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the way i took it was like a noble Manhattan Project. it just so happens that they were not whisked off to nevada, but some place even more remote (and distraction-free).
there's certainly an elitism at work here. who picks the 'best and brightest'?
if anything, it's kind of a mixed bag take on a failed utopia... where man's ambitions and the possibilities of our best selves are dragged down by the gravity of our sinful (or, for non-christians, at least, self-interested) nature.
central to it all is a ride in disney world which is the centerpiece of the actual Tomorrowland -- The Hall Of (The Future? Innovation? some shit).
it is a throwback exhibit showing, basically, how great technology and advancement are. gee whiz type shit that hearkens back to the spirit of the World's Fairs (sans dealing with the endemic racism, sexism and other isms that pervaded western society of the time).
the ethos of Tomorrowland (the ride / attraction, as well as the Plus Ultra group in the movie) is oh gee, golly gosh wow, we can make such great and cool stuff, i bet, if we get enough smart people in the same room, we can fix ANYTHING!
and in the movie they let that play out and then posit a 'what if?', pondering the impact on such a well intentioned system of creative elites and the administrative technocrats who give them direction, of a depressing string of failures to resolve our deep-seeded real-world problems.
over time, then, you see this erosion of idealism, and once this rather pessimistic, literal doomsday clock idea becomes real, the focus is then, well, if we can't save everybody, who can we save? and if ppl don't WANT to be saved (our current cultural shrug toward endemic social and environmental and political and social problems), THEN WHAT?
fuck 'em, is the official stance, as codified by the governor.
and so the plot is to rescue the original spirit of idealism from the corrupted, fallen thing that has been created in its place.
that's really not a right / left thing. you could argue that both democracy and communism have failed and fallen short of their ideals in similar ways.
so on that philosophical and intellectual level, the film had some good food for thought. unfortunately, they had more holes in the plot than Portal 2. i was able to shrug that off, however, and think about the big picture. so from that standpoint, i'm w/ frank, and would give it a 3 or so. i'm not mad at this flick at all, and quite enjoyed a good bit of it.
peace & blessings,
x.
www.twitter.com/poetx
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I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad
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