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The Tomorrow War

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The Tomorrow War
Official release poster
Directed byChris McKay
Written byZach Dean
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLarry Fong
Edited by
Music byLorne Balfe
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release date
  • July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200 million[1]

The Tomorrow War is a 2021 American military science fiction action film directed by Chris McKay in his live-action directorial debut. It is produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, David S. Goyer, Jules Daly, and Adam Kolbrenner, and written by Zach Dean.[2] The film stars Chris Pratt (who also executively produced), Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, and follows a group of present-day soldiers who is sent into the future to fight an alien army.

Originally set for theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, the film's distribution rights were acquired by Amazon Studios due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, who digitally released it on July 2, 2021 via Amazon Prime Video.[3] The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the concept, action and performances but criticism aimed towards its derivative execution.

Plot

In December 2022, biology teacher and former Green Beret, Dan Forester, fails to get a job at a prestigious research center. While he is watching the World Cup at a Christmas party, soldiers from the year 2051 arrive to warn that humanity is on the brink of extinction due to alien invaders: the Whitespikes. In response, members of the world's militaries are sent into the future, but fewer than 20% survive, prompting a world wide draft.

After a year of the draft and a growing anti-war movement, there is little hope for humanity’s survival. Dan receives a notice that he has been drafted and reports with other draftees to basic training. Dan deduces with fellow draftee Charlie that in order to prevent a paradox, those drafted have already died before the war starts.

The draftees are sent forward in time to Miami Beach but few survive, having been dropped in the incorrect location above the city. The draftees are ordered by Colonel Forester to rescue nearby lab personnel before the area is sterilized. The draftees discover the lab personnel dead but recover their research. Dan radios to command about the situation, and is instructed to escape the area. Many of the draftees are killed with only a handful able to reach safety.

The survivors wake up in a military encampment in the Dominican Republic. Dan is asked to report to Colonel Forester, who is his grown daughter Muri. She requests him to accompany her on a mission to capture a female Whitespike, which are rarer than the males typically encountered. They cage the female, only to have hundreds of males descend on their position. As the helicopter with the female lifts off, Dan and Muri escape to a beach and radio for rescue. Dan and Muri are transported to the Jumplink, located on a fortified oil rig in the middle of the ocean.

Dan and his daughter work on a toxin that can kill the captured female. They find a match for killing the aliens, just as they start to breach the base. Dan is able to jump back to the past with the toxin to mass produce it. Dan tries to give the toxin to the military so it can be sent back to the future, but learns that the Jumplink is offline, having been destroyed by the Whitespikes.

Brainstorming with his wife, he deduces that the Whitespikes did not arrive in 2048, but came much earlier. Further research leads him to theorize the Whitespikes are actually already on Earth, and that global warming caused their release when they thawed out and emerged from under the ice caps.

Dan leads a mission to Russia to prove his theory and finds an alien ship in an ice cap. The team debates telling the world about the problem, but decides to end the threat right then and there. Once inside, they realize that the alien ship is not actually a Whitespikes ship, and that the Whitespikes were cargo for the deceased alien crew. They proceed with injecting the dormant Whitespikes with the toxin; this kills those injected but wakes all the remaining Whitespikes. The team successfully blows up the alien ship once they realize it is the only method of containment, but one female escapes. Dan and his father track down the female and are able to kill it in a frenetic battle to the death, preventing the future war from occurring.

Cast

  • Chris Pratt as Dan Forester, a biology teacher and former Green Beret who served two tours in Iraq
  • Yvonne Strahovski as Colonel Muri Forester, Dan's adult daughter
    • Ryan Kiera Armstrong as young Muri Forester
  • J. K. Simmons as James Forester, Dan's father, an anti-government extremist and Vietnam veteran
  • Betty Gilpin as Emmy Forester, Dan's wife and a therapist for returning draftees
  • Sam Richardson as Charlie, a draftee with a PhD in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Edwin Hodge as Dorian, a cancer-stricken draftee on his third tour of duty
  • Jasmine Mathews as Lt. Hart
  • Keith Powers as Major Greenwood

In addition, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Mike Mitchell portray Norah and Cowan, respectively, who sacrifice themselves to save Dan's original team, while Seth Scenall portrays Martin, Dan's student who deduces the thousand-year-old origin and Russian location of the Whitespikes.

Production

It was announced in February 2019 that Chris Pratt was in negotiations to star in the film (then known as Ghost Draft) and that it would be directed by Chris McKay.[4] In July, Yvonne Strahovski was cast.[5] J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Theo Von, Jasmine Mathews, Keith Powers were cast in August,[6][7][8][9][10] with Mary Lynn Rajskub, Edwin Hodge, and additional cast joining in September.[11][12] The movie was later retitled The Tomorrow War.[13] Creature designer Ken Barthelmey designed the film's aliens.[14]

Filming

Filming began on September 1, 2019 in Lincolnton, Georgia, Atlanta and Iceland,[15][16] and wrapped on January 12, 2020.[citation needed]

Release

The film was initially scheduled for release on December 25, 2020 by Paramount Pictures, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was rescheduled to July 23, 2021, taking the release date of Mission: Impossible 7, then later pulled from the schedule again.[17][18][19][20] In January 2021, Amazon Studios was in final talks to acquire the film for around $200 million.[21] In April 2021, it was announced that Amazon had officially acquired the film, and released it on Amazon Prime Video on July 2, 2021.[3]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 55% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Chris Pratt ably anchors this sci-fi adventure, even if The Tomorrow War may not linger in the memory much longer than today."[22] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[23]

Nick Allen at The Playlist gave the film a "B+", writing that "blockbuster movies are often as loud and action-based as The Tomorrow War, but they’re rarely as diverse in tone or so delightfully wild when it comes to in-your-face entertainment." He also called it "bold" and compared McKay's style to that of Michael Bay and Zack Snyder.[24] Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars and wrote, "The Tomorrow War is an earnest effort to bring something new to the time-travel action genre, but this movie is a 2021 vehicle made of parts from the 2010s and the 1990s and 1980s."[25] IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave the film a C grade, writing, "Which isn't to say that The Tomorrow War is bad — it boasts a clever premise, a killer supporting turn from Sam Richardson, and an uncommonly well-defined sense of place for such a murky CGI gloop-fest... But for all of those laudable attributes, this flavorless loss-leader of a film is neutered by its refusal to put audiences on their heels."[1][26] John Defore writing for the Hollywood Reporter wrote that "the pic may be missing that certain something that would have made it huge in theaters" but that it is entertaining on Amazon stream anyway and praised Chris Pratt's acting.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b Ehrlich, David (July 1, 2021). "'The Tomorrow War' Review: A Bland Chris Pratt Fights the Future in Would-Be Amazon Blockbuster". IndieWire. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Tomorrow War". Writers Guild of America West. October 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b D’Alessandro, Anthony (April 7, 2021). "Chris Pratt Sci-Fi Movie 'The Tomorrow War' Sets Summer Release On Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (February 13, 2019). "Chris Pratt in Talks to Star in Science-Fiction Movie 'Ghost Draft'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 18, 2019). "'Handmaid's Tale's' Yvonne Strahovski Joins Chris Pratt in 'Ghost Draft' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (August 19, 2019). "J.K. Simmons in Talks to Join Chris Pratt in Sci-Fi Thriller 'Ghost Draft' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  7. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (August 20, 2019). "'Veep's Sam Richardson Joins Chris Pratt In 'Ghost Draft' Sci-Fi". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 21, 2019). "Stand-Up Comedian Theo Von Joins Chris Pratt In Skydance-Paramount's 'Ghost Draft'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  9. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (August 23, 2019). "'Ghost Draft': 'Sweetbitter' Actress Jasmine Mathews Joins Skydance Sci-Fi Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (August 26, 2019). "'What/If' Actor Keith Powers Joins Chris Pratt in Skydance's 'Ghost Draft' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (September 4, 2019). "Mary Lynn Rajskub, Edwin Hodge Join Chris Pratt in Sci-Fi Thriller 'Ghost Draft' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  12. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 4, 2019). "'Ghost Draft': Paramount/Skydance Sci-Fi Film Adds More To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  13. ^ Gemmill, Allie (November 9, 2019). "Chris Pratt Shares Set Photo & New Title From the Movie Formerly Known as 'Ghost Draft'". Collider. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  14. ^ Berriman, Ian (16 June 2021). "Enlist in The Tomorrow War with the new issue of SFX". Games Radar. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Ghost Draft - Production Listing". Backstage. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Chris Pratt's Next Movie "Ghost Draft" To Film in Atlanta (REPORT)". Project Casting. April 6, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  17. ^ McClintock, Pamela (November 11, 2019). "Chris Pratt's Sci-Fi Thriller 'The Tomorrow War' Lands Christmas 2020 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  18. ^ McClintock, Pamela (April 2, 2020). "'A Quiet Place Part II' Sets New September Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  19. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 2, 2020). "'Top Gun Maverick' Flies To Christmas Corridor, 'SpongeBob' Eyes Late Summer, 'Quiet Place II' To Debut Labor Day". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  20. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 24, 2020). "'Mission: Impossible' Sequels Get Pushed Back". Variety. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 12, 2021). "Chris Pratt's 'The Tomorrow War' Sci-Fi Movie Shopped To Streamers By Skydance; Amazon Eyeing For £1– Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Tomorrow War (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  23. ^ "The Tomorrow War Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  24. ^ "'The Tomorrow War': Chris Pratt Saves The Future In Chris McKay's Creative, Captivating Action Film [Review]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  25. ^ Reoper, Richard (July 1, 2021). "'Tomorrow War' little more than standard-issue action fare". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  26. ^ "'The Tomorrow War Reviews, This is What Critics Are Saying About Chris Pratt's Sci-Fi Movie". mp4hdd.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  27. ^ Defore, John (2 July 2021). "Chris Pratt in 'The Tomorrow War': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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