The Tomorrow War stars Chris Pratt, J.K. Simmons, Yvonne Strahovski, and Betty Gilpin. It also stars Sam Richardson, Theo Von, Jasmine Matthews, Keith Powers, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Edwin Hodge, Mike Mitchell, Seychelle Gabriel, Alan Trong, Chibuikem Uche, and Alexis Louder. The film streams on Amazon Prime Video from July 2, 2021.
Synopsis
In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
Review
In going in to The Tomorrow War I hugely underestimated the power that its title holds. From the trailers and the promotional materials it would be easy to write the film off as a generic disaster movie. Whilst it does touch on many of the genre tropes, it does so with an underpinning of self-awareness that many blockbuster disaster movies lack.
For starters the title doesn’t simply refer to the genre-bending idea of our future grandchildren zipping back in time to recruit soldiers for an alien war. It also serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of our actions today. In the case of Chris Pratt’s character, Dan Forester, it also stands as an analogy for his approach to life and family.
There were times during The Tomorrow War where I worried that its 2hr 20 runtime would out run its story. Arguably the film tells not one, but two stories: that of The Tomorrow War; and that of a potential sequel. Mashing the two together creates a brisk pacing but also shines a light on those pesky disaster movie tropes. In this case it’s the inclusion of one particularly vocal student in Dan’s high school science class and the brief setup around his relationship with his father. Both characters seem trite during the first act. But come the finale they are both integral to the survival of humanity.
It’s decisions like this which, at times, threaten to derail the film. But thankfully The Tomorrow War has far more to offer. In the present day Pratt is partnered with the excellent Betty Gilpin. She’s much more than the trophy wife and the two share some excellent dialogue in the film’s latter stages. In the future he spends much of his time with Yvonne Strahovsky. Whilst many will see certain character traits (no spoilers) from an ample distance, her performance is easily one of her best committed to film. Sam Richardson is also a huge highlight. Bringing some light in to a heavy scenario.
There’s human drama at the core of The Tomorrow War which goes beyond that of a simple Hollywood blockbuster. The first film to be executive produced by Pratt feels competently calculated. Likewise its (mostly) flawlessly executed. Originally set for theatrical distribution by Paramount, the film finds itself releasing now via Amazon Prime. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But given the production values I do begrudge seeing it for the first time on my “small” screen at home. More than others this film deserves the big screen treatment.
In his live-action feature directorial debut, Chris McKay has more than proven himself capable. There’s a scope and scale to the film which easily rivals the Marvel’s and DC’s of the world. Visual effects reach well beyond expectations with dystopian landscapes aplenty. The designs for the alien creatures, called White Spikes, are suitably scary and well rendered. Though their backstory remains a mystery until what feels like the fourth act, the aliens are a formidable force on screen.
Larry Fong brings a legacy of working with Zack Snyder to the cinematography. Raising the visual style and rounding out a heavy-hitting production team with Weta, Luma Pictures and Framestore London all adding their expertise to the CG visuals.
Composer Lorne Balfe also deserves rousing applause for bringing a bombastic score in to the mix. His work on Ghost in the Shell and Mission: Impossible has gone a long way towards setting him up as a Hollywood heavy weight. This score will on serve to cement that reputation.
Verdict
The Tomorrow War is high in concept and equally ambitious. It easily overcomes a couple of clunky choices to become a hugely enjoyable experience.
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