Directed by:
Chris McKayScreenplay:
Zach DeanCinematography:
Larry FongComposer:
Lorne BalfeCast:
Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Keith Powers (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father to rewrite the planet’s fate. (Prime Video)
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Reviews (11)
In 2021, these alien derivatives may only entertain bacteria and other single-celled organisms. If it wasn’t for the bombastic CGI here and there, it would have nothing. And Chris Pratt's dumb attempts at expressing deeper emotions are quite comical. As Star-Lord he's fine, his awkwardness doesn't matter there, but otherwise he’s very far from a character actor.
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Pure-blooded military sci-fi for dads and their daughters. An interesting story structure, where things don’t follow one after the other and the biggest punch up doesn’t come at the end; it works well and you don’t get bored. McKay successfully surfs on the waves of humor and pathos, but manages to shoot serious scenes too. Surprisingly the biggest strength of The Tomorrow War lies in the emotional sphere. The action is excellent, only at places it seems rather video-game like, but it’s mainly the small scenes which go against the pulse of today… about the traditional family values and about the fact that wanting more is bad for a relationship and can kill you… these scenes carry the whole thing along nicely.
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The trailers didn't do this action sci-fi flick a good service, and even when The Tomorrow War went straight to stream, you kind of assumed that you weren't going to be treated to a quality show. But it turned out unexpectedly well this time. The Tomorrow War is far from perfect, but the two and a quarter hours in front of the TV pass pleasantly quickly. They may be quite blatantly ripping off Edge of Tomorrow, Terminator, Alien, or even The Thing, but who could be mad at them for looking to the best for inspiration? Moreover, after a slow start, Chris McKay hits the gas hard and showers the audience with one action scene after another. In doing so, he makes sure not to dumb down the style and the setting, so after intense fights in the city and one not-quite-successful hunting trip, there's a spectacular shootout that would have been quite fitting for the big screen, and the whole thing is finished off a little differently. And it paces the whole thing well enough for one to overlook that it's pretty much just plain. Chris Pratt may play Star-Lord at first, but once the serious stuff starts happening he puts on a serious face and is quite good at it. The designers went truly bonkers with the monsters and I find myself wanting to watch a few scenes again a few hours after the closing credits. Who would have expected that after the crappy trailers?
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The Tomorrow War tries to bring a flashy science fiction story with gritty action scenes, strong family drama and a heavy dose of explanatory scenes to the television screen, however, it does none of it consistently, originally or memorably. The next day, after watching it, the only thing that sticks in your mind is that it was fairly paced and sort of OK, if you can get past the rushedness and the many really stupid tropes. All in all, it is just a rehash of many things you have already seen in other movies where they were much more skillfully executed, (especially the recent Edge of Tomorrow, whose finale is blatantly copied in this movie), and is unfortunately just a superficial, big-budget TV movie.
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(Possible spoilers!) Chris McKay's film certainly doesn't escape comparison to the (for me) famed sci-fi film Edge of Tomorrow, with the makers of The Tomorrow War also taking a slight nod in the direction of The Thing and Prometheus. The film's biggest negatives are its overblown running time and the sometimes reprehensibly deadpan build-up of the plot, which goes hand-in-hand with a number of typically American scenes (kids and the next generation being the top, the heroism of ordinary people, the blatant political correctness within the cast, etc.). Yet, I'm willing to rise above these aspects to enjoy the decent load of action and a sci-fi level that definitely had potential, albeit slightly buried by the family-themed dialogue. I liked the look of the aliens, the locations, and one almost comic book-like shot that made me think of 300. If the editing had omitted the unnecessary "weeping scenes", which would have shortened the running time, I would have been comfortable with a higher rating.
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Gallery (22)
Photo © Amazon Prime Video
![The Tomorrow War - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/165/503/165503770_766c2b.jpg)
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