUITY

ARTH VADER (AV):  After Earth is an original screenplay that doesn't play well, Pontificator. In a summer loaded with already seen and as yet to be seen fallen-Earth storylines, this movie struggles to be relevant in a sea of standout summer sci-fi blockbusters. After Earth is eerily close in story to this spring's Oblivion (Tom Cruise) and the forthcoming Elysium (Matt Damon) among others, and fails to truly establish it's own unique tale. While it has sparks of legitimacy and even moments of brilliance, After Earth–for me–fails to engage the viewer and offers a rather empty overall moviegoing experience. 

THE PONTIFICATOR (TP): An original story, the only continuity to be followed are the events within the film itself. With that, I only had one question about the history in the film Vader, and that was the whereabouts of the aliens that originally unleashed the Ursa into the human population.

CASTING, DIRECTING AND ACTING

AV: With a screenplay that was clearly developed for the Smith family, this movie's big reveal is the direction of the controversial M. Night Shaymalan. This was slipped in way under the radar of all but the most ardent movie watchers. The downplay of this director's interaction was almost deceptive given M. Night's recent track record of under-performing films. The real story here though Ponty, is Jaden Smith.

Big Daddy Big Willie Style (Will Smith) was a stunning, believable badass general–Cypher Raige, mentoring his prodigy, the up-and-coming ranger-want-to-be, Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith). This film–which focuses almost 90% of it's energy on Jaden/Kitai fails because young Jaden carries neither the acting maturity nor the onscreen presence to make this character relevant. P-Man, how say you?>

TP: Will Smith is an excellent actor, without a doubt one of the premier talents in the industry. Here he is asked to limit his range (after all, how hard is it to play a rigid military type?) and still try to convey some embers of actual humanity. Jaden Smith did very well here, but again, the main role was to be constantly scared once he reached Earth. Since I was annoyed at the character throughout the film, I’d say he pulled it off. The direction of the film kept it moving forward, even though the story was predictable, the delivery still had some surprises.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

AV: In a movie like this, special effects matter. After Earth is wholly reliant in the effects as a story-telling element and they don't disappoint. The animals are captivating and look great but the winning effects shots in After Earth are clearly the environments. Dark caves, lava pools, frozen Tundra and impressively expansive Conifer forests make the world(s) of After Earth breathtakingly beautiful and remarkably both Alien and familiar at the same time. 

TP: For a film that doesn’t seem to be doing very well at the box office, the special effects were absolutely beautiful. The future tech was very interesting and didn’t come off as cheesy or ridiculous mainly because the CGI was flawless in these endeavors. Some of the animal shots, particularly the big cats, still didn’t sell me as real, but just real good CGI. The scenery was incredible and really showed how beauty can hide extreme danger. I was particularly fascinated with the smart fabric body suit both regarding the costume design and with the CGI that gave it “intelligence.”

TAKING A DEEPER LOOK

AV: For all the great hype, look and original screenplay, this movie was flat. It was very hard to care about the characters—even Kitai (J. Smith)—whose onscreen presence was whiny and stiff. There were moments there downright awkward to watch, notably the "I won't fail" speech on top of a mountain the character has with his Dad. Insipid, empty and vapid. Which in the end is surprising, both because Will Smith as Dad (both onscreen and for reals) and the fact that Jaden has acting chops he's displayed previously (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Day The Earth Stood Still and the Karate Kid). Hopefully this is just a bump in a what should be a bright and promising career.

TP: Aside from my earlier question about the whereabouts of the aliens that unleashed the Ursa to eradicate humanity, this film was more than just a science fiction popcorn film, it was a story about the relationship between a father and his son. Despite the box office reviews and ratings, I think there are many that can identify with the sometimes turbulent bond between a man and his son. Here, we have a boy that needs the nurturing of his father as only a father can, and doesn’t know how to get it any other way than by emulating who he thinks his father is. His father doesn’t understand the needs of his son, and doesn’t know how to fill those needs, even after they are brought to his attention. As much as this film is about seeking a way to survive and be rescued from Earth, it is about two people seeking each other and trying to rescue their relationship.

ON SEQUELS

AV: Just when you thought you've had enough of this lackluster story, After Earth 2 has a scheduled 2015 release date, Ponty. Personally, I am neutral as this film did NOT engage me emotionally nor did I hate it.  Backed by the entire Smith clan (both Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are co-producers and co-storytellers) this one remains to be seen (or unseen).

TP: The story completes itself and really doesn’t call for a sequel. That said, I can certainly see a door here that can be opened wide provided somebody wants to do a follow-up (and apparently, they do). I’m talking, once again, about the missing aliens that are responsible for the Ursa. Returning them to Nova Prime will have you instantly back into a Will Smith science fiction war film which can revisit the father and son dynamic of the first... or just be a visual popcorn action blockbuster.

RATE IT!

ARTH VADER rates After Earth: Even though it's a Sci-Fi wonder with incredibly interesting ammorphic, alternative material-looking tech, this movie never quite takes off. Shoddy, peace-meal storytelling, sloppy acting and an empty seen-it-before premise, After Earth–for me–offers little. In all fairness, I did like the movie, but nothing to write home (world) about overall. And even though fear is a choice, I'm afraid my choice is to release just 5 busted blocks for After Earth. 

THE PONTIFICATOR rates After Earth: A great film visually, although the conclusion of the story was predictable, the road to the end was full of surprises. The exploration of the father and son resolution was nice and added more depth to what was an easily predictable film. With great special effects and good performances, this film busted seven (7) untamed Earth blocks.

After Earth – 6/10 Busted Blocks: