Film Review – The Tomorrow War (2021)

To some, Pratt is the loveable Andy Dwyer from Parks and Recreation; to others, he is the aforementioned voice of plastic character Emmet in both Lego movies; but to many, he is the strangely creepy Jim from 2016’s woefully misjudged engers. Oh, and some dude called Star-Lord – no idea. Whatever your choice of fighter, there’s much more to the actor than meets the eye so it’s something of a shame that The Tomorrow War – his latest bombastic, dizzying extravaganza – finds him on familiar ground, even if some of the inner workings are a little different. Despite the obvious flaws of the aforementioned sci-fi film opposite Jennifer Lawrence, it allowed Pratt to step out of his usual personas to some degree and tackle something meatier, more grounded than his usual cocktail allows.

Here, he plays Dan Forester, a veteran-turned-science teacher and caring father and husband (Glow’s Yvonne Strahovski) calling the shots in the future.

If all that sounds vaguely familiar it’s because it is – heck, most time travel films borrow from each other, just look how many films were quoted by the Avengers in Endgame – but The Tomorrow War borrows most of its best stuff from many that have gone before. That isn’t to say the film isn’t a blast because, for much of it, it’s an energetic, ferocious dose of summer entertainment that combines many elements that make for a successful stay-out-the-sun blockbuster thanks to Chris McKay’s chaotic, dizzying direction and some absorbing if hollow set-pieces that, too, seemed ripped from a video game.

Be it Aliens, Independence Day, even A Quiet Place, The Thing, and countless more, they all make cameo appearances here and while we know that plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery, things could have been a little less on the nose. Still, it’s hard not to get a strange kick out of The Tomorrow War, and while some of its deeper meanings – of the US government’s treatment of veterans or of the deep-seated fears of fatherhood – get lost in the mayhem, the ride is plenty exciting enough.

★★★

sci-fi, action | USA, 2021 | 12A | 2nd July 2021 | Amazon Prime Video | Dir.Chris McKay | Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons , Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Edwin Hodge