The Tomorrow War
2021 · Directed by Chris McKay
Original language: English
- action
- science fiction
- adventure
The story
The world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future, mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester. Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-washed blockbuster imagery gives way to grimy future-war grit: wide establishing shots of frozen glaciers and ash-grey ruined cities, then tight handheld framing in cramped drop-pods and bunkers where the lens shakes with the chaos. The palette swings between cool blue-white snowfields and warm suburban kitchens, and the alien battlegrounds are rendered in smoky greys with sudden flashes of tracer fire and bioluminescent glow. The score is driven by a pounding, synth-tinged orchestral pulse that swells during set pieces and drops to quiet strings in the family scenes. The vibe is earnest, rough-edged and big-hearted, a Friday-night popcorn watch with a sincere core. Pacing is brisk and propulsive, with long stretches of tense action broken up by intimate talk between father and daughter and between estranged generations. Its people are a flawed everyman learning to believe in himself and a father and son slowly mending their rift. Violence is frequent and often bloody, with gunfights, creature attacks and some gore, plus strong language and peril throughout, though the emotional register stays hopeful. It suits viewers who want high-stakes sci-fi spectacle with a warm family thread, not a gentle or quiet watch.
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