Is Film Loosing It's Connection with Literature?

After viewing The Tomorrow Wars I found myself a little “meh” with its sci-fi action packed plot. Later I found myself looking at the movie with a fascinating perspective. It felt so obvious to me that when people kept dragging on the movie for its lack of “accurate time travel” and “original plot” I thought to myself, “Who cares?” Sorry Kevin I guess we will just have to do with normal everyday time travel. Why do they keep making up fake theories of how it works?

I will agree the film was unrealistic in some respects. Although I don’t see people turning a nose to Star Wars or LOTR. What's believable about the force and lightsabers? Or magic and rings that cast invisibility? Is this because those movies are listed as “Fantasy.” Why is it that when we list a movie as strictly Sci-fi people get upset when physics and mathematics don’t always add up. I was just pleased to see that Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) was a veteran. Seeing an everyday suburban dad with no military experience killing dozens of aliens would make no sense in this film. That’s why Charlie (Sam Richardson) is perfect. He was an everyday man with no fighting experience and it SHOWED. He only killed one alien the whole movie and it was what you'd expect. I erase Sam for bringing the best comic relief I've seen in a long time. Recognizing humans for their experience and trauma is way more important than realistic theoretical science. I sat there willing to accept that Dan could somehow jump eight feet with a wounded leg. That’s on good character building. I wanted everyone to learn and grow in the film. Just as much as us…

When so many people care about scientific accuracy and believable plots I begin to question if film is still literature. Is film essentially a book told through moving images? The responses I’ve been seeing are causing me to doubt.

Now I have not personally looked into the authors intent with The Tomorrow Wars. This is my own understanding of what the film could represent. After viewing this film it felt like a calling to all adults today. So many of us see the futures problems as well, the futures problems. All of the drafted soldiers (Dan, Charlie, Dorian) believed they needed to go to the future to save their children and grandchildren. This was in-fact not true, they could easily save them in their present. The film centers around the rise of global temperatures waking alien hunters hellbent on destroying all life. Now in the real world scientist have presented the fear that when the glaciers melt in the coming decades, old viruses will spread throughout the world killing mass populations. Hm, sounds a little familiar if you just switch out aliens and viruses. Are we making an effort to help the future in this battle that may or may not happen? Not really and that’s because it’s not our problem to deal with. Bear with me we are being shown a modern fable. We can save the future in our present. This fantastic message has sadly fallen on deaf ears.

If people don’t watch movies to learn more about themselves then why are we watching? To escape? If this is an escape then from what? Is film no longer about the story? Why do I keep working to have a perfect three act structure when it’s not original and accurate enough. Do films need to become less realist for the narrative to return? I guess we will have to see What Happens Next.