TOMORROWLAND directed by Brad Bird, written by Damon Lindelof and Bird, with Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy and Hugh Laurie. A Disney release. 130 minutes. Opens Friday (May 22). Rating: NNNN
Where to watch: iTunes
Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland is an adventure movie of remarkable visual flair and invention, with maybe one idea too many. That’s the worst thing I can say about it – and is that really so bad? Which would you prefer, a movie with too much in its head or not enough?
Ostensibly based on the venerable Disney theme park attractions that celebrate Jet Age futurism with catchy songs and nifty gadgetry, the film’s real roots are in the company’s live-action adventure movies of the 60s and 70s.
This time around, the story turns out to be a lot darker than Uncle Walt would ever have allowed. But that’s always been Bird’s greatest strength as a storyteller. As in The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, he understands that his characters must play for real stakes if their tales are going to resonate.
Britt Robertson plays Casey, a Florida teenager who finds a mysterious button that grants her a vision of a wonderful city where ingenuity is celebrated and progress is king. Her efforts to learn more bring her to the attention of some very strange people (though “people” might be stretching it), and the chase is on.
That chase takes up nearly two-thirds of the movie, and there isn’t a wasted moment. Bird still has an animator’s instincts this is the closest thing to a live-action Pixar movie I’ve ever seen. The production design is endlessly delightful, with devices influenced separately by a steampunk past and a sleek, chrome-plated future. (Figuring out the physics of certain action sequences must have been a blast.)
And his actors are able to play with great big impossible ideas while remaining totally credible – and not just Robertson and an invaluably soulful George Clooney, but relative newcomers Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson, too.
I would expect nothing less. Bird’s a consummate filmmaker. He’s crafted a movie that celebrates exceptional people, prizes optimism over cynicism and ends with the idea that a better world is possible if we just try to find it.
Yeah, the third act feels compressed and the bad guy is kind of underwritten. My points still stand.
normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner
See Q&A with actor Matthew MacCaull.
