A “save the world” drama from Disney that’s actually better than it should be.
Most of the movies we watch have to be compatible with my boys age group so movies from Pixar (Disney), Marvel Studios, Illumination Entertainment etc are a majority. Luckily many of them are good even for us adults and this one actually stood out, which Disney productions seldom do – apart from the Pixar ones, but let’s be honest, they are only “Disney” ones because Disney bought them. This movie put Disney in a slightly higher notch in our ranking for sure.
Anyhow, Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is a story about boy genius Frank Walker (Thomas Robinson) who is a tinkerer of extraordinary level, who as a child is drafted to help form a new “perfect” world. This is a dream come true for Frank but things are not going to plan…
Fast forward 40-ish years in the future and teen Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is desperately trying to save her fathers job at NASA – even if it takes criminal actions. Casey is equally intelligent as Frank was when he was a boy and suddenly Casey discovers tomorrowland when she is contacted by the same young girl who once drafted Frank. This young girls name is Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and is partly why this movie is so great!
Older Frank is played by George Clooney and although he only delivers what’s needed for the role, the others are well picked and they perform greatly! Raffey Cassidy is an impressive little actor who will go far in this industry by the measurement from this performance. (Ok, it’s not an Oscar-type performance but somehow she caught my attention.)
The evil counterpart in the movie – Nix – is played by Hugh Laurie, and his acting is perhaps on par with George Clooney, but the heroes of this movie are the younger actors for sure and although the young Frank Walker only gets limited screen time, the performance is exactly what the movie needed to get going.
No more spoilers but it’s a well made movie (in its category) with both funny and serious references, and way better than I thought Disney could churn out these days.
IMDB has the movie categorised as action, adventure and family. I would rather put it in the drama category – together with a bit of comedy – but since it’s a Disney production, expect some sadness during the ending.
The movie didn’t score too well on IMDB. In fact it only got 6.5 – which I think is a tad low because it’s well made, has some sort of message but let’s not forget that it’s a movie about a child’s fantasy come true! – and this must be worth something?
My boys loved the funnier parts of the movie and so did I. It didn’t feel like a Disney movie at all, and that’s perhaps why we liked it?
I give it 3 out of 5 as a “feelgood” family movie and a hope that we see Raffey Cassidy in other movies in the future. Is she a new Chloë Grace Moretz? Who knows…
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