A Spoiler Free Look at Tomorrowland (With Potential Spoilers)

 
     New York Comic Con is blowing up. And that happens to be the best news from NYCC 2014. While New York Comic Con in the past has been just that (a COMIC convention) with The Walking Dead TV show sprinkled in on Sunday night, the Con is now expanding to become more like it's most frequent comparison: San Diego Comic Con. Don't believe me? Look at the very first panel from 2014: Disney Presents Big Hero 6 and Tomorrowland, complete with HUGE guests and revelations.

       Moderated by the incomparable Chris Hardwick and headed by two of my all-time favorite artists, Damon Lindelof (Star Trek Into Darkness, Lost, The Leftovers) and Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), this panel did exactly what it was supposed to. The overall spirit of the panel was basically "give nothing away" (writer Damon Lindelof has pretty much made a career of this; I'm looking at you Lost and The Leftovers) and I couldn't be happier with that mentality. I've championed giving less away in trailers and promotional material before in my post Are There No Secrets in Movies Anymore? But this panel showed just the right amount. Lindelof and Bird ceded to reveal the teaser trailer which has now been released HERE. At the risk of being shot and killed by Lindelof's secret-keeping-thugs, let me tell you, this movie looks fantastic.

       
The panel brought out stars Britt Robertson (Under the Dome), Raffey Cassidy (Snow White and the Huntsman, Dark Shadows) and Hugh Laurie (never heard of him). But midway through, the big surprise of the day and perhaps (yet to be seen) the entire convention came in the form of Batman from the seminal classic Batman and Robin. Oh, you didn't like that movie? Well, apparently neither did George Clooney, who spent his first five minutes bashing and apologizing for his participation in Joel Schumacher's 1997...errr, "film?" Clooney eventually goads (as per the panel script, I'm sure) the creative pair into showing one more clip from Tomorrowland which, Clooney admits, is heavy on Clooney. In the clip, after a brief introduction to Clooney's character, Frank Walker, what follows is one of the most unique, intense and magnificent action sequences I've seen in film. While I've been a proponent for leaving information out, I am ecstatic having seen this footage. Without giving too much away, it involves a host of inventions of the curmudgeonly Frank Walker, a look at the punky protagonist Casey, androids hell-bent on capturing Casey at any cost and simply gorgeous film-making.

        In short, be excited for this movie. It promises to be big. In fact, when asked what word they would use to describe Tomorrowland, both Hugh Laurie and George Clooney independently said "big."  It promises to feature fantastic action, huge, philosophical ideas (a la Lost and The Leftovers), the charming influence of George Clooney and the potentially diabolical presence of Briton (and doesn't that accent just lend itself to villainy?) Hugh Laurie.