The Tomorrow War was originally set to be a big screen action movie that was going to open during the holiday season. Instead, it became a streaming exclusive for Amazon in the heart of the summer. While the screens we all watched it on may have been smaller, the scope of the project wasn't. The Tomorrow War is a big budget science action action movie with lots of guns and lots of killer aliens. It's everything audiences would normally be looking for in a summer blockbuster. But did fans get what they were hoping for?
Chris Pratt had hyped The Tomorrow War pretty hard in the weeks leading up to release, and while he promised it would become a lot of people's favorite movie, it doesn't look like the film really reached that level for most. Much like the professional critics, the fans who have sat down to watch The Tomorrow War on Amazon are a bit split on the movie. Here's a look at the way fans are looking at The Tomorrow War.
The Tomorrow War Surpasses Expectations
If there's a general feeling among movie waters after they see The Tomorrow War, it feels like it boils down to, "it was better than I thought it'd be." Which is just as much of a backhanded complement as it sounds. Many fans clearly were not expecting much at all from The Tomorrow War. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, the end result is that many people who weren't expecting much, got something a lot better than they thought was being served up.
While some may have gone in not expecting much, and were blown away by what they saw, the more general consensus seems to be a feeling that it was...fine. It's got some cool action, lots of people shooting guns and things exploding. That can certainly be enough to entertain an audience, and as long as that's enough for you to get out of your two and a half hours, the The Tomorrow War is all you need.
There is a repeating refrain, however, that some elements of The Tomorrow War don't make a great deal of sense. Whether it's the questionable time travel mechanics, that only get a passing explanation, or simply the fact the movie's particular method for "saving the world" doesn't seem to be the most efficient, many take issue with aspects of the movie. But for every detail that seems weird or out of place, there's perhaps another that ends up making the movie work for them.
If you're looking for a strong plot or good character arcs, then The Tomorrow War probably isn't for you. Nobody is really praising those elements. If you like sci-fi action, then maybe there's enough here to keep you engaged. But then again, maybe not.
But Not Everybody Loves The Tomorrow War
For some The Tomorrow War might be "good enough" with enough positive aspects to balance out for any shortcomings it may have. While those that ended up liking the film may have given the movie a thumbs up on balance, those who didn't care for it seem to be much stronger in their opinion. I'm not sure what it means for a movie to be "ass cookies" but that really doesn't sound good.
Many point out that The Tomorrow War just doesn't feel like it's all that original of a movie. We have dozens of films about war against aliens, many of them with the same heavy action focus as The Tomorrow War. And if you like that particular genre of movie, then there's a chance there's a version you think is better. Even when you throw time travel into the mix, The Tomorrow War isn't exactly the only game in town.
Even if you view The Tomorrow War more as a monster movie than a science-fiction action film, one fan still thinks there are other movies that are better than this one. And remarkably that includes a movie that most people forgot existed. I'm not saying Matt Damon fighting monsters in ancient China isn't a better film, but if that's the bar you're failing to clear, then I think you have a fundamental problem.
Looking at The Tomorrow War as a monster movie, however, might actually be the best way to do it, because that's one area where fans seem to be in agreement.
The Big Winner In The Tomorrow War Is The Aliens
If you're going to be involved in a battle for the fate of the planet against an alien threat, then those aliens better be a convincing threat, and if there's one place where The Tomorrow War is getting praise, it's in the creature design. From the first moment the "white spikes" show up, you will believe that humanity is pretty much doomed, because these things are massive, viscous, and terrifying.
The creatures are impressive, so much so that even for those for whom the rest of the movie fell flat, it was worthwhile to tip a hat in the direction of the team that put them together.
And while yes, some people who didn't care for the movie as a whole still loved the creatures, this wasn't a case of finding something nice to say. Even those who really liked The Tomorrow War had to celebrate the monsters because they're just that good.
In the end, The Tomorrow War is basically what it says on the tin. It's a firefight against aliens and it's full of scary monsters to make dead and lots of guns to make them dead with. It's a simple enough premise and one that certainly has its share of fans. Certainly, not everybody loved The Tomorrow War, but neither was the movie completely without good points. I'm not sure anybody is going to be subscribing to Amazon Prime specifically to watch this one, but if you've got the subscription, it's probably worth checking out.
