Starring: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge Director: Chris McKay SINCE having his big breakout with “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Chris Pratt has headlined his fair share of big-scale genre blockbusters, with “The Tomorrow War” being his latest endeavor. The movie boasts an interesting setup and solid performances by the cast, but it still comes across as unremarkable, if standard, genre fare. In “The Tomorrow War,” soldiers from the year 2051 travel back in time to alert humanity about a deadly war against aliens known as Whitespikes. Due to heavy losses, they call upon people to jump decades into the future and help the cause. Army veteran and current high school science teacher Dan Forester (Pratt) is one of the citizens drafted into active service. Vowing to do what he can to save the world and his family, Dan goes to 2051 to see if there’s a way he can help end the war for good. As a director, McKay is best-known for animated efforts like “Robot Chicken” and “The LEGO Batman Movie,” but he demonstrates solid chops making the jump to live-action tentpole fare here. “The Tomorrow War” features a number of well-crafted action sequences, and even though they may not raise the bar in terms of genre thrills, they’re still exciting to watch. Each one contains tense and suspenseful moments, and the action’s easy for viewers to follow. The Whitespikes are suitably terrifying sci-fi villains, punctuated by good creature design. They’re a step above generic sci-fi aliens and prove to be a scary presence throughout the film. McKay smartly builds up to an eventual reveal (similar to “Jaws”), making the Whitespikes’ first appearance work to greater effect. Where “The Tomorrow War” struggles a bit is with the script, written by Zach Dean. The film does have an interesting premise and it tries to sneak in some social commentary (particularly on the issue of global warming), but it rarely digs beyond the surface in the exploration of its themes. This makes the story, which is partially a mishmash of previous sci-fi movies, play out as more of a by-the-numbers plot, rather than being something special. Still, “The Tomorrow World” deserves credit for its world-building, as Dean has crafted a universe that could be worth exploring in future installments. Some viewers may be able to spot logical inconsistencies, but overall movie’s plot works as a serviceable foundation, and it does have a handful of touching moments designed to tug at the heartstrings. Dan’s dynamic with his daughter Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is the film’s emotional core. In terms of the acting, Pratt does a riff on the usual action hero character viewers should be familiar with by now. His everyman persona works as a gateway into “The Tomorrow War”’s world, but Pratt’s arguably outshined by the supporting cast. In particular, Sam Richardson is a definite standout as Charlie, one of the civilians Dan fights alongside with. Charlie is a fun fish-out-of-water character, responsible for levity and laughs. J.K. Simmons also makes the most of his screen time as Dan’s estranged father, James, giving the part necessary gravitas another actor may not have. The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen. (SD-Agencies) | 