Tomorrowland (2015)

Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland” is not a terrible film. But to hear people talk about it, it was. That is a classic case of expectations being disappointed. People wanted more from the man who brought us “The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles,” and “Ratatouille.” “Tomorrowland’s” big sin is that it is forgettable.

That is particularly sad because the film had something to say, even if it is a somewhat cliched message. The cliché is something that today’s world needs to remember.

There is a scene early in the film at a school where teacher after teacher spouts doom and gloom. Everything from global warming to imminent nuclear war is addressed. But when a student asks, “OK. What do we do about this?” she is answered with silence. The assumption is that “the end is nigh.” There is nothing to do done other than complain.

Later in the film it is revealed that all of this negativity has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Humanity is indeed going to destroy itself precisely because it thinks it is going to. The simple, but perhaps too needed message, is stop complaining about how bad things are and do your part to make things better. Don’t feed fear, feed hope.