The Tomorrow War review
Sign me up all day for the latest Marvel Studios, Fast and Furious and John Wick project, but there’s something undeniably fun about a fresh, original project. The Tomorrow War is going to fit the sweet spot for sci-fi fans looking for the next Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow or Looper.
On a random December day in 2022, a group of soldiers led by Lt. Hart (Jasmine Mathews) emerge from a portal based in the future with a simple request. Help us fight off alien invaders or the future of your children and grandchildren will no longer exist. World governments are surprisingly quick to take action and institute a planetary draft. This isn’t the standard draft class.
Most of the new soldiers have zero combat experience and with little time for training, their odds of surviving the first day are low. The good news is the draftees only have to spend seven days in this nightmarish future before getting ported back home. Dan Forester (Chris Pratt, Avengers: Endgame) is among the latest draftees.
A school teacher, who served a combat stint, Dan is just as reluctant to go wage a war in the future as anyone. Dan doesn’t want to leave behind his wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin, GLOW) and young daughter, Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, It Chapter Two). Briefly, Dan considers getting help from his tech savvy, fellow ex-soldier father (J.K. Simmons, Invincible) to evade the draft, but he’d rather go to war than reconcile with his absentee parent.
After witnessing the carnage she unleashed in The Hunt, Gilpin actually would have been a tremendous addition to the future fighting force. She handles the part of loving wife and mother just fine although she really could have been utilized more in an active role.
Director Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie) immediately sets expectations high with an incredible opening sequence with Dan’s unit being ported in to a war zone. This kickoff action sequence definitely has an Aliens vibe to it. McKay draws out the alien reveal for maximum suspense and when they get their close up, they look fittingly terrifying.
The creature design team did a fantastic job with the Alien3 style albino visual with flaying tentacles that fire off bullet-like projectiles. This first fight is no joke as it’s so intense, dramatic and epically staged that it would be the final fight in most movies.
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It would have been easy to just stay in that easy humans vs. aliens comfort zone with one massive firefight after another, but screenwriter Zach Dean, 24 Hours to Live) adds some welcome personal touches. This is what takes The Tomorrow War from mindless — yet incredible — carnage entertainment to a special film.
Dan gets re-assigned to work with the colonel from Romeo Command, (Yvonne Strahovski, Batman: Bad Blood), who has a special potential war ending assignment for him. Strahvoski delivers exceptionally well with this performance as the kick-tail leader who’s burdened with humanity’s survival from her research facility.
Pratt isn’t exactly acting outside of his wheelhouse, but it’s the kind of charismatic, funny enough lead hero role that Tom Cruise has thrived in for decades. Thirty years from now when Cruise retires, Pratt is building his resume to be the future generation’s most reliable action star.
Change in the sci-fi genre can be slow, but The Tomorrow War does a much better job with character diversity. Minority performers make up at least half, if not more, of the cast with speaking roles in addition to background players.
Sam Richardson (Veep) navigates the most challenging role as scientist Charlie. Richardson has to avoid making Charlie the faithful minority sidekick to Dan while providing comic relief without venturing into slapstick territory. For a more lighthearted character, Charlie has some pain and further trauma from fighting in the war.
Edwin Hodge (Bumblebee) also has a sizable role as draftee that continues re-upping to return to the future. Simmons, as always, is great as the gruff (and buff!) father looking to have a place in his son’s life.
Limiting the action to big showcase moments allows McKay to create elaborate battle sequences. The locations for the battles aren’t just the standard tattered city backdrops, which makes for some fascinating settings that aren’t the norm for the genre.
Beauchamp Fontaine crafts some impressive set designs with towering structures and levels to get overrun by the aliens.
At two hours and 20 minutes, this isn’t a short film, but the way it keeps subverting expectations and adjusts to become a different kind of blockbuster avoids the need to check the clock.
Amazon Studios has been in search of that big, buzzworthy blockbuster to steer viewers away from Netflix and Disney+.
It might not need to look towards the future anymore as The Tomorrow War is sci-fi action extravaganza that should be on audience’s viewing list if they’re looking for some excitement over the extended holiday weekend.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios