The Tomorrow War

2021 Amazon MGM Studios

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 18min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Sci-Fi

Starring: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Keith Powers.

“If I have to save the world to save my daughter, then I’m damn sure gonna do that.”

In the middle of the world televised 2021 Soccer World Cup games, time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J. K. Simmons) to rewrite the planet’s fate.

That’s the synopsis from Amazon Prime’s site. Society and Governments decide after that little interruption that they need to have a worldwide draft, and help the future fight. Each service consists of a week in the future, counted down in hours by the electronic metal arm sleeve they attach. Dan Forester (Chris Pratt),one r, (inside movie joke) is drafted and leaves his wife and young daughter behind to serve his week in the future. There are two major story lines and two sub-plots here:

The invasion of a deadly alien species hell bent on humanities destruction and demise.
Time Travel between now and thirty years into the future.
The relationship between Dan and his daughter Muri (Yvonne Strahovski)
And Dan’s tumultuous relationship with his estranged father (J. K. Simmons).

I’ll be honest, I put off watching this one for awhile. I have seen the reviews and had it on my watchlist. Given the reviews I thought, “Ehh…I don’t know….I’ll save it for a rainy day or a cold winter day.” Last night was the end of a cold Winter’s day so…..I watched it last night. Sci-Fi can be tricky, it is either really good or it is at best a B-movie. It can be a fine line and The Tomorrow War straddled that line. The effects were outstanding. I loved the Alien creatures, stealthy killing machines that were fascinating to watch. Reminded me of The Creatures in the A Quiet Place Movies.

It also reminded me of Edge Of Tomorrow and Looper, because of the time travel scenario. Looper was kind of hard to follow time travel wise because of the implications of every action in the present affecting the outcome of the future. It was deep and you really had to pay attention. The Tomorrow War is not that deep, like the people that had to be transported 30 years into the future and fight, you don’t need to think about it. You just need to buckle up and experience the ride. I think the star power helped it’s cause, if there had been lesser known actors it would have fell into the B movie Sci-fi category.

I liked Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski and Sam Richardson in this. Sam had me chuckling at his character. I liked J.K. Simmons but his role wasn’t that deep or detailed. He didn’t really have much of a presence until the very end. And when the heck did J.K. Simmons get so buffed out? I remember seeing him in Red One and asking myself that question. I didn’t really find anything implausible with this movie’s time travel scenario or the movie itself, but then I wasn’t looking that hard. I went in thinking I’m just gonna turn the brain off and get lost in a movie. And I did exactly that, I got lost in it. The almost 2 and a half hours flew by

And that is exactly the kind of movie it is. You want to put down the notepad, quit analyzing, grab some popcorn and a beverage and lose yourself in the journey. That’s what this movie is, a good escape, an Action Adventure Sci-Fi thrill ride that takes you to another place and time. Dealing with things that are imaginary, outside the normal scope of our day to day.

There is a sequel in the works The 2morrow War and I would watch it to see where they take it.

It’s worth a watch on a rainy day or a cold Winter’s night.

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place Part II

A Quiet Place: Day One

Edge Of Tomorrow

Red One

Passengers

Red One

2024 MGM Amazon Studios

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 4min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Christmas ~ Comedy

Directed by: Jake Kasdan

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J. K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll and Kristofer Hivju.

“Last night, Red One, also known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, was abducted from the North Pole Complex. And you’re gonna help us find him.”

J. K. Simmons stars as Saint Nicholas of Myra, code-named Red One by his security detail who follow his every step in and out of the North Pole. It is Christmas Eve and Nick, as everyone around the North Pole Complex calls him, is getting ready for his yearly marathon of delivering Christmas Cheer and presents to everyone around the world. He’s doing some last minute working out, lifting weights and bulking up on carbs or should we call that Christmas cookies. The entire complex is a beehive of activity as they prepare for the yearly run, it’s crunch time.

Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) is the head of Nick’s Security team and has taken a moment for himself outside before the action starts. He is standing in front of Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus’ (Bonnie Hunt) original small cabin, the area roped off as a major landmark in the complex, when he notices lights going off in the new high rise building that houses Nick and Mrs. Claus (Code-named MC) and all operations. Callum checks with part of the security detail in the building and starts asking for Red One’s location. Frantic as no one can find Nick, Callum makes his way to Red One’s living quarters and finds the window open. He rushes to it and sees a Snow vehicle racing away and orders his team to lock the dome and complex down.

Whoever kidnapped Saint Nick gets away and Callum notifies Director Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu) of M.O.R.A., The Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority, about the incident that now threatens to keep Christmas from happening around the world from. Zoe decides that they need to enlist the help of Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), better known as “The Wolf”, a world renowned cyber hacker infamous for being able to find anyone and anything worldwide. They bring him in and find out that he is unwittingly responsible for identifying and selling the secret hidden location of Saint Nick and the North pole. Director Zoe decides that Jack is going to help them locate Nick and his kidnapper, accompanied by Callum.

And what follows is the globe-trotting chase to find Saint Nick and bring him back before Christmas. It is a journey through Norse legend and folklore. There is the legend of Grýla, the shape-shifting Winter Witch with thirteen shape-shifting sons who chase evil children. And the legend of Krampus, Saint Nick’s adopted Evil Brother who developed The Naughty List against Nick’s better judgement and along with his ex-wife Grýla sought to punish the children on the naughty list. There are also hell hounds, Ogres, Trolls, evil snowmen, elves, Polar Bear security forces, giant Reindeer and a high tech sleigh the likes you couldn’t even dream of.

It is a hilarious Christmas Adventure through Christmas lore filled with action and one-liners like “I love the kids, it’s the grown-ups that are killing me.” It is a different take on the whole Santa Claus and the North Pole theme, the Nordic folklore tends to give it a darker feel. The North Pole, it’s operations and look are definitely more high tech than we are used to. J.K. Simmons being the Buff muscle-strapped Santa working up to the big night, complete with infinite Santa wisdom was a good choice. Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Bonnie Hunt and Lucy Liu were all good in this. The best part of the movie is the end. At the very end they show Santa, Callum and the Christmas team travelling all over the world doing their thing. It is a unique look and take on the whole operation.

So that’s a yes for me, something a little different in the Santa Movie category.

Two Thumbs Up!

The Union

2024 Netflix

Rated: PG-13

Length: 1 hr 47min

Spy ~ Comedy ~ Action ~ Adventure

Directed by: Julian Farino

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, and J. K. Simmons.

“The Union does the dirty work for the CIA and FBI, they’re blue-collar workers, average everyday people living ordinary lives just like you. They get plucked by The Union to be trained to shoot and do combat intelligence and tactical weaponry.”

Mark Wahlberg stars as Mike McKenna, a broke construction worker still living at home with his mom, still working the same job, still hanging out at the same bar with the same friends, in Paterson, New Jersey. One day after work he and his buddies are playing pool and drinking beer at their usual spot Wilson’s Bar, when Mike’s ex-girlfriend Roxanne Hall(Halle Berry), who he hasn’t seen since high school, suddenly shows up.

They spend the evening drinking, playing pool and reminiscing. Roxanne talks Mike into going to a place in the park where they used to make out in high school. Mike finds their old song on his phone and they start to slow dance. Roxanne then jabs him in the neck with a tranquilizer and kidnaps him. Mike comes to in a hotel room in London, England where she explains why she did it.

Mike tries to leave the hotel and runs into Tom Brennan(J. K. Simmons) who offers to buy him breakfast and explain everything. “We work for The Union. We do the dirty work for the FBI and the CIA. We recruit ordinary hard working Blue Collar people like yourself and train them to help us do the dirty work under the radar, keeping the world safe. We need you Mike.”

It’s a typical spy story, bad guys got the goods that will change the world for the worst and we have to stop them at any cost. Usually it’s guys in prison that get recruited for the role, in this story it’s the average Joe blue collar worker down on his luck. Hence the name The Union. Reminds me of The Gray Man I just saw with Ryan Gosling. It’s more of a comedy than an action thriller. Didn’t feel like it was hitting on all cylinders.

Given the star power I feel it should have been better. I’m a big Mark Wahlberg fan. Just saw him in Spenser Confidential, one of my favorites. He was definitely better in that movie. I like J.K. Simmons and Halle Berry but didn’t seem like the roles gave them enough room to make their performances better. It’s definitely not their best.

It’s ok, just ok…

One thumb up, the other down and a wave of both hands sideways as in ….ah, just so-so.

Update: Mom and Dad just watched it. “Yeah, it was alright, If Mark Wahlberg wasn’t in it, I don’t think I would have watched it.”