Movie · 2015 · Adventure, Family, Mystery, Science Fiction · 2h 10m · PG · English
Curator score: 1.4/10 (410.3K ratings)
Imagine a place where nothing is impossible.
Overview
Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."
Ratings
Curator score: 1.4/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.71/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Brad Bird
Production
Walt Disney Pictures, A113
Cast
Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Hugh Laurie, Tim McGraw, Chris Bauer, Shiloh Nelson, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Robinson, Pierce Gagnon, Matthew MacCaull, Judy Greer, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Michael Giacchino, D. Harlan Cutshall, Xantha Radley, David Nykl, Paul McGillion, Pearce Visser
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
An ambitious, sincerely optimistic sci-fi adventure with striking visuals and a strong sense of wonder, but it’s also uneven, overstuffed, and thematically blunt. It has enough invention and heart to interest fans of big-idea blockbusters, even if the execution doesn’t fully land.
Best for
viewers who like hopeful, retro-futurist sci-fi
fans of family-friendly adventure with big concepts
Brad Bird admirers
people who enjoy earnest, idea-driven blockbusters
Skip if
you need tight plotting and clean payoff
you dislike movies that lecture their audience
you want a consistently playful tone
you’re allergic to corporate-feeling blockbuster messaging
Overview
Tomorrowland is the kind of studio movie that reaches for something bigger than itself. It wants to be a rallying cry for curiosity, invention, and optimism, and for stretches it really works: the production design sparkles, the premise has genuine lift, and the movie’s faith in youthful imagination is refreshing in a cynical era.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film keeps tripping over its own ambition. The storytelling is cluttered, the rules are murky, and the third act drains some of the magic by turning the movie into a sermon. Still, even its misfires are interesting because they come from a place of conviction rather than cynicism.
Bottom line
If you respond to big-hearted, slightly awkward sci-fi that swings for the fences, there’s a lot to admire here. If you want a smooth, fully satisfying adventure, this is likely to feel frustratingly half-formed.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe (2.5★) · 1121 likes
So close to being good at every turn. It's just slightly off. It's like a Disney Channel movie with an unlimited budget. Beautifully optimistic but nonsensical.
Lucy 🏳️⚧️ 🏳🌈 (4★) · 1098 likes
A 2.7 average rating.
Am I missing something? Am I dumb? Am I out of touch? Am I ahead of the times? Am I behind the times? Am I a part of any time at all?
An achingly sincere, optimistic, passionate, ambitious, and lovingly-made ode to the resilience and creativity of the human spirit told through an adventurous, campy, retro sci-fi lens??
GIVE ME MORE OF THIS PLEASE!!!
Todd Gaines (3★) · 483 likes
Are you a dreamer, or a non-believer? Do you have hope, or do you live in despair? Are you an optimist, or a pessimist? Is the glass half full, or half empty? Do you like Coke, or Pepsi? What if you could travel to a world that was full of endless possibilities? Would you seize the moment? Would you make a difference? For Casey Newton, a teenage girl with a rebellious streak, nothing is impossible. She still sees the good,… more Are you a dreamer, or a non-believer? Do you have hope, or do you live in despair? Are you an optimist, or a pessimist? Is the glass half full, or half empty? Do you like Coke, or Pepsi? What if you could travel to a world that was full of endless possibilities? Would you seize the moment? Would you make a difference? For Casey Newton, a teenage girl with a rebellious streak, nothing is impossible. She still sees the good,… more
Matt Singer (2.5★) · 277 likes
The best argument for TOMORROWLAND is its release date; one week after MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, a film about a world destroyed by an oil war, and a week before SAN ANDREAS, in which an apocalyptic earthquake destroys half of North America. Less a blockbuster action film than a stern but well-intentioned lecture accompanied by an elaborate audiovisual presentation, TOMORROWLAND argues that rampant cynicism is actively poisoning our future. People become so convinced by movies like MAD MAX and SAN… more The best argument for TOMORROWLAND is its release date; one week after MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, a film about a world destroyed by an oil war, and a week before SAN ANDREAS, in which an apocalyptic earthquake destroys half of North America. Less a blockbuster action film than a stern but well-intentioned lecture accompanied by an elaborate audiovisual presentation, TOMORROWLAND argues that rampant cynicism is actively poisoning our future. People become so convinced by movies like MAD MAX and SAN… more
matt lynch (3★) · 255 likes
Simultaneously a jaunty, wide-eyed paean to gee-whiz optimism and sticktuitiveness and a weirdly scold-y piece of corporate quasi-propaganda about our collective failure to bring about an Objectivist utopia. Brad Bird's perfect free market of intrinsic greatness gives me the willies.
A heartfelt, visually inventive story about wonder, empathy, and choosing hope over fear, with the same emotional sincerity that powers the best parts of Tomorrowland.
2004 · Action, Adventure, Animation · 1h 55m · PG · Curator 8.9/10 (3.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus
Shares a director and a love of kinetic, idea-rich blockbuster storytelling, while balancing family dynamics, invention, and comic-book-scale adventure more cleanly.
For viewers drawn to big questions, human aspiration, and the emotional side of scientific curiosity, this is a more elegant and moving companion piece.
1977 · Science Fiction, Drama · 2h 17m · PG · Curator 8.0/10 (558.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Peacock Premium, TCM, Peacock Premium Plus
A classic of awe and wonder that treats mystery as a spiritual experience, making it a natural fit for audiences who like Tomorrowland’s sense of possibility.