So every now and again Hollywood brings about a new concept about future of mankind how it would finally turn out to be. Will The Tomorrow War be like in Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey 2001, or a beautiful and progressive one as in Startrek, or total annihilation due to a meteor as in Deep Impact, or some strange disease turning people into zombies as in I Legend, or a future as shown in the Terminator series and so on and so forth.
We actually lapped it all up as we somewhere accepted such possibilities and because of the innate romanticism of doomsday which is ingrained in every individual. This may actually be attributed to the fact that many religions who prophesied this, like the Kayamat ka din in Islam and Apocalypse mentioned in the Bible. However what they have come up with now boggles the mind.
It is about fighting a war for the future generation. Well the various activists would say they are already doing it for our future generations, may it be the climate warriors or the water conservation warriors. This is very different, it is about actually being recruited for a war, by the people who come from the future with a message to save the human population which has been reduced to a fraction because of the invasion of an alien species who had nested itself in sub Serbian snowy wilderness and slowly engulfed the world in the following thirty years. it is about a father’s promise to his daughter to always be there to protect her.
A really novel concept well executed till the half time with all types of gizmo. Starring Chris Pratt actor of many a sci-fi and superhero flicks, with his dead pan funny face. You can’t but resist the feeling that some goofy or funny thing is about to happen. There are some great special effects specially the one in which the first contact is made by the future people right in the midst of an exciting football match being watched by millions, that is picturised breathtakingly, so to say the least.
Rest of it is like being in some space invader game and zonking the dirty slimy aliens and about capturing their queen mother to develop a serum, to be taken back to the present so that the aliens can be annihilated. This is bunkum. I mean a great idea squandered to nonity.
The Director lost track of the story midway and what could have been a taut thrilling futuristic advanture turned out to be a damp squib. What with glorifying a school boy nerd whose knowledge is like only centered around volcanoes and viola he has the answer to where the alien nesting place is in no time. Streaming on Amazon. It is actually tomorrow’s war which has to be waged by people of today. The movie apart from this science fiction thing is also about an underlying theme which Hollywood is good at, creating a story within a story, it’s the bond between a father and daughter. Interesting but with a not so gripping second half. If you like or dislike the movie send in your reactions and comments.
– Reviewed by PAWAN GUPTA
Cast of The Tomorrow War:
Chris Pratt as James Daniel Forester Jr
Yvonne Strahovski as Colonel Muri Forester
Ryan Kiera Armstrong as young Muri Forester
J. K. Simmons as James Daniel Forester Sr
Betty Gilpin as Emmy Forester (Dan’s wife)
Sam Richardson as Charlie
Edwin Hodge as Dorian
Jasmine Mathews as Lt. Hart (a future soldier)
Keith Powers as Major Greenwood
Credits of The Tomorrow War:
Production companies – Skydance Media, Paramount Pictures, New Republic Pictures, Phantom Four Films, Lit Entertainment Group
Produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Jules Daly, David S. Goyer, Adam Kolbrenner
Directed by Chris McKay
Written by Zach Dean
Cinematography – Larry Fong
Edited by Roger Barton, Garret Elkins
Music by Lorne Balfe
Streaming on Amazon Prime