Review of 'The Tomorrow War'
Family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is a high school teacher and former Green Beret is seeking to do something more with his life but is disappointed when he is rejected by a prestigious research centre. This is all thrown into turmoil when a group of time travellers from the year 2051 tell the world that humans are losing a war with an alien race, the Whitespikes. The travellers start recruiting people to travel into the future to fight the invaders but the mortality rate is high. Eventually Dan is recruited and sent into the future to find himself well away from where they expected to be and charged with rescuing some scientists from their lab and recovering precious research material. Lots of fighting ensues and bits about saving the world…
Film-goers will be familiar with Christ Pratt and his star turn as the rebellious, and quite funny, “Starlord” in Guardians of the Galaxy. In “The Tomorrow War” we see him get a lot more serious and take on the Rambo role but does not altogether convince despite the very serious look on his face. Indeed, the whole film is centred around his character who, in true Hollywood fashion, is there to save us all. Hurrah! This is despite other figures around who have more battle experience, knowledge, etc, etc. Putting that aside, is “The Tomorrow World” any good? Well, yes, actually, it is: Lots of action, a story with a surprising twist that leads us to a slightly unexpected second act. The story is well written and thought out with a good number of surprises. The special effects look great despite this being released on Amazon Prime - Make no mistake, this is Hollywood with a capital “H”.
The supporting cast do not really stand out except, perhaps, for Dan's daughter who ends up playing a pivotal role in the story. Yvonne Strahovski as a strong-willed Colonel Muri Forester is well cast with a dominating personality showing a sensitive side in protecting her father. All other cast members are there either to be cannon fodder or to further Dan's story with no attempt at any amount of back-story or character depth.
Enjoyable action romp with aliens that want to kill, and eat, everyone…It's the Chris Pratt Show!
Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2021-08-14
Directed by: Chris McKay
Studio: Skydance Media
Year: 2021
Length: 138 minutes
Genre: Science Fiction
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9777666/
Other reviewed films by Chris McKay:
- The Lego Batman Movie (2017)