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The Tomorrow War
(Amazon Studios/Paramount Pictures/Skydance)
By Lucas Allen
Streaming only on Amazon Prime Video, “The Tomorrow War” is what happens when you take every bit of influence in the science fiction genre, put them in a blender, mix it well and add explosions to the cocktail. The end result can be described as a junk food slushie, which actually compliments the hot summer season for moviegoers everywhere. Animation director Chris McKay (“The LEGO Batman Movie”) leaps into the action for his live-action directorial debut with all the toys giving to him to have fun with.
During a Christmas soccer game in the year 2022, an army of soldiers enters through a timestream announcing they’re from 30 years into the future. They arrived at the present time looking for volunteers to help them in their war against mysterious creatures called the White Spikes. A year goes by and volunteers become scarce to the point the U.S. government implements a worldwide draft. One of those drafted is ex-soldier-turned-high school teacher Dan Forrester (Chris Pratt), who lives a decent life with his wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin) and young daughter Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), but has an estranged relationship with his Vietnam vet father James (J.K. Simmons).
Once at base, he meets others in his unit, including scientist Charlie (Sam Richardson) and veteran future soldier Dorian (Edwin Hodge) on his third tour. But before they can get acquainted, they quickly leaped forward to 2053 right into the middle of a war zone. Now Dan and his fellow men and women will have to quickly use their instincts and wits to fight this war and save the future. Along the way, he meets his now-grown daughter Muri (Yvonne Strahovski), who’s now a scientist working on a toxin that could destroy the monsters.
When you watch the movie, you’ll get the sense that the screenwriter Zach Dean has structured the plot with references to other big hit movies of the genre. You get everything with time travel, 1950s science-fiction, 1980s sci-fi tributes, “Alien,” “Predator,” “War of the Worlds,” “Starship Troopers,” and the list go on. Dean certainly has fun crafting the story and genre buffs might get a kick out of it. However, the constant referencing can wear out its welcome for some viewers by the start of the third act.
But if story doesn’t matter to you and you just want some action, then this film has a lot of stuff blowing up and alien goo to keep your mind occupied for over two hours. The battle scenes are very kinetic, but not too hard to follow. The funniest part is watching future soldiers in street clothes shooting ammo at the monsters like it’s straight out of the “Call of Duty” commercials. While some action scenes could’ve been trimmed to make the film more even paced, it still leads to a climax that not only take the sci-fi references to the extreme, but does lead to a satisfying payoff. Even though this is not in theaters, this movie all-in-all gets your money’s worth for summer movie madness.
Leading a solid cast, Pratt has both the Hollywood magnetism and likable charm to help carry this film. While this role is nothing new for him, he managed to work up a very good performance especially during his dramatic scenes. The other actors do their job well as does Simmons in a limited role in which he looks like he’s trying to be in the next Expendables movie.
As described already, “The Tomorrow War” has all the summer action you want right at home. It’s certainly entertaining to say the least, but with all the endless sci-fi references with no shortage of chaotic action, this movie is the definition of the phrase “your mileage may vary” when looking for something to watch.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and some suggestive references)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3 Stars (Out of Four)
