REVIEW by Richard Rivera

 

TOMORROWLAND is one of those amazingly notable movies that inspires you to see the world in different ways that can alter your own future. Directed by Brad Bird—who is also one of the co-writers, and executive producers—Bird is well-equipped from his vast experience as director on The Simpsons, The Iron Giant, and Pixar's The Incredibles to tell an exciting adventurous tale.

 

It begins with an ambitious, inventive 11 year-old, Frank Walker, at the 1964
New York City World’s Fair, experiencing the most exciting and fantastic of discoveries: a glimpse into the world of Tomorrow.  For those of us that actually walked through the exhibits of that 1964 World's Fair as youngsters and experienced the unbounded optimism that it elicited, this film inspires in a different way. In some ways it is a cautionary tale but in other ways it still taps into those feelings of exhilaration and the potential of what is possible.

 

George Clooney and Hugh Laurie head the cast with a remarkable group of young actors such as Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, and Thomas Robinson (as Frank Walker, at age 11), that really bring this film to life.

 

There are enough spectacular vistas, chases scenes, and eye-opening grin-inducing effects that tells you this summer film is geared to a young-adult crowd.

 

I will not spoil the surprises of the film’s intrigue and adventure but I will say this:
the gist of the film is that globally, the human race tends to reinforce its own bad news—floods, disasters, hunger, corruption, violence—with so much cynicism and negative thinking that we forget the upside: we have the potential for great change.

 

There are very few films that are as exhilarating and compelling while also inspiring us to “think different.” TOMORROWLAND is a thrilling, meaningful, and well-written adventure that is well-worth taking.

 

 

 

June 2, 2015