WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Tomorrow War, now available on Amazon Prime.
We've had some pretty intriguing monsters hit the big screen in recent years. The Cloverfield monster is notable, not to mention that the MonsterVerse put its own spin on Godzilla and other kaiju. However, the ones that stood out most due to their unique look and the way they hunted were the creatures from A Quiet Place. Their design felt fresh, and the way they sought prey via sound came off as original. But The Tomorrow War outdoes A Quiet Place in a big way by providing us with an even better spectacle thanks to its aliens.
While the creatures were impressive initially, A Quiet Place's sequel diminished their impact as they had the same look and feel. But this time it was revealed that they were totally scared of water. After the first movie hinted that running water would drown out their listening ability, we now see them drowning as they can't swim, which makes these predators a bit underwhelming. It's all to give the series a natural resource to fight back as they overrun a post-apocalyptic world, a la War of the Worlds.
But in The Tomorrow War, the creatures, known as White Spikes, bring a new level of intensity. Firstly, their design is pretty intricate, mixing monsters from the Doom series with that Cloverfield aesthetic. The white aura also works, as usually movies lean toward dark creatures to hunt in the night. But seeing the White Spikes so clear and rabid in the daytime adds more to the film's action vibe.
Secondly, the way they hunt is scary, reminding us of the Predator-dogs from Predators, creating a high-octane chase when it comes to Chris Pratt's Dan and his soldiers. The fact that they have to time their shots to target under the monsters' chests is also smart as it adds a layer of vulnerability that's not easily accessible, making the heroes work for their kills.
Thirdly, how they overtake the planet by roaming in packs, not hiding from firefights, is genius, making them even more dangerous as they're not afraid of water. It's been a boring trope since Mel Gibson's Signs and this creates a shocking twist where the White Spike males swim across the Hawaiian Sea to attack the resistance's rig and get the queen back as if they're mini-kaiju. Seeing them adaptable to the Russian wintery landscape in the finale adds unpredictability to a mostly predictable film and shapes the White Spikes as intimidating war-hounds fit for video games.
What also rounds them off as an intriguing x-factor is that, while at first we don't get their history, the mysterious veil is dropped in the finale. It's discovered that they're alien weapons -- cargo that a downed ship had -- which completes their story. A Quiet Place didn't elaborate much on their fallen aliens, not even in the sequel, which made them repetitive -- frankly nothing that'll spark interest for a third movie.
But in The Tomorrow War, it just feels like a wholesome and sympathetic story with beasts engineered for a shady purpose, who are now only concerned with conquering the Earth as apex predators that got their freedom from the glacier due to mankind's contribution to global warming. In that sense, it feels a bit like karma with humanity now having to share the blame for unleashing these monsters.
Starring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Sam Richardson, Betty Gilpin, J.K. Simmons and Edwin Hodge, The Tomorrow War is now available on Amazon Prime.