Tomorrowland

TOMORROWLAND: A WORLD BEYOND (12)

D: Brad Bird

Disney (Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof & Jeffrey Chernov)

US 2015

130 mins

Science Fiction/Adventure

W: Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof & Jeff Jensen

DP: Claudio Miranda

Ed: Walter Murch & Craig Wood

Mus: Michael Giacchino

George Clooney (Frank Walker), Britt Robertson (Casey Newton), Raffey Cassidy (Athena), Hugh Laurie (David Nix), Tim McGraw (Eddie Newton)

Recent years have seen Disney produce a few films based on the attractions at Disneyland. This is a concept based on an entire section of the theme park.

Walt Disney himself had a fascination with science, technology and the world of the future, which he envisioned himself with the EPCOT theme park in Florida.

This movie has a fascinating concept, and the majority of the execution has some superb visuals, production design and effects, but the convoluted script needed a lot of ironing out before filming should have begun, especially the opening half hour, which is poorly realised and could have been left on the cutting room floor.

I'll begin with the meat of the story: A rebellious, ambitious teenager, a daughter of a NASA employee, comes into the possession of a magical pin which allows her to see an alternative world of the future.

With the help of a cyborg child, she tracks down a reclusive inventor, once a resident of the future kingdom, and together they travel to the alternative world so they can save planet Earth.

This is Disney's version of Brave New World or Atlas Shrugged, with a plot which most adults will be tested to follow. It deserves a second viewing in fairness, but it's also fair to say that the more you dissect the story, the less it makes sense.

This isn't a film that everyone will appreciate, and it's easy to see why it bore the brunt of a lot of criticism. There's a lot to like and an equal amount to dislike.

The production design, visual effects and other technical aspects are good, and the (real lead) performance of Britt Robertson is excellent, completely outshining a miscast George Clooney.

Of course, as a Disney film, there'll be lots of product placement, especially for the theme park itself, which is a minor irritant. The biggest irritant is that a very good concept wasn't fleshed properly out to achieve a much better film. It wasn't a flop at the box office, but didn't make much money back either, and it's very understandable why.

5/10