Rating of
2.5/4
Pratt is Back to a Fun but Predictable Future
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/09/21
A fine summer sci-fi flick full of monstrous aliens, questionable science and big-name stars - The Tomorrow War is like the fireworks you buy for the Fourth of July - big, loud and utterly disposable... yet still worth the money.
Take one part Live, Die Repeat, one part Starship Troopers, add in a dash Independence Day and a healthy amount of Chris Pratt and you have yourself a heaping helping of sci-fi adventure (and possibly a franchise if rumors are true). Pratt is war veteran turned teacher struggling to find the right fit. He is a family man with a loving wife and daughter - but his (and the rest of the) world is about to be turned upside down after the arrival of a group of soldiers from the future.
It turns out that future Earth is under attack by an alien threat - and mankind is losing the battle. In order to save the future generation, they need help from the current one. It doesn't take long for the mightiest armies to rally together - and get utterly destroyed - and soon civilians are tasked with supplementing the military. Pratt is marked for being not only a soldier, but a pretty smart guy as well, and he needs to help find a way to stop the aliens from a scientific perspective but a rough landing puts him and a rag-tag team smack in the middle of where they don't want to be. Needless to say much chaos, death and menacing-looking alien attacks ensue.
We soon learn that the future is about to get much, much worse - as the aliens have almost completely wiped out what little resistance remains, including most of the last science team. But a remarkably capable colonel is not about to give up and, wouldn't you know it - just happens to be Pratt's grown-up and badass daughter (Yvonne Strahovski). But far from a happy family reunion, there is tension between the two as Pratt wants to know about how things turned out - including his death - even as they try to track down the alien queen to procure the samples they need in order to wipe out the alien threat.
Relationships are a big part of The Tomorrow War when our heroes aren't out fighting aliens. Pratt and Strahovski are one, so are Pratt and J.K. Simmons, who plays his estranged father. There is even a nice buddy-buddy thing going on with fellow soldier (and comic relief) Charlie (Sam Richardson) who seems like the complete wrong person to be sending on a nearly-assured suicide mission to the future, but somehow survives. At least it grounds the film somewhat and gives some emotion to the action-heavy proceedings.
Of course there is a twist on how the "aliens" arrived on Earth - and it comes down to one, final crucial mission (that this introduces a paradox on the whole time travel element is just best not to think about). Oh, and also volcano trivia comes into play and makes for one of the best scenes in the film. Hey, if you can't relieve a little tension while saving the world - why even try?
While some question the alien design, I actually thought they did a pretty good job of creating a suitable threat - teeth, claws, speed and hive intelligence - those are not creatures I would like to run into in a dark alley at night (or, well, even in broad daylight). I'm not sure how sound any of the actual science is in this film - but you don't watch something like this for realistic lessons in quantum physics or genetics or anything else. You watch this to relax and have fun - and it delivers on that note.
While The Tomorrow War doesn't exactly try anything all that original, it is at least a nice summer treat. Perfect for winding down after a long day when you need a break.
