For a long time, Brad Bird had an almost flawless career. After almost a decade as a director on ‘The Simpsons’, he not only managed to impress at the box office with ‘The Giant from Space’, ‘The Incredibles’, ‘Ratatouille’ and ‘Mission: Impossible – Phantom Protocol” , but was also highly praised by critics across the board. Bird has repeatedly demonstrated a talent for great acting and an incredibly sensitive side, which largely gave his films a moving depth.
In 2011, Brad Bird’s first failure happened to him. The sci-fi adventure “A World Beyond,” based on a Disney theme park attraction, only managed to gross just over $200 million on a massive $190 million budget. Moreover, the trade press was not very enthusiastic either. You can see that the film is definitely worth seeing on Disney on Thursday, February 1 (from 8:15 PM)! Alternatively, the film is also available with a Disney+ subscription.
That’s what ‘A World Beyond’ is about
The young, smart Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is very interested in science. When one day she finds a mysterious pin that keeps giving her visions of another world, she teams up with the once brilliant inventor Frank Walker (George Clooney). However, Walker has long lost his former class and is very disillusioned.
The main reason for this is that he had to leave a kind of parallel universe called Tomorrowland. This hit him particularly hard because there was no worry there, but peace and happiness. Since his forced departure from the parallel world, David Nix (Hugh Laurie) has been in charge there and pursuing his own dark plans. The girl and the inventor want to return to Tomorrowland together to put everything back together and prevent the impending end of the world.
The flop was undeserved
Don’t expect a masterpiece from ‘A World Beyond’. It is understandable that the film receives rather mixed reactions from critics because the characters are surprisingly superficial by Brad Bird standards. George Clooney’s character in particular is really just a keyword giver. Furthermore, despite its futuristic setting, Bird offers little in the way of fascinating food for thought that could keep viewers occupied for some time.
But while “A World Beyond” certainly has its weaknesses, the film deserved a better performance at the box office. As the official FILMSTARTS review notes, the toy store scene and a lengthy road movie passage follow “two sequences in which original design, scenic dynamics and content go hand in hand in a very convincing way: during the siege of Frank’s house, which has been converted into a fortress with all kinds of traps, and during a dazzling detour to Paris, where the Eiffel Tower is used in a surprising way.”
Here, Brad Bird demonstrates exactly the directorial flair for groundbreaking visual values that made ‘Mission: Impossible 4’ an absolute highlight of the franchise. So it’s not so bad that ‘A World Beyond’ doesn’t have the emotional depth of ‘The Giant in Space’ or the unleashed creativity of ‘The Incredibles’. Because Especially in the second half, the sci-fi adventure is a fast-paced fun that you can definitely enjoy.
Author: Pascal Reis
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
