The Tomorrow War has been a long time coming, but caught in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie went from a planned theatrical release courtesy of Paramount Pictures to becoming another title sold off to a streaming service (in this case, Amazon Prime Video, where it will debut tomorrow, July 2). If any of that sounds to you like it might be a sign this sci-fi adventure starring Chris Pratt is a disaster, then you’d be wrong, because director Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie) delivers an exciting, inventive, and surprisingly heartwarming movie that exceeds expectations and proves to be a solid platform for Pratt to stretch his leading man chops beyond the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
When time-travellers arrive in the present day to warn of an impending alien invasion, civilians are drafted to go and fight this future war in a bid to turn the tide and make sure humanity survives. They’re returned home after a set period of time, but that involves having to actually survive, and it’s not long until Pratt’s Dan Forester is forced to return to frontlines he left behind years earlier in an effort to make sure his daughter has a world she can grow up in. It’s an interesting concept and one that actually manages to do something new with time travel for the most part. There are certainly quite a few tropes, and you’ll likely see at least one big twist coming a mile off, but that doesn’t hurt The Tomorrow War as much as you might think, especially when the execution is handled so well. With enough fresh ideas to ensure that this never feels like too much of a retread, the movie delivers some fun surprises and dials up the intensity to a point where you never really get time to catch your breath.
Pratt is so likeable that getting invested in Dan’s story isn’t remotely difficult, and he’s on top form as a man with a mission to not just save his daughter, but potentially all of mankind. While Betty Gilpin is sadly relegated to the thankless role of “devoted wife at home,” Yvonne Strahovski is a badass, tough-as-nails lead who proves herself every bit the action star here. We’ve known that for a while thanks to Chuck, of course, but it’s a blast to see the one-time Captain Marvel fan-favourite show her tough as nails side on a much bigger platform. J.K. Simmons is, of course, excellent, and seems to be revelling in getting to dive headfirst into a sci-fi world like this one. Sam Richardson is great, and while most of the supporting cast tends to fade into the background, there’s a strong enough core cast to help make this world one we’d love to revisit down the line (the young Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who also makes an impact in Black Widow, is a talent worth keeping an eye on, however).
When it comes to blockbuster action, The Tomorrow War never disappoints and it’s another of those movies meant for the big screen that, as a result, brings the theatrical experience to streaming. The aliens look terrific and are surprisingly frightening at times, while there are enough edge of your seat set pieces to ensure you actually put your phone down and get caught up in what’s happening (which tends to be easier said than down while watching a movie from the comfort of home).
Ultimately, as fun as the sci-fi and time-travel elements prove to be - and they are a riot thanks to the movie not taking itself too seriously - it’s the themes of family and parenthood that really strike a chord. The role a father plays in the child’s life proves to be crucial to the plot and is handled in a superb fashion as the story plays out. It’s hard to talk too much about that side of things without getting into spoilers, but Dan’s trip to the future proves to be an eye-opening experience, and one that helps set up an explosive final act that ensures the movie packs as strong an emotional punch as it does an action one. By the time the credits roll, something tells us you’ll be fully on board with this world and likely hoping that there’s another Tomorrow War (The Day After Tomorrow War, perhaps?).
The Tomorrow War shatters expectations, and despite hitting a few familiar notes along the way, this surprisingly emotional action-packed blockbuster proves to be a fun ride and one that showcases the talents of Chris Pratt and Yvonne Strahovski.