Chris Pratt goes into the future to fight aliens in this chaotic science fiction actioner originally destined for theatres, but subsequently acquired by Amazon Prime Video.
When a portal opens up on the pitch in the middle of a 2022 World Cup match, soldiers emerge and immediately inform everyone watching that humanity is losing a war against aliens 30 years in the future, and that they need people from our era to go through a wormhole and help in the fight.
Pratt plays an Iraq veteran turned science teacher who is subsequently drafted into the war, which kills 70 per cent of those called up. During his seven-day deployment in 2051, he teams up with his now adult daughter (Yvonne Strahovski), who has a plan to eradicate the 'white spikes', as the monstrous aliens are known, once and for all.
The Tomorrow War looks very expensive but the narrative feels slapped together without much thought. The film expects us to overlook a wide range of preposterous concepts, not least of which is the rather optimistic notion that humanity would collectively snap into action when notified about a future existential threat.
Nevertheless, there is some well-intentioned messaging here about global warming, absent fathers and PTSD, all of it delivered rather hamfistedly.
The action is solid, slick and quick, variously evoking Starship Troopers, Edge of Tomorrow and Aliens without ever being nearly as awesome as any of those movies. Pratt offers up his familiar quippy earnestness, and is surrounded by a more overtly comedic supporting cast who often seem out of sync with the grim situation they find themselves in.
The resulting collision of tones is a bit odd, but at least that keeps things relatively unpredictable, and helps the film become something (slightly) more than its generic first impression.
Cast: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons
Director: Chris McKay
Running time: 140 minutes
Rating: TBC
Verdict: Highly ridiculous, mostly entertaining, ultimately somewhat forgettable.