I’m not sure what to think of Tomorrowland.

From the initial trailers, I was super excited to see it. They did a fabulous job of hooking my interest and showing just enough to intrigue me. Based on what I knew, I went in anticipating a cool movie that would be unlike anything I’d seen.

In an environment where superheroes and action movies reign supreme, Tomorrowland is a weird addition to the club, the new kid on the block, as it were.

And it deals with time travel and extra dimensions. What’s not to love, right?

But did it fulfill my expectations?

(We’ve now reached the part of the program where it’s my dutiful obligation to say that yes, there are spoilers.)

The Story

One of the more interesting things about Tomorrowland was the original storyline. It didn’t remind me of anything I’d seen before, and with the abundance of movies that follow the same patterns, the differences were like a cool breeze on a hot afternoon.

Starting with Frank and Casey narrating and then jumping back to Frank’s childhood was a risk, and even though they tied it back in at the end, I could have done without it. Because of what I knew from the trailers, the beginning distracted me more than adding anything—until Frank ended up in Tomorrowland.

There were some cool twists and nice surprises along the way, but nothing as spectacular as I hoped. I will say that the presence of the clock ticking down to earth’s impending destruction added a touch of tension.

One of the weaknesses was the absence of any deep or relevant characterization. They had their quirks but lacked anything that set them apart and made them intrinsically fascinating.

The Not-So-Subtle Message

This is where it started going downhill. Don’t get me wrong. I thought there were some good takeaways.

• Caring about our future
• Following your dreams
• Keeping hope no matter what

But really, bringing the entire emphasis back to global warming? It felt like a lame save-the-world message that had Hollywood stamped all over it in flashing neon letters.

Granted, it fit nicely into the story arc, but when themes slap me across the face like that, bereft of tact or skillful handling, they go from something with promise to an irritating buzz that detracts from the story.

Ultimately, it left me with the impression of a propaganda push instead of a penetrating theme.

The Cool Factor

By far and away, the strength of Tomorrowland was what I’m going to term the cool factor—something that’s hard to put your finger on, unlike a gripping plot or vibrant characters. I like movies that have all the necessary parts, but what I really love are movies that let my imagination soar.

During the moving, my imagination was like a kid in Disneyland, soaking up all the cool sights.

• The futuristic setting
• Extra dimensions
• An entrance to a hidden world at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York
• A pin that takes you to another place by touching it—come on, that rocks

Without this, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the movie nearly as much. For all the relatively weak features running rampant, this was a solid pillar that upheld an otherwise lackluster movie.

Like or Laugh?

Both. It was entertaining and it stimulated my writing alter ego. Then again, it didn’t blow my socks off or leave a lasting impression. Based on my high expectations from the trailers, the movie was a letdown.

It was good, not great.

Fun, but frustrating.

Probing, but in the wrong direction.

What did you think of Tomorrowland? I would love to hear your thoughts.