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Future Imperfect

Director Brad Bird has a pretty good track record. From his animated films ("Iron Giant," "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles") to his first live action film ("Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"), critics and audiences alike have heaped nearly universal praise on his work, and rightly so. I have a feeling his latest film, "Tomorrowland" is going to be less of a clean sweep and more of a collection of polar opposites.

Like his earlier films (particularly "Iron Giant") the film has heart, and plenty of it. Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is a precocious teenager with dreams of a bright future. She is given a glimpse of that possible future when an enigmatic young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) sneaks a special pin in among her belongings. When Casey touches the pin, she sees another world, full of technological marvels and beauty. But when the pin stops working, she seeks out clues about its origin and incurs the wrath of some bad robots (sorry, J.J.) who want the doorway between worlds to stay sealed.

Her search leads to Frank Walker (George Clooney), once an impressionable young boy genius, now a cynical and bitter middle-aged man. Walker has visited -- even lived in -- this shining land of dreams, but was exiled some years ago after helping to invent a powerful and dangerous device that perhaps should have been left uninvented. Now it appears that our future -- the very existence of our world -- is in jeopardy. Walker is rattled out of paranoid complacency by Casey's visit. In fact, he becomes convinced that a slim chance for our survival may yet exist, and this hope may rest with the ever-optimistic young lady.

The parts of the movie that work best are the glimpses of Tomorrowland. These impart Casey (and, by extension, the audience) with a sense of wonderous awe. Here we have swimming pools that defy gravity, teenagers playing jetpack tag, flying cars and levitating monorail trains (aptly pulling into "Tesla Station"). But the "demo version" of Tomorrowland that new recruits see when they touch the pin is not exactly reflected in the modern version of the city, which has suffered the ravages of time and neglect. Can Casey and Walker defy the odds and save the future? Time will tell.

The ties from the film to the Disney theme park of the same name are not particularly subtle but nor are they heavy-handed or bothersome. It's more of a wink and a nod that Disney fans will likely appreciate. The cityscape is more than reminiscent of a Disney theme park (you'll be sure to spot "Space Mountain"). An early scene at the World's Fair in Queens in 1964 features a song which you may recognize from Disney's "Carousel of Progress" as well as a brief visit to "It's a Small World." Both of these attractions actually debuted at that World's Fair before Mr. Disney packed them up and relocated them to Disneyland in California. Also, Walt's signature animatronic characters play a significant role here, although in perhaps unexpected ways. There are several obvious nods to "Star Wars" (now a Disney property) as well as some more subtle cues to Brad's earlier films (glimpses of toys and action figures from "The Incredibles" and even "Iron Giant").

But what may irritate some viewers, particularly jaded movie critics, is the indefatigable sense of optimism and higher purpose which drives the main characters to face seemingly insurmountable odds in pursuit of a better future. Personally, I found that refreshing. It reminded me of when I was a kid and the world was full of possibilities.

There are some parts of the plot that are a bit hard to follow. How did the "Plus Ultra" society manage to build such a fantastic world and how did they manage to hide it? And perhaps some of the character development may be a bit thin -- I'm still not sure what made Nix (Hugh Laurie) so grumpy -- but the film offers a wild and entertaining ride and the core message is both powerful and uplifting. And I found myself quite moved by the ending. My 11-year-old son was watching with me and also gave the film two thumbs up.

We saw the film in IMAX and I'd recommend that viewers do the same: Bird takes full advantage of the taller IMAX aspect ratio here as well as IMAX 12-channel sound to create a truly immersive movie-going experience. The film is also the first to appear in Dolby Cinema (in select markets), so if you happen to live near one of the four cinemas to offer this new theatrical format, that may also be worth checking out.

I suspect we'll see a wide range of opinions on this film, but count me squarely in the "fan" camp. Recommended for the whole family.

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