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Tomorrowland Blu-ray Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

When Tomorrowland was first announced, Disney was big on promises and short on details. Could Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and George Clooney be enough to put butts in the seats? If the House of Mouse wanted to recoup the $190 million budget, they were going to need a lot of butts. Alas, Tomorrowland was sort of a summer flop.

The lack of plot detail certainly wasn't helping things. After watching the film, I'm convinced that it had nothing to do with shrouding the film in secrecy. I just think wrapping up this entire movie into a promo paragraph is nearly impossible. Take a peek at Disney's synopsis:

Dreamers wanted... Disney invites you to an incredible world of epic imagination where anything is possible. Buckle your seat belt, as the director of The Incredibles takes your family on an action-packed thrill ride.

Join former boy genius Frank (George Clooney), optimistic, science-minded teen Casey (Britt Robertson), mysterious Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and the brilliant David Nix (Hugh Laurie) in a world of pure Disney imagination.
Tomorrowland transports you on an inspiring and magical journey of wonder and adventure to a place where if you can dream it, you can do it.

Tomorrowland-still.jpg
Britt Robertson searches for the truth and a little adventure in "Tomorrowland." Photo: Disney.

The above says absolutely nothing, right? Let's see if we can break it down...

The film kicks off at the 1964 New York World's Fair, with a young Frank Walker (Thomas Robinson) showing an unimpressed David Nix (Laurie) his jet pack invention. A young girl named Athena (Cassidy), on the other hand, is very interested. She hands him a magical pin with a "T" on it.

Flash forward to Casey Newton (Robertson), the rebellious daughter of a NASA engineer (Tim McGraw). After getting arrested for tampering with a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, she finds the exact same pin amongst her belongings. The thing about the pin is that it can transport recipients to a magical place called Tomorrowland. Casey is obsessed, until the pin runs out of power. Then with Athena's help, she goes in search of the grown-up Frank (Clooney) to find answers -- and a portal back into that special, futuristic place.

It sounds pretty cut and dry, but there is so much more to this movie, including robots, founding fathers, a steampunk rocket, and the end of the world.

Bird co-wrote Tomorrowland with Damon Lindelof, who is best known for Lost. In other words, you know there's going to be twists, turns, and some insanity. Tomorrowland pushes for a better future, more creativity, and individuality. This is a good thing, but sometimes it pushes a little too much -- and, at 130 minutes, a little too long.

Want to get a peek at a past interpretation of this movie? Check out Chris Boylan's theatrical review of Tomorrowland.

The Picture

Disney didn't spend $190 million on this film to have it look bad. The 2.20:1 transfer is downright gorgeous. Right from the first few seconds of the movie, between George Clooney's salt-and-pepper stubble to the texture on the jet pack, you know you're in for a slew of visual treats. The movie has an excellent color palette, which is most enjoyable when the film goes to Tomorrowland. The detail is extremely impressive as well, whether focused on Athena's freckles, the texture of Casey's jacket, the many decaptiated robotos, or the rocket launches. It's absolutely fun to watch.

The Sound

Jet packs, explosions, rockets, rain, and It's a Small World; this DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is a perfect match to the visual portion of this movie. The dialogue is always clear and Michael Giacchino's thrilling score mixes well with the action. However, the film is bursting with special effects with the type of directionality that will keep you looking over your shoulder.

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The Extras

Tomorrowland features a decent selection of extras, but don't expect any real revelations here. There are faux shorts with David Nix and the proprietors of Blast From The Past, deleted scenes, trailers, and two Brad Bird Production Diaries. "Remembering The Future" has seven minutes with Bird and Damon Lindelof talking about space and specifically how Disney and NASA influenced the production. Raffey Cassidy, Britt Robertson and George Clooney appear as well. There are also featurettes to cover the casting and the score, as well as "The Origins of Plus Ultra." This animated short provides a little background on the movie in 3.5 minutes. It's available as a stand-alone extra, but there's even an option to watch it as part of the main feature.

Final Thoughts

The first two-thirds of Tomorrowland are an awesome, family-friendly sci-fi adventure that will keep you guessing, as well as entertained. However, it sort of falls apart once the film gets preachy and predictable. That said, it's definitely the type of movie you'll want to watch on Blu-ray. The action, the visuals, and the riveting soundtrack make Tomorrowland worth checking out -- maybe not today, but definitely at some point.


Product Details

  • Actors: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key
  • Director: Brad Bird
  • Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Portuguese, Spanish), DVS 2.0 (English)
  • Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Rating: PG
  • Studio: Disney
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 13, 2015
  • Run Time: 130 minutes
  • List Price: $35.99
  • Extras:
    • Remembering The Future: A Personal Journey Through Tomorrowland With Brad Bird
    • Casting Tomorrowland
    • A Great Big Beautiful Scoring Session
    • The World of Tomorrow Science Hour - Hosted By Futurologist David Nix
    • Animated Short: The Origins of Plus Ultra
    • Brad Bird Production Diarie
    • Blast From The Past Commercial
    • Deleted Scenes With Filmmaker Introductions
    • Standard-Def DVD
    • Digital Copy

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