The Tomorrow War

Ein pures Jungsvergnügen, ein begeisterter B-Movie, der voll von Sachen ist, die wir im Genre des Action-Science-Fiction-Films am meisten mögen. Menschliche Figuren mit ehrlichen und emotionalen Beziehungen, eine unvorhersehbare und reichhaltige Steigerung der Handlung, die sich ein einer attraktiven Fantasie-Welt abspielt, mit einer delikat energischen Action und ekeligen Außerirdischen. Das Drehbuch und die Regie sind schlau und haben ein Herz. Die Kunst wird schlau hinter eine falsche Maske eines billigen Schundcharakters versteckt. Der beste Emmerich-Film ohne Emmerich. (13.11.2021)

In 2021, these alien derivatives may only entertain bacteria and other single-celled organisms. If it wasn’t for the bombastic CGI here and there, it would have nothing. And Chris Pratt's dumb attempts at expressing deeper emotions are quite comical. As Star-Lord he's fine, his awkwardness doesn't matter there, but otherwise he’s very far from a character actor. (05.07.2021)

The trailers didn't do this action sci-fi flick a good service, and even when The Tomorrow War went straight to stream, you kind of assumed that you weren't going to be treated to a quality show. But it turned out unexpectedly well this time. The Tomorrow War is far from perfect, but the two and a quarter hours in front of the TV pass pleasantly quickly. They may be quite blatantly ripping off Edge of Tomorrow, Terminator, Alien, or even The Thing, but who could be mad at them for looking to the best for inspiration? Moreover, after a slow start, Chris McKay hits the gas hard and showers the audience with one action scene after another. In doing so, he makes sure not to dumb down the style and the setting, so after intense fights in the city and one not-quite-successful hunting trip, there's a spectacular shootout that would have been quite fitting for the big screen, and the whole thing is finished off a little differently. And it paces the whole thing well enough for one to overlook that it's pretty much just plain. Chris Pratt may play Star-Lord at first, but once the serious stuff starts happening he puts on a serious face and is quite good at it. The designers went truly bonkers with the monsters and I find myself wanting to watch a few scenes again a few hours after the closing credits. Who would have expected that after the crappy trailers? (04.07.2021)

Forget logic, enjoy the action! The Tomorrow War is a fine sci-fi caper with aliens (monsters). It is not another Edge of Tomorrow, but on the other hand, there hasn't been anything better since it (7 years I should point out!), and I'm not really going to count that Independence Day 2 crap, so I was able to enjoy the movie properly. I find it funny that someone here complains about waiting 50 minutes for the action, but they don’t skimp on the stars with a three-hour gay drama! The film manages to draw you in from the start, Chris Pratt is likeable, though I admit his acting was on the edge at times, Yvonne Strahovski is great, she's hot as hell, J.K. Simmons is traditionally excellent and it was nice to see Sam Richardson comedy relief throughout the film, though I could have imagined more room for him. The visuals are awesome, the monsters are absolutely amazing (I didn't expect we'd get competition so soon after Quiet Place). If the film had been R-rated, it could have been a regular monster horror film, the “Alien" finale was a nice indication of that. I liked the attack on the base the best though, it will probably remind many viewers of World War Z. So yeah definitely great fun, my only complaint is with the dramatic scenes, the emotions and the family, I just don't like that, if they left that out, there would be room for another action scene, which I would have preferred, But today's audiences can’t do without the mandatory drama, because unless there are tears flowing, it's as cold as a polar bear's ass in the Arctic. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 3/5, Violence NO, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5 8/10. (03.07.2021)

Pure-blooded military sci-fi for dads and their daughters. An interesting story structure, where things don’t follow one after the other and the biggest punch up doesn’t come at the end; it works well and you don’t get bored. McKay successfully surfs on the waves of humor and pathos, but manages to shoot serious scenes too. Surprisingly the biggest strength of The Tomorrow War lies in the emotional sphere. The action is excellent, only at places it seems rather video-game like, but it’s mainly the small scenes which go against the pulse of today… about the traditional family values and about the fact that wanting more is bad for a relationship and can kill you… these scenes carry the whole thing along nicely. (02.07.2021)

In the first minutes, it looks like an original hybrid of Edge of Tomorrow, Independence Day and some post-apocalypse flick, but in the final reckoning, it's at most an upgraded Battle Los Angeles, and even that I'd rank higher due to the important factor of "great value for money", which definitely doesn't apply to Amazon's creation. That said, the visual effects sequences are fantastic, likewise with the design of the aliens. This being the main reason to watch Tomorrow War, because the script is a patchwork full of illogical moments and clichés, and the casting is also not good. Star Lord shouldn't get too involved in serious roles, because he’s fine when he’s wisecracking, but when the tone gets more serious, he is not so good. (13.07.2021)

Der Versuch eines etwas klügeren Blockbusters hat eigentlich geklappt. Ohne das unnötig lange Finale und die zu lange Einführung hätte der Film eine halbe Stunde kürzer sein können, was ihm nur zugutegekommen wäre. (19.11.2023)

The Tomorrow War versucht auf dem Fernsehbildschirm eine umfangreiche Science-Fiction-Geschichte, harte Action, starkes Familiendrama und eine große Menge an aufwendigen Szenen zu bringen, aber nichts davon wird konsequent, originell oder einprägsam gemacht. Einen Tag nach dem Anschauen bleibt einem nur in Erinnerung, dass es ziemlich schnell vorbeiging und es irgendwie in Ordnung war, vorausgesetzt, man kann die Hektik und die vielen wirklich dummen Klischees überwinden. Alles in allem ist es nur eine Zusammenstellung von allem Möglichen, was man bereits in anderen Filmen in einer viel geschickteren Umsetzung gesehen hat (insbesondere in dem kürzlichen Film Edge of Tomorrow, dessen Finale hier geradezu kopiert wird), hier leider nur auf der Fläche eines überteuerten TV Films. (04.07.2021)

(Spoiler alert!) McKays Film entgeht sicherlich nicht dem Vergleich mit dem (für mich) berühmten Science-Fiction Edge of Tomorrow zu vergleichen, wobei die Filmemacher in The Tomorrow War auch ein wenig in die Richtung von Das Ding aus einer anderen Welt und Prometheus geschaut haben. Die größten Minuspunkte des Films sind die überlange Laufzeit und die manchmal verwerflich platte Abstufung der Handlung, die mit vielen typisch amerikanischen Szenen einhergeht (Kinder und andere Generationen sind Spitze, Heldentum der einfachen Leute, die offensichtliche Korrektheit der Darsteller usw.). Ich bin jedoch bereit, über diese Aspekte des Films hinwegzusehen, um mich an einer ordentlichen Portion Action und einer Science-Fiction-Ebene des Films zu erfreuen, die definitiv Potenzial hatte, auch wenn es durch die familienthematischen Dialoge etwas untergraben wurde. Ich lobe das Aussehen der Außerirdischen, die verwendeten Schauplätze und eine fast schon comichafte Einstellung, die mich an 300 erinnerte. Hätte der Schnitt die unnötigen "Redeszenen" weggelassen, was die Laufzeit verkürzt hätte, wäre ich gerne bereit gewesen, höher zu gehen. (04.07.2021)

A strange film indeed. Its better parts felt like a thrilling video game I wished I could control. However, this lack of control took away from the overall impression. The weaker moments felt purely American, with a handful of individuals saving the world in typical fashion, the team composition changing based on current trends. In these weaker moments (well, more than moments...), there was an excess of melodrama and flying over Russia on board a Hercules aircraft. The 90s have long passed, yet here we are, with Americans still saving the world just like they did back then. It's getting a bit repetitive. However, I did appreciate seeing Yvonne Strahovski and Betty Gilpin again, which added a certain spark to the experience. (11.10.2021)