If you’re here for Chris Pratt, you’ve come to the wrong place. Personally, I couldn’t care less for him in The Tomorrow War. He was okay. Typical. Didn’t stand out. Seriously, he disappeared into his own movie and half the time I was either seeing Andy Dwyer from Parks and Recreation, Owen from Jurassic World, or Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy. He didn’t distinguish himself enough for me to talk about him past this intro. But you know who did absolutely kill it and stole the show from the very moment they appeared on screen? Yvonne Strahovski did.
Stop now if you don’t want spoilers for the movie.
Here we go!
First of all, thank God that I didn’t check IMDB before watching The Tomorrow War. If I had, I would’ve know the core of this movie before watching it. Strahovski is Colonel Muri Forester, the future daughter of Pratt’s character Dan. She’s the hero, the one who saves everyone, and the genius who changes the world through her bravery and badassery. And the trailers really didn’t do her justice, while playing up the male leads importance when she was the one the one who saved the human race, the past, and the whole shebang.
And in the future, one where Dan is dead, she’s been the one who has had to take care of herself. Hell, take care of everyone. Sure, there are others left. But she’s the one who steps up time and time again. She also doesn’t just sit there and give out the orders. If you’re going to go into battle, she’s going to do it right alongside you. And when the battle is over and you need someone to science the hell out of this, she’s the woman you go to and she always comes up with results.
Strahovski doesn’t only kill it when it comes to being a badass and saving the world. She also kills it in the heart-wrenching moments when emotion, heart, and feels are on demand. For example, the conversations that she had with her father Dan. They were stilted at first. She hasn’t seen him for a very long time and wants to keep her distance. But as time passes she begins to open up and explores a complexity of feelings that are grounded in being the one left behind by her father and by the world.
Like…I don’t want to admit this but I cried in The Tomorrow War. And it was all due to Yvonne Strahovski and the emotions she invoked in me. I believed her character from start to finish. When she felt anger, I felt anger. When she felt pain, I felt pain. And when she felt insurmountable pain over the lose of her father and her world, I felt that lose with her. That only happens when you have a talented actor who knows what the hell they’re doing, selling the whole movie or piece of media at the same time.
Was the ending a bit predictable? Yes. Could I have done with less Pratt and more Strahovski? Absolutely. And could the movie have ended half an hour earlier? Yup. But do I regret watching The Tomorrow War? Nope. And not because of Pratt, if that hasn’t become abundantly clear by now. It’s thanks to Yvonne Strahovski and the life she brought to Colonel Muri Forester. She’s the star and this woman has the acting chops to master any role given to her.
So, get on with it Hollywood. Give me more Yvonne Strahovski.
The Tomorrow War is now available on Amazon Prime.
Very well said & I agree that Yvonne Strahovski is one of the true artist. I just watched Stateless (on Netflix) for the 2nd time & am truly amazed by her performance. I think just as incredible was her Protestant of Sarah Walker in Chuck. In basically her first big gig & at such a young age, she knocked out of the park! Her mastery of facial expressions and non-verbal communication was just stunning. She could let you know what her character was thinking or leave you wondering…without saying a word. I just think she is one of the best actresses of her generation!