The Tomorrow War review: A drab Edge of Tomorrow clone
While his Avengers teammates might have struggled to find success outside of Marvel, Chris Pratt seems to be bucking the trend. Making big box office as the star of the Jurassic World and Lego Movie franchise, there’s more than Star-Lord to the actor’s CV. He attempts to add to that record with The Tomorrow War, a big budget sci-fi originally intended for cinemas but acquired by Amazon.
He plays Dan Forester, a military vet-turned-school teacher who feels unfulfilled by his life. A quiet Christmas is interrupted by the soldiers from the future arriving on the pitch at the Qatar World Cup Final (no, really). Their message – thirty years from now, humanity is on the brink of extinction from a deadly alien threat. Outnumbered, they need to draft people from the past to fight for the future. Called up for service, Dan must draw upon his skills to fight this incredible enemy, and call upon family to find a way to stop them once and for all.
Even in a genre as exhausted as sci-fi, it’s a pretty novel idea. It’s a shame the execution is so off-target. From the characterisation to the horrendous dialogue (“you and me, we’re gonna save this world… TOGETHER!”), everything is lacking. Even the complex action scenes are spoiled by hysterical editing, with Pratt screaming in slo-mo as he fires from his machine gun, and melodramatic sacrifices just when all looks lost.
Taking clear inspiration from Edge of Tomorrow, the story forgets to add any characters that are likeable. Soldiers from the future are dour and robotic, existing only to set the time travel rules and fill in plot holes. Yvonne Strahovski turns up as a face from Dan’s future, creating a plutonic dynamic that makes the on-screen relationship awkward and flat. J. K. Simmons bookends the film as Dan’s abrasive, estranged father, who doesn’t seem to click with his co-star at all.
Pratt is set up as the world-saving Tom Cruise figure, and does ok in the circumstances. His cocky charm doesn’t fit the film’s sombre, end-of-the world tone, and he doesn’t have the chops to make the dramatic scenes impactful. There are certainly worse choices for an action hero, but he can’t save us from a film that drags us screaming through a bloated running time.
There are plus sides. McKay doesn’t overthink the aliens, presenting them as predators who have no desire for power or wealth – “we’re food, and they are hungry” as Strahovski puts it. Looking like paler, meatier versions of the beasts from A Quiet Place, they pepper in some peril in between the endless exposition.
A ludicrous series of coincidences make up the third act as this muddled and expensive action flick wheezes to a conclusion. Amazon’s fire sale purchases during the pandemic have resulted in pretty forgettable fare – anyone still thinking about Coming 2 America or Without Remorse? It’s likely The Tomorrow War will vanish into our algorithms just as quickly.
The Tomorrow War is available on Amazon Prime Video from 2nd July