Disney’s theme park attraction is the inspiration for this sci-fi adventure. A teen (Britt Robertson) gains access to a dazzling future world and teams up to save it with an exiled inventor (George Clooney, whose boyhood character looks confusingly like her young brother). The brief visits to this incredible place are full of eye-popping visuals and cool creative concepts, but most of the movie takes place in the present day. When director Brad Bird switches on the action, it’s lots of fun (even though there’s a surprising body count for Disney). The disjointed plot sometimes loses focus and momentum, especially near the talky end. There’s lots here to spark the imagination, but at 130 minutes it’s too long to maintain the magic.
(3 / 5)