Directed by Chris McKay
Starring – Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J K Simmons, Sam Richardson, Betty Gilpin and Jasmine Mathews
Synopsis – There is a battle being fought in the future. National conscription becomes mandatory and Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is teaching science. Soon the fate of a world will be resting on his shoulders, as humanity threatens to be overrun.
Something needs to be said before we move on; The Tomorrow War is two hours thirty minutes long. However, audiences should not be put off, as screenwriter Zach Dean keeps things moving swiftly whilst underpinning the action with an emotional core. Couple that with Chris Pratt, who hasn’t hit form like this since Guardians of the Galaxy and Amazon have reason to celebrate.
In truth The Tomorrow War combines so many film references and genre tropes effectively, that name checking them feels redundant. It owes much to Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow in pitting humanity against an insurmountable force, yet weaves in elements of The Terminator as well. This large scale human drama with Cloverfield levels of threat, features a creature that will induce nightmares in younger viewers, yet manages to retain a real sense of depth alongside that.
Zach Dean establishes the strong family unit, fractured paternal relationship and pivotal dilemma early, before letting Chris Pratt do the rest. To his credit Dan Forester and his wife Emmy, played by Betty Gilpin, feel genuinely complex, while his dynamic with J.K Simmons as father James, is a masterclass in dysfunction. Both men seem to be having a ball bouncing off each other in their fractious scenes together.
That The Tomorrow War switches gears from family drama to action film, before segueing into sci-fi with full blown Alien overtones has led some to say it lacks focus. There is no doubting the ambition on screen and its desire to convey big screen action within a blockbuster format. There are comic asides which alleviate tension, tangible on screen relationships and a real sense of loss when events go sideways. However, this chameleon like quality should be viewed as a strength rather than anything detrimental.
There are genre tropes everywhere you look, but they are done well and delivered with passion. Yvonne Strahovski is solid opposite Chris Pratt and adapts well as emotions replaces action beats later on. To his credit the latter also manages to convince without his trademark sarcasm and even throws in some self-deprecation. That is why The Tomorrow War works as both a balls to the wall action film and family drama simultaneously.
Stand outs beyond the principal players include Sam Richardson’s Charlie, who is a cross between Tracy Morgan and Craig Robertson. Elsewhere Jasmine Mathews fully exploits her screentime as Lieutenant Hart, who never spares the rod in her opening scenes opposite Dan Forester. In all fairness there are no weak links in this Amazon original, which only adds to the inherent polish of a film with old school values.
Composer Lorne Balfe, who also tackled Marvel’s Black Widow, establishes musical themes and leans into the inherent bombast without diminishing emotional impact. As a result, Larry Wong’s cinematography gains an additional level of poignancy, whether those images depict suburban normality or a wasteland of war torn buildings. Meaning that those two and a half hours pass quickly and remind audiences what Chris Pratt can do; given the right material.
The Tomorrow War is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.