I have to say, I enjoyed Chris Pratt in The Tomorrow War. But I also have to say, it wasn’t a very original story.
The Tomorrow War (2021) starring Chris Pratt
As I say, I enjoyed The Tomorrow War. Chris Pratt — really the entire cast — do an excellent job. They present characters that the audience cares about. And even mourn for, when some of them die. But the story itself seems like a hodgepodge of other movies.
Synopsis
The Tomorrow War begins when, from 30 years in the future, Earth is being overrun by monstrous alien invaders. And humanity is being beaten … badly. Most of them have been killed. So, in a last-ditch effort, they use time machines to reach back to the present day, and ask the governments of the world to send troops to the future. They do so, but it’s still a losing battle. But protagonist Dan Forester returns to the present, with a clue as to what he can do to prevent the war in the first place.
Questions I had while watching The Tomorrow War
- How did these alien creatures manage to pilot space ships? They seem almost like mindless beasts. (answered later in the movie)
- If Dan uses knowledge from the future to prevent the invasion, doesn’t that create a paradox? If there’s no future war, he’s not brought to the future, etc. and can’t save it. (unanswered)
Where have I seen this before?
As I say, it’s not a dreadfully original premise. We’ve seen:
- Alien killing machines in Alien / Aliens / It! The Terror from Beyond Space, among many others
- Changing the present to save the future (The Time Travelers, Heroes TV series, multiple Twilight Zone episodes, Avengers: Endgame, etc.)
- More mundane things, such as estranged father, family bonding over the crisis, dysfunctional family dynamics, etc.
Cast of characters
- Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) … Dan Forester
- Yvonne Strahovski (The Predator 2018) … Colonel Muri Forester. Dan’s daughter, grown up and in the midst of the fight to repel the aliens.
- J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man 2002) … James Forester. Dan’s estranged father.
- Betty Gilpin (Isn’t It Romantic) … Emmy Forester. Dan’s wife.
- Sam Richardson (Veep) … Charlie
- Jasmine Mathews (Blue Bloods) … Lt. Hart
- Edwin Hodge … Dorian
- Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Firestarter 2022) … Young Muri Forester. Dan’s daughter in the present day.
- Keith Powers … Major Greenwood
- Mary Lynn Rajskub (Firewall) … Norah
- Mike Mitchell … Cowan
- Jared Shaw (The Terminal List) … Tank
- Alexis Louder … Diablo
- Rose Bianco … Rose
- Seychelle Gabriel … Sgt. Diaz
- Alan Trong … Lt. Tran
- Chibuikem Uche … Lt. Ikemba
- David Maldonado … Dodd
Editorial review of The Tomorrow War courtesy of Amazon.com
Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father to rewrite the planet’s fate.