Summer usually is chock-full of blockbuster action films, filled with gunfights, people running, and tenacious enemies.  Mix Independence Day with Terminator add a splash of Alien and you get The Tomorrow War.  The movie was originally set for a theatrical release in 2020, it will now premier on Amazon Prime on July 2, 2021. 

Thirty years into the future, humans are being preyed upon by creatures that no one can identify. Soldiers from the future come back to 2018 to recruit people to assist in the fight that is occurring in their time. Dan Forrester is a science teacher and veteran that gets drafted to fight 3 years after the initial contact. After a truncated basic training, the new recruits are transported into the future to assist in the fight.

The movie clocks in at a tight 2 hours and 12 minutes and it does not waste any time between the opening of the film and getting to the action. However, you get enough time with the principal characters so that you care about them as they go off to fight in this war. The hunting creatures are frightening and relentless in the pursuit of their chosen prey.

Except for Chris Pratt and Yvonne Strahovski there are no major stars in the film. The movie is better for this choice. Pratt is well cast in the role of high school science teacher and father, and even with the seriousness of the plot he is a given a little room to be funny. The supporting cast and their backstory add to the film and no one feels like an extra character.

Overall, The Tomorrow War is a good film.  The writers did touch on several well-worn sci-fi action tropes, while avoiding others.  The movie is an original story with enough plot for the viewer to chew on and more than worth the 2 plus viewing hours. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the production company should have waited a few more months to release the film in theaters as well as Amazon Prime as I think it would’ve done well.

4 Time Jumps out of 5

Thank you to Allied Global for the advanced screening!