Sam Richardson | Screenlife Reviews

Every streaming service nowadays seems to be gravitating towards big budget entertainment in the quest for dominance in the streaming wars. Whilst these types of films are usually reserved for the big screen, the recent pandemic changed everything, prompting studios to offload their films to streaming in the hopes of recouping their losses. The latest blockbuster offering comes from Amazon in the form of the Chris Pratt-led The Tomorrow War; a sci-fi action film in the vein of Edge of Tomorrow which has clearly been made with the goal of being seen on the biggest screen possible. The loss of that big screen sheen is felt considerably when viewed on a home TV but there is still a considerable amount of big, dumb fun to be had here, even if The Tomorrow War isn’t the most original or memorable addition to the genre.

The world is forever changed when a strange portal opens, revealing soldiers from 30 years in the future who are waging a desperate war for survival against an alien species dubbed the Whitespikes. In a global scramble, the governments of the world unite to initiate a worldwide draft, conscripting ordinary civilians along with military who are able to withstand the time travel process, to join the fray and save the planet from eventual extinction. When ordinary science teacher Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is drafted, leaving behind wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin) and young daughter Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), he discovers he has a more personal role to play in the fight for humanity than anyone could have known. Joined by the now adult Muri (Yvonne Strahovski) Dan races against the clock to uncover a weapon to defeat the Whitespikes before they can overtake the last secure military base on the planet and destroy the device which allows for the past to supply soldiers to the battle.

Sounds big and dumb right? That’s because it is. Are the complex time travel plot-holes glossed over and forgotten in favour of furthering the plot? You bet. Come in and start nitpicking the litany of nonsense and you’ll be disappointed. The name of the game here is spectacle and The Tomorrow War absolutely delivers in that sense, constantly topping each act with a healthy dose of explosions and wacky plotting as if Michael Bay had directed Independence Day, only with less American flags and product placement.

The quieter moments don’t work quite as well as they should, with the exception of the central relationship between Pratt and his daughter, which writer Zach Dean takes full advantage of, using the two versions of Muri as a way for Dan to do some self-reflection on how he treats his family in the present timeline. It’s clunky and not all that subtle storytelling but the tearjerker moments between Muri and Dan hit where they need to, offering a glimpse at a more personal side to Pratt’s otherwise infallible action hero.

Make no mistake – Pratt is the sole reason The Tomorrow War holds together as well as it does. His extremely likeable presence and general everyman demeanour helps to anchor even the most outlandish action sequences. Dan Forester is no Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy but Pratt retains that charm and a smidge of the smart-assery that made that character so endearing. Forester isn’t anything outside the usual mold of characters Pratt has played but there is a reason that he is as bankable a star as he is and this type of relatable action hero is the foundation of that brand.

Outside of Pratt are a handful of solid enough performances, the most notable including an absolutely gigantic J.K. Simmons (who looks as if he’s ingested copious amounts of super-serum in order to finally catch that menace Spider-Man) and the criminally slept on powerhouse Sam Richardson. Richardson has consistently delivered stand-out supporting performances in comedies like VEEP and Good Boys and it is great to finally see him showcasing those skills in a big-budget film like this, even if his usual zaniness is somewhat muted. Apart from the odd joke from Pratt here and there Richardson is tasked with shouldering almost all of the films comedy and delivers more often than not, playing a scientist so supremely out of his depth in the field of war that he yells “shit” every time he fires a bullet.

The Tomorrow War is exactly the type of goofy, overblown fun that would be perfect viewing for the big screen, with action and sound that demands the most high-end systems to immerse yourself in the story. The loss of that environment does diminish the experience significantly but this is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and isn’t aiming to push boundaries in the story or character departments, never pretending to be anything other than big, flashy popcorn munching entertainment. Pratt still proves himself more than capable of carrying these big tentpole films with his charm and the supporting cast around him all pull their weight enough to ensure boredom never sets in, with a new joke or flashy set-piece never far out of reach. The next Edge of Tomorrow? No. A silly, fun time sitting on the couch stuffing your face with snacks? You could do a lot worse.

The Tomorrow War stars Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Ryan Kiera Armstrong & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Amazon Prime now.

6/10

The #MeToo movement took the world by storm in 2017, with predatory behaviour and the culture of toxic masculinity within the Hollywood community being taken to task by the women who had long suffered from it. Many more women have come forward in the years since to tell their own horrifying stories, putting the world on notice that this kind of behaviour simply won’t be tolerated any longer. That’s a message that Carey Mulligan’s character Cassie has well and truly taken to heart in Emerald Fennell’s incendiary directorial debut Promising Young Woman, an incredibly dark and biting comedy thriller about one woman’s quest for revenge against the entire concept of toxic masculinity. Its no-holds-barred approach to the social commentary at its core may come at the cost of building an empathetic lead character at times, but a career-best performance from Mulligan, highly stylised presentation and some of the most brutal on-screen violence of 2020 each make this a film you can’t ignore.

The titular woman at the centre of the story is Cassie (Mulligan), a med-school drop-out whose life was irreversibly changed by the death of her childhood best friend Nina. As a result of the stomach-churning circumstances surrounding Nina’s death (I’ll avoid specifics due to spoilers) Cassie has taken it upon herself to launch a one-woman crusade for revenge on Nina’s behalf. Every week she visits clubs and bars, pretending to be paralytically drunk in order to draw in scumbags from far and wide, teaching them a lesson they will never forget as they inevitably attempt to get in her pants only to realise she is stone-cold sober and has caught them in the act of attempted sexual assault. Yeah, it’s a pretty hardcore plan. On the advice of her parents (Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge), Cassie attempts to soften her stance on men and re-integrate herself into everyday life, slowly falling for old college friend Ryan (Bo Burnham). When she runs into Madison (Alison Brie) however, another old friend from college, Cassie uncovers secrets from her past that shake her to her core and force her to make some hard decisions about whether to keep on the path of revenge she had committed herself to.

What makes Emerald Fennell’s film so unique is the tone. Almost intentionally awkward at times, the film’s vacillates between humour and seriousness seemingly on a whim. We are laughing at the ridiculousness of some of these men Cassie is stalking – caricatures of a far more sinister real-world equivalent – as they rant stupidly through inconsequential conversations with colleagues in clubs, only to have that laughter come to a grinding halt when you realise what these men intend to do to a seemingly helpless girl. It’s a jarring switch, but one that lends itself to the theme at play here: not all men are inherently evil, but that potential is lurking there under the surface for those morally bankrupt few who need only an opportunity to present itself for them to take advantage of a situation. That zig-zag between comedy and thriller is aided by Fennell’s almost over-the-top style. The film is filled with close-up shots of both men and women, shot to look as though they are being seen through the eyes of the opposite gender. Shots of female breasts and lips contrasted against fat, sweaty white businessmen tearing up the dance-floor is an equally funny and horrifying visual representation of that predatory behaviour Cassie aims to stamp out. Yet this even-handed juggling of two genres unfortunately does not always extend to Cassie herself.

Mulligan’s character takes a bit of warming-up to get used to. Initially extremely cold and snarky (think something of a female Patrick Bateman), Cassie’s crusade is presented as essentially the entire driving force behind her existence. The trauma from her past has permeated every facet of her life and has halted any plans for normalcy, an emotional spectrum Mulligan brings to life brilliantly, moving between vulnerable, helpless drunk to fully aware alpha within seconds to chilling effect. When alone in her room, that mask of confidence slips away to reveal a truly broken woman underneath, a girl who has lost faith in humanity. Things look to change with the introduction of Bo Burnham’s Ryan – played to witty perfection by the young comic – a perfect gentleman it seems, whose occasional minor stumbles early in their courtship Cassie is determined to look past. The montage of Cassie and Ryan’s burgeoning relationship is a highlight of the film, the first (and unfortunately only) glimpse at something in Cassie other than rage and a lust for vengeance, set to the bubblegum pop of Paris Hilton’s “Stars are Blind”.

At a certain point in the film Fennell makes a decision to shed this character development completely, doubling down on Cassie’s commitment to her cause and driving the final nail into the coffin of toxic masculinity. It’s a strong, jarring decision that some audiences may not like – I’m still coming to terms with it myself – and one that leans into the darkness of the subject matter, presenting a scene so shockingly violent and raw that I had to turn away a few times. While the ending does have a fun tongue-in-cheek, wink at the camera quality to it, you’re left with something of a hollow experience after having invested so much time into a character that really doesn’t develop much from where she first started. Mulligan’s performance goes a long way to making that lack of development not seem so obvious. She is clearly relishing playing a role so diabolical and psychotic, and it is hard not to get wrapped up in that and enjoy the ride in the moment. As a symbol for the #MeToo movement, Cassie will go down in the ages as the filmic representation of women fighting back against the patriarchy, taking a stand against a corrupt system that has long kept them down. The costume design and visual presentation in the climactic scene alone are a striking and pointed message at the scumbags of the world: your time is up.

Promising Young Woman is the perfect response to the social change of the last few years; a scathing, biting send-up of all the worst parts of toxic masculinity led by a tour de force performance from Carey Mulligan as a woman a scumbag wouldn’t want to meet late at night in a dark alley. It wears its social commentary on its sleeve, sometimes to its character’s detriment, but there can be no denying the impact the film leaves you with, an unsettling feeling of disgust, but worse a recognition that this type of behaviour does happen in the world. Emerald Fennell comes out of the gate swinging and while it may not be a movie you will want to revisit often, with its heavy themes and bone-crunching violence, Promising Young Woman isn’t one you will forget in a hurry. Parts of it I don’t think I ever will.

Promising Young Woman stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Molly Shannon, Laverne Cox, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Sam Richardson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Christopher Lowell – In cinemas now.