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The new sci-f action movie The Tomorrow War hits Amazon Prime Video today, July 2. The movie stars Chris Pratt, Betty Gilpin, and J. K. Simmons and is directed by Chris McKay, who previously helmed The Lego Batman Movie.
The film is set in 2051, when the human race is losing badly in a war against deadly alien invaders. In a final attempt to fight back, time travel is used to recruit skilled soldiers and civilians from the past, including a high school teacher played by Pratt.
The Tomorrow War is one of the biggest movies that Amazon has released to date. The film was originally due to be released theatrically by Paramount last summer, but it was pulled due to the pandemic. In January, it was announced that Amazon had secured the rights to release it, with the studio’s winning bid reportedly as much as $200 million.
The movie has been met with very mixed reviews so far. Some critics have praised the large scale action and the visual style, while others have criticised its length, underdeveloped characters, and clichéd story. It currently holds 55% on Rotten Tomatoes–so here’s what the critics have said about The Tomorrow War.
The Tomorrow War
Directed By: Chris McKayWritten By: Zach DeanStarring: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge.Release Date: July 2
Los Angeles Times
“The Tomorrow War tries its hand at throwback ’90s action glory, back when cinematic adventures could be everything for everybody. Instead, this post-apocalyptic combat flick lacks the intensity to reach the 1.21 gigawatts worth of power needed to emblazon our screens in escapist flair.”–Robert Daniels [Full review]
Forbes
“Since it can’t be seen in theaters, I’d suggest sitting as close as possible to your HDTV. This explicitly old-school would-be blockbuster wears its 1990’s methodology on its sleeves. It’s a big-hearted and mostly character-focused epic that, like Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s Independence Day, applies the Irvin Allen-era disaster movie formula to the sci-fi action spectacular.”–Scott Mendelson [Full review]
Variety
“Much of it is flat-out cheesy (and at 2 hours and 18 minutes, it’s too much of a mediocre thing), but as a film that was originally set to be released by Paramount, and is now an Amazon digital release, it feels right at home as an age-of-Netflix look-this-is-just-like-the-junk-you-could-see-in-a-theater film. It’s the definition of rousingly adequate.”–Owen Gleiberman [Full review]
Slant Magazine
“Chris McKay’s first live-action feature, The Tomorrow War, lacks the gleefully anarchic sensibilities of his work on Moral Orel and Robot Chicken, even The Lego Batman Movie. Aside from the occasional sardonic wisecrack from Dan (Chris Pratt), an ex-military science teacher fated to save the world, the film seems almost skittish about invoking a touch of frivolity. “–Wes Greene [Full review]
Empire
“A big, blundering, CGI-heavy action sci-fi that works within its genre mould rather than outside it. The Tomorrow War is not entirely without a sense of humour, but as with its noisy, show-offy action sequences, it feels broader, made for the widest audience possible in a way that might inadvertently alienate them.”–John Nugent [Full review]
IndieWire
“Which isn’t to say that The Tomorrow War is bad–it boasts a clever premise, a killer supporting turn from Sam Richardson, and an uncommonly well-defined sense of place for such a murky CGI gloop-fest (credit to director Chris McKay, who knows his way around digital environments and has more than earned a taste of that sweet Bezos money after his brilliant work on The LEGO Batman Movie). But for all of those laudable attributes, this flavorless loss-leader of a film is neutered by its refusal to put audiences on their heels.”–David Ehrlich [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
“Action-packed and family-centric in a solidly commercial way, the pic may be missing that certain something that would have made it huge in theaters (its planned theatrical debut was scrapped by the pandemic), but it will be plenty entertaining as an addition to Amazon’s streaming menu.”–John DeFore [Full review]
The AV Club
“None of this crap is boring, though it does come close to making the case that maybe crowd-pleasing franchise continuations aren’t so deadly after all. Still, there’s optimism at the heart of The Tomorrow War: This movie has already been made, does not set up a sequel, and will probably not be made again in the future.”–Jesse Hassenger [Full review]
