Toomorrow

The American Cinemateque recently screened this rarity with co-star Olivia Newton-John in attendence. As Ms.Newton-John explained it, TOOMORROW was Don Kirshner's attempt to bring a pre-fab rock group to the big screen a la THE MONKEES. Unfortunately (or, fortunately, considering Newton-John's future success), TOOMORROW was not a hit and any further adventures of the "Band" called TOOMORROW remained unfilmed. TOOMORROW "The Movie" tells of an alien race who discover the music of Newton-John and her pop band, TOOMORROW. Seems the aliens need a break from their own computer generated music and the earthling band is just the cure. So, a convuluted plan is hatched to kidnap the band and bring them to their planet so they can record some tunes. Believe it or not, the movie isn't THAT bad -- and certainly doesn't deserve the relative oblivion it has been consigned to. All of the actors are fairly engaging, the special effects are OK, the songs are cute in a prefab "Archies" sort of way, Val Guest's (THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT, WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH) direction is brisk and Olivia shows off her long long legs with some revealing costumes. The print was supplied by the British Film Academy and it was MINT! I hope a DVD video release is in the offing. Ms. Newton-John seemed amused by the film and gratified by the audience's response.

Toomorrow is definitely not as bad as has been reported. It is actually an enjoyable movie. It is no "Grease" but definitely better than "Two of a Kind." It is equal to "Xanadu" and probably better.

To me Olivia was being natural with her perky personality. Her acting did not seem like acting as it did in Xanadu when she tells Sunny that she is a muse. Instead everyone in the Toomorrow group seem to be enjoying themselves as they go through the film.

Granted the movie is not Oscar material but considering how bad so much is today, I would love to see Toomorrow on the big screen or at least come out on DVD.

Definitely worth a look.

Rating Breakdown: Story - 1.00 :: Direction - 1.50 :: Pacing - 1.25 :: Performances - 1.50 :: Entertainment - 1.25 :::: TOTAL - 6.50/10.00.

Imagine if 2001: A Space Odyssey threw on a paisley shirt and jammed with The Beatles, and you'll have some idea of the delightfully oddball charm of Toomorrow. Written and directed by Val Guest, this 1970 sci-fi romp is as groovy as it is inventive. A band of musicians creates a new electronic instrument whose vibrations attract a peaceful alien race. These extraterrestrials, long bereft of pleasure, discover that the band's music gives them a sensory buzz.

Guest's direction is sharp, crafting visually striking scenes that balance humour, wit, and an undercurrent of sci-fi wonder. The special effects may show their age, but they're brimming with creativity, from the crystalline alien spaceship to the moment an alien casually steps out of his human skin suit.

Olivia Newton-John, in one of her earliest roles, shines as the band's frontwoman, while Roy Dotrice and the rest of the cast bring infectious energy and charm to their roles. The interplay between the band members is a joy to watch, crackling with wit and camaraderie.

Though the third act drags slightly, Toomorrow remains a sunny, feel-good sci-fi adventure, complete with a 60s soundtrack that's guaranteed to lift your spirits. It's a hidden gem that's well worth discovering.

Val Guest was an extremely busy director who first of all made a lot of films and secondly produced a surprisingly large number of good films. This, however, is not one of them. It is a very commercial publicity stunt for a band derived from a casting. The band is mediocre (except for goddess Olivia of course) and the film is...well...calculated. The story is odd: aliens hear the sound of the band Toomorrow and discover that they need those vibes to survive. Friendly alien kidnaps them and they save the aliens' world. Sounds pretty stupid? It is. There's some nice and funny stuff about student life in the 60s/70s but essentially the film is an excuse for showing the band and...Olivia's legs. In fact The legs of Olivia would have been a far better title as that's what the film really is about. And they alone make it worth watching. Essentially the film is silly-funny entertainment and at least you can smile about it. But I felt a bit disappointed after having hunted high and low for the film for years.

Like many Olivia Newton-John fans, I sought out TOOMORROW to catch an early film performance by Olivia (and also because I enjoy seeking out "lost movies"), and while the film is certainly lightweight and contrived I'll admit I enjoyed watching it. The concept here was to take a prefabricated rock group (sort of a British take on The Monkees), inject a sci-fi story line and tie everything together with a groovy pop music soundtrack (with the requisite soundtrack LP and singles). History has told the story: the "aliens desperately looking for new musical vibes" plot was way out there, the tunes were too lightweight and the resulting film opened and closed quickly then promptly disappeared. Despite all that TOOMORROW is still worth viewing for those fortunate enough to come across it. Olivia is absolutely charming here as a college student/band member, and while she later admitted in interviews that she literally resorted to shouting in order to project her voice it really doesn't detract from her performance or the film. Her interaction with her bandmates is lighthearted and carefree. The music is pretty much by-the-numbers pop bordering on bubblegum (perhaps Don Kirshner leaned a little too close to his musical creation The Archies here) and it's a bit of a stretch imagining an alien race finding just the thing they're looking for in these tunes. Hugo Montenegro's musical interludes are definitely dated but they're in context with the time and setting, and the special effects are also decent considering the age of the film. There's also an amusing bit of light farce when a female Alphoid named "Johnson" is summoned "to seduce Vic Cooper"; problem is, Johnson apparently wasn't informed as to which one was Vic Cooper and her crash course in the art of seduction came from viewing a couple of nudie flicks. I'll concur that while TOOMORROW isn't exactly top-rate, it's worthy entertainment (if approached with the mindset of a "midnight movie") and it certainly deserves to be rescued from obscurity. I'm not holding my breath, but if by some miracle "the powers that be" who are keeping TOOMORROW from being officially rereleased have a change of heart, I'd love to see a genuine DVD issue with some cool bonuses to do the film justice (especially if Anchor Bay is given that chance).