Tomorrow Land at George Lucas's Private Theatre

Being a film nerd of any kind and receiving an e-mail saying that you are one of the lucky few chosen to view anything at George Lucas's private ILM theater in San Francisco is an amazing "I've got a golden ticket" kind of feeling. The sound alone was worth the trip. Walking into the lobby of the ILM office with my wife Ruby, I felt right at home surrounded by art and images of some of the most incredible minds responsible for some of  the greatest films of all time. The lobby is decorated with vintage, epic, and rare European one sheets for every thing from Creature From The Black Lagoon to classic Charlie Chaplin films. In the middle of the room stands a tribute to the amazing Willis O'Brian, famous of course for his ground beaking effects in the original King Kong. The statue of O'Brian shows him carefully posing King Kong on top of a mini empire state building. 

Ruby and I entered the theatre just in time to sit and listen to writer/director Brad Bird describe to the audience that "Whatever you think this movie is, ...it isn't." He also went on to beautifully discuss the inspiration for this science fiction masterpiece. Bird, who is one of the minds behind The Incredibles, The Simpsons, Ratatouille, ect, was inspirational in explaining how beautiful and limitless the future and all it had to offer used to feel, and how Walt Disney himself was a big supporter and believer in what technology and imagination could accomplish in making our world a better place. Also in on the writing of this amazing film was Damon Lindelof who some of you sci-fi kids might recognize from his Prometheus and Star Trek into darkness fame. 

Ok, so on with the show. I can honestly say that this film was in no way what I expected and that pleased me very much. This is true to form Science Fiction full of social commentary, action, good guys, bad guys, jet packs, robots, a female hero, and the power of imagination and believing in the world around us even as it seems to be falling apart. This is a perfect example of how big budgets can actually produce something worthwhile when they have talented and intelligent writers to back them up. I can't wait to show this film to my children one day. 4 Stars collection worthy and a reminder that every once in a while we can escape reality through film and come out inspired at the end.

- KillDozer