Tomorrowland

Rated 3.0

The future is a little confusing and convoluted, but kind of cool anyway, in director-writer Brad Bird's (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) interesting enough ode to one of Disney's most popular park attractions. Boy genius Frank Walker (Thomas Robinson) and his jetpack attend the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, New York, during a wonderful sequence that recreates the legendary event. After sparring with the curator of an invention contest (Hugh Laurie), the despondent boy winds up on a bench sulking, only to be given a special pin by a mysterious young girl named Athena (the absolutely incredible Raffey Cassidy). The action cuts to years later, when that same girl gives a pin to teenager Casey (Britt Robertson). The pin, when touched, transports Casey to a seemingly future land where invention is encouraged. Casey eventually winds up with a grown Frank (George Clooney), and they travel back to Tomorrowland to save our world. The script was co-written by Lost and Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof, so, naturally, all of the dots don't seem to be connected. Lindelof can be a little ambiguous, even confusing at times, but he's always interesting. If you like your movies tied up in a nice little bow, the works of Lindelof are not for you. As for me, I have a fun time trying to figure his stuff out, even if I don't come up with all of the answers.