The Tomorrow War

The Tomorrow War is a 2021 American military science fiction action film directed by Chris McKay. The picture is produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, David S. Goyer, Jules Daly and Adam Kolbrenner written by Zach Dean. The ensemble cast features Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Keith Powers. It follows a mix of present-day soldiers and civilians sent into the future to fight an alien army.

Originally set for theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, the film's distribution rights were acquired by Amazon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and digitally released on July 2, 2021 via Prime Video.

Plot
The world is shocked when soldiers from the year 2051 arriving in 2022 warning that humanity is on the brink of extinction from an alien threat. A family man is drafted into the war along with other civilians where its up to him to save the Earth and rewrite history.

Why it Lives to See Tomorrow

 * 1) Fantastic performances from Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Edwin Hodge, and Sam Richardson.
 * 2) Great premise that combines the likes of Terminator and Edge of Tomorrow.
 * 3) A well-done and composed soundtrack thanks to Lorne Balfe.
 * 4) Amazing action scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
 * 5) Solid visual effects like the time jump, the alien ship, and especially the Whitespikes themselves.
 * 6) Good cinematography throughout.
 * 7) Excellent pacing. No scenes felt too slow or too fast.
 * 8) Dan Forrester is a likable and relatable main character. He doesn't get a job he really wanted and ends up leaving the family as a result. This leads to some powerful and emotional moments as discussed below.
 * 9) Aside from Dan, the other characters are likeable and relatable as well, for Muri Forrester, she's angry at Dan for leaving her and her mother resulting in him dying in a car crash when she was sixteen, never getting the chance to say goodbye to him. Her death is well written and heart-breaking as well with the soundtrack elevating it further.
 * 10) Charlie is a decent comic relief character, though he can be unhelpful at times.
 * 11) The final battle with the queen Whitespike is an awesome and epic climax.
 * 12) The ending is impressive and leaves you feeling with a sense of hope.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Plot Hole: Why didn't the soldiers from 2051 jump back earlier than 2022 to prevent the Whitespikes from attacking Earth? This is partially solved when they find volcanic ash in Dorian's Whitespike souvenir allowing them to locate the aliens, but still.
 * 2) The story was criticized for being cliched and having a derivative execution.
 * 3) Charlie while funny at times, can come off as annoying.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Chris Pratt ably anchors this sci-fi adventure, even if The Tomorrow War may not linger in the memory much longer than today." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Audience reception was more positive, praising the action, story, and characters.