The Tomorrow War review: Chris Pratt’s time-hopping alien feature is fun but lacks finesse

Despite being riddled with formulaic twists and tropes from previous films of the genre, it’s a welcome break from the confining cinema that audiences have been increasingly treated to, of late,

A still from The Tomorrow War

The Tomorrow War

Smack in the middle of The Tomorrow War, there’s a scene where Dan Forester plunges into the sea flooded by White Spikes – the invasive alien species that look like a cross breed of the monsters of some of the genre’s best (Predator and Alien) – to save a colonel who is linked to his past and future. The arresting frame seems to be straight from Dante’s Inferno. But that’s probably the only time the makers try to pull off an allegory of some sorts in this popcorn sci-fi action film, which is a direct Amazon Prime Video release.

Dan Forester, a former soldier and scientist, is drafted into military service again by a group of soldiers 30 years from the future. The latter travelled back in time to recruit people for a battle in the future against alien species called White Spikes that have wiped more than half the planet’s living beings. Straight after ‘The Jump’, Forester is literally thrown into the battleground with a motley crew of civilians that he must lead. In the course of events, he also uncovers what happens in his future and is pushed to rewrite the fate of his family and the planet.

The Tomorrow War is arguably the first big-budget action juggernaut to find its way to a direct-to-OTT release in India and in terms of entertainment – massive action set pieces, battle scenes and alien creatures – the Chris McKay directorial delivers. In fact, where it does look shaky is when the movie tries to take itself too seriously in the first half and the shoddy special effects for the time jump sequences doesn’t help either. However, the course correction comes as soon as the group pops to the future and the focus shifts to the battle scenes rather than forgettable character development.

It would remind you of Tom Cruise’s far superior Edge of Tomorrow and shades of the father-daughter sequences from Interstellar with time travel being a key element. While The Tomorrow War lacks the finesse of both these movies, it becomes fun in a Michael Bay-esque way when Dan teams up with his estranged and jacked-up dad (JK Simmons) in the movie’s latter half, delivering some logic-defying but enjoyable slobber-knockers. 

The action scenes are what works most for the film even though the makers try to infuse some soul with the relationship between Yvonne Strahovski and Pratt’s characters. Pratt’s easy-going persona lends well to Forester, a caring father who teaches science in high school but decides to serve to protect his family. Strahovski’s character is rather inconsistent, thereby taking away from the emotional core of the film. The jokes too fall flat, in fact a scene where Forester asks some dour-faced soldiers if there aren't jokes in the future almost feels self-referential.

But even without these, The Tomorrow War is an entertaining flick – thanks to the intelligent, leap-frogging aliens that shoot spikes from their tentacles. Despite being riddled with formulaic twists and tropes from previous films of the genre, it’s a welcome break from the confining cinema that audiences have been increasingly treated to, of late. So, crank up that volume, pause the logic and let the aliens run riot in this pulpy summer action-entertainer.  

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Cast and Crew

Eeryn Falk Lubicich

Nic Curtis

Chris TC Edge

Betty Gilpin

Chris Pratt

Garret Elkins

Theo Von

Amere Stewart

Adriana Catalano

Dean Feldman

Shawn Ray Cartel

Jamie Urena

Reese Giles

Bryan Metoyer

Damon LeGrand

Jason m Edwards

Jasmine Mathews

David Ellison

Jules Daly

Adam Kolbrenner

Yvonne Strahovski

Nathan W. Collins

Sam Richardson

J.K. Simmons

James Forester

Seychelle Gabriel

Sgt. Diaz

Mike Mitchell

Edwin Hodge

Dorian

Keith Powers

Major Greenwood

Mike Mitchell

Cowan

Alexis Louder

Diablo

Chibuikem Uche

Lt. Ikemba

Kasandra Bandfield

Lawyer Draftee

Keith Brooks

Broken Back Draftee

Jim Palmer

Truck Driver Draftee

Michelle Rivera

Jodie

Matthew Cornwell

Frank

Clark Sarullo

Traci

Patrick Fleming

Ben

Roger Barton

Viper One Radio

Zachary James Rukavina

Veteran Palo

Joshua Israel

Jayden

DJames Jones

FOB Army Officer

Andrea Andrade

Medic

Gabrielle Byndloss

News Reporter #2

Melissa Saint-Amand

News Reporter #4

Shane Berengue

Military

Justine Edwards

Future Soldier

Rodney L. James

Draftee Survivor

Jeannie Ledford

Future Military

Tommy O'Brien

Protestor

Felicia M. Reyes

Draftee

Eric Daniel Stumpp

Draftee

Alzie Williams

Draftee

Perry Zulu Jr.

Special Forces

Ryan Kiera Armstrong

Young Muri Forester

Mary Lynn Rajskub

Norah

Jared Shaw

Tank

Rose Bianco

Rose

Alan Nguyen

Lt. Tran

David Maldonado

Dodd

Rad Daly

Sad Draftee

Patrick Malone

Kyle

Ashlyn Moore

Katie

Alicia Cuthbertson

Concerned Mom

Felisha Terrell

Conscription Officer Paveza

Eric Graise

Veteran Terry

Angel Giuffria

Veteran Susan

Piper Collins

Chelsea

Mia Naipaul

Jump Command Engineer

Christina Bach

FOB Soldier

Gary Weeks

News Reporter #1

Kenneth Israel

News Reporter #3

Gloria Bishop

Draftee

Conrad Carpenter

Raptor 1 Pilot

Darin Ferraro

Military Trainee

Austin Handle

Future Soldier

Chris Holloway

Lieutenant Marks

Kevin Mulhare

VIP Soccer Fan

Mason Pike

Fan

Diezel Ramos

Future soldier

Rahiem Riley

Draftee

Milton Saul

Draftee

Harper Smith

French Soccer Fan

Art Sunday

Draftee

Robert Tinsley

Military Lab Tech

Olaolu Winfunke

Captain Woods

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