Tomorrowland: A World Beyond
Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.
Cast
Britt Robertson – Casey Newton
George Clooney – Frank Walker
Raffey Cassidy – Athena
Hugh Laurie – David Nix
Tim McGraw – Eddie Newton
Wonderful
I assumed from the trailer that this movie would be the stuff of dreams, produced from the ingredients of pure imagination. And I wasn’t wrong. Tomorrowland: A World Beyond was an absolute gem from beginning to end. And the main element making it so good has to be its story, its structure. The plot involving Casey – a science enthusiast – and Frank – a man exiled from the world he belongs in – moves at fast pace, and is very slick. But although fast-moving, it pauses in the right places to deliver its heartfelt story. This is a movie of childlike imagination with a streak of adult understanding. The on-screen chemistry between lead actors Robertson and Clooney is very good, natural. The pair reminded me a little of Doctor Who (the Tennant one) and his companion Rose – young blonde teenager hesitantly following this mysterious man into a wonderfully strange world but springing into action by use of her own intelligence. And she does it well. In fact, I was very impressed by Robertson’s performance – more of that to come..
David Tennant & Billie Piper in Doctor Who
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is a pleasant mix of fantasty, sci-fi and drama. What I found most impressive about its structure was the transition easily from wacky, brightly coloured ‘kids stuff’ to more serious action and dialogue that an older audience would relate more to. And I have the perfect example; as I sat in the auditorium watching this movie on Friday evening, there was a family of two or three a few rows in front of me. Including a very young child, who kept making noises of entertainment throughout particular scenes – and was quiet during more serious scenes as his or her parents let out a chuckle ot two. The child actually had a few audience members laughing out loud during the scene where Casey takes a nasty fall down a flight of stairs..
“fell down stairs” the cute thing gurgled.
It was probably at that moment I realised Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is fit for audiences of all ages.
Another scene sees Casey track down a shop whose owner’s may know something about the strange pin badge she has acquired. And the scene is brilliantly wacky; in fact I don’t think I took my eyes off the screen the entire time. It is tense, exciting, yet slightly sinister at the same time – the whole thing reminded me of some sort of Goosebumps book from many years ago; girl finds weird object – goes to the shop to confront the owner – owner isn’t what she expected and she gets herself into trouble. This scene also contained a great bit of visuals when the confrontation turns heated. A full shop-frontal (ha! See what I did there?) fight scene kicks off which is very entertaining. I lapped it up, and like much of this movie’s 127 minutes of screen time, found myself smiling in amusement.
An Eyeful of Eiffel
Ensure you keep your eyes firmly on the screen during the scene where our lead protagonists visit Paris. The visuals involving the Eiffel Tower are stunning. I’ve not seen anything like it in a movie for a while; using a famous landmark to steer the movie in a fascinating, otherworldly direction. Frank, Casey and Athena transport themselves to the top of it in order to manipulate the French landmark – to get them up into outer space.
The entire scene is fucking mad – but executed in a style that helps radiate colour and beauty. It sees the twinkling Eiffel lights turn into gushes of gold, which blends nicely with the backdrop of the dark Parisian streets at night time. And this is before the real effects kick in, and the tower splits..
I sat open-mouthed, frowning during this bit in sheer fascination.
It was just splendid.
What Goes Up..
..must come sideways. Diagonal. Backwards. Left. Right. Into Space. Underground.
.. and down.
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is a cocktail of wacky ideas, and some brilliant ‘toys’.
As we follow our lead character on her bizarre journey, she encounters certain situations that call for extreme measures – to help protect (as well as entertain the audience).
Hologram house guards, ice-extinguishers, jet packs, lasers that disintegrate anyone unfortunate enough to walk into them. Portable portals, grinning robot men who deliver deathly announcements – with a sinister smile.. and all this is before you get Tomorrowland itself; a glossy new world where all things scientific are possible including intergalactic travel.
The atmosphere when Casey first enters Tomorrowland is electric; imagine the buzz of Harry Potter when the kids are boarding the Hogwarts Express and waving goodbye to their parents, mixed with the looks on the children’s faces in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory when he opens the door to his factory..
Casey boards a glass train and glides through Tomorrowland towards the main event – a powerful shuttle which may have the ability to take her into the depths of outer space..
This movie consists of almost everything I enjoy about sci-fi. I sat there absorbing every little detail with joy – cheesy but true. If you’re a big kid at heart, I have no doubt you’ll devour this movie faster than a tub of Ben & Jerry’s, and let’s face it – who doesn’t like Ben & Jerry’s?
Britt Robertson
A fantastic performance from the actress playing Casey. I’ve not seen her in anything before, but by god does she bring an effective performance to Tomorrowland: A World Beyond. The actress is incredibly versatile, bringing a both entertaining and emotional air to the screen throughout the movie. Playing the part of a young teenager fascinated by science and astrology, Britt uses some excellent facial expressions and body language. For example, when Casey first discovers ‘the pin’ and freaks out – the girl is seen flipping around the inside of a police station with a wide-eyed, jumpy reaction. This scene had the audience laughing out loud, especially when her shocked behaviour ended in injury. Quirky is an understatement as this girl continues her surprising journey by running, jumping and screaming her way through various scenarios. This soon moves from animated to anguish though as Britt tones it down and delivers very convincing displays of emotion. Hats off to her, the girl is talented – and very dynamic.
Britt is probably 70% of why I kept watching; she singlehandedly carried this movie with her expressive features and energy – which was great. She couldn’t have been better cast. Excellent performance.
It’s A Small World
Most of us who have visited any of the Disneyland resorts around the world would have heard of the puppet-clad ride It’s a Small World. And whether you found yourself smiling or shitting yourself at the sight of hundreds of painted wooden faces as you bobbed along on a boat, prepare to return to that feeling – because the ride features heavily in one part of this movie.
When a young Frank attends the New York World’s Fair he meets a mysterious young girl called Athena, who sees his potential for greatness. She urges him to follow her aboard the fair’s It’s a Small World ride, where something incredible happens to him..
God I loved this bit. The sound of a hollow plastic boat, water slopping the sides of it as it bobs slowly past a miniature landscape of artifical flowers and rocks. All of a sudden, memories of amusement park rides came back to me. As I was growing up here in England, I visited a theme park a number of times called Chessington World of Adventures (Surrey). One particular ride will always stand out for me, I will never forget it.
Professor Burp’s Bubbleworks. My god, it was fucking epic – and this scene in Tomorrowland: A World Beyond reminded me of it. Which is ironic seeing as the movie as a whole consists of childhood memories and fantasy.
I’m going to leave my review here, because if I divulge any more information it may spoil a magical film for you all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is a life-affirming piece of art that will change your outlook on the world. But it is very entertaining and perfect for a younger audience, at the same time delivering a story which is understandable – without being patronising – for an older audience. This movie is literally the stuff dreams are made of. Cliché, but fact. It is slick, moves at a good pace and blends emotion with comedy superbly.
This movie was created from the imagination of someone spectacular, and radiates a wonderful atmosphere of escapism. I’ve seen some dreary shit in the past that have won awards yet did nothing to deserve those awards (a-hem, Grand Budapest Hotel) – but Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is something else.
A highly imaginative piece of cinema which draws its audience in by way of opening their minds.
Quirky. Exciting. Vivacious.
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