Tomorrowland (2015)

Directed by Brad Bird
Written by Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird & Jeff Jensen
Starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy and Hugh Laurie

Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

From the very beginning, it is painfully obvious that this film was created for the purpose is selling tickets to Disney World/Land. It felt as though Brad Bird was forced to remind people that this was in fact a Disney movie continuously throughout. Because of this, it was often hard to watch.

Regardless of it's forceful advertising, much of it was fun and even humorous at certain points. Particularly the actress who played the Casey Newton had superb comedic timing and had a great rapport with George Clooney.

The inventions and visions of the future weren't particularly impressive. Everything was either just an improvement of a device already in existence, or just so unbelievable that even in my wildest dreams, I feel would be impossible. It didn't inspire me as I'm sure was the intention. Rather, it made me role my eyes in disbelief. Or at the very most, say "that'd be cool if it were possible".

There is no way a metropolis would be surrounded by that much wheat.

Regardless of all of the problems I had with it, I did enjoy it. I'd probably even see it again if a friend of mine wanted to go. I just felt like the message of "hope fixes all" was a bit forced and very painfully Disney. Perhaps I'm too cynical. But I just couldn't handle the cheese!

My Rating: 6/10

The Dead Zone (1983)

Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by Jeffrey Boan, based on the novel by Stephen King
Starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Herbert Lom and Martin Sheen

At the peak of his life, a school teacher who is in love gets into a car accident after a perfect day. He wakes up from a coma five years later only to find he's lost his job and girlfriend. But he soon finds out that he has gained the ability to see the past, present and future of everyone he comes in physical contact with.

Yet another example of why Stephen King is the King of the horror/thriller genre, this movie grabs your attention early on and doesn't let go. Just when you think it's going to continue on the path it's on, it will take you off guard by taking a turn in another direction.

At first it seems as the entire movie will just be one long episode of "CSI". Although I was intrigues, I wasn't impressed with it. But before you know it, they solve the case and move on, turning into a soul searching film, asking the question, "if you know the future, should you change it?"

Oddly enough, this didn't feel like a Cronenberg film. Sure, it was one of his earliest movies, but it felt like it was made by entirely different director. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out it was his movie. It's interesting to look at the evolution of a director's style, and this was close to the beginning.

"The Dead Zone" is a dark, brooding film that remains timeless, even after thirty-two years. I have found that that seems to be a trademark of Stephen King. No matter what time period his books and movies take place in, you can always find some way to relate to the characters.

My Rating: 7/10