- Clooney (right) in Tomorrowland
This post contains spoilers.
I suppose such practical questions don’t really matter when you’re dealing with a giant metaphor. In any case, Clooney’s star power helps to keep one from thinking about them too hard, as does the movie’s inherent goodwill. The final twist of Tomorrowland is that Clooney and a new legion of geniuses use their time in the utopian city (which exists in another dimension than ours) to create solutions to problems in our world. That this legion is international and multiracial in makeup suggests that Tomorrowland exists for the benefit of all people, not just the lucky few who get branded as special. I was so heartened by this idea that it wasn’t until a few days after seeing the movie that I started to wonder what those geniuses actually did to save civilization from the brink of collapse. It’s a wonderful act of smoke and mirrors that Bird and company have pulled off, presenting humanity’s salvation as a fait accompli as soon as people pledge to start working for a better future. Given Clooney’s record of supporting humanitarian campaigns, I’m sure this fantasy holds special appeal for him.
