Oblivion-A Movie Review

The year is 2077: Jack Harper (Cruise) serves as a security repairmen stationed on an evacuated Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying alien threat who still scavenges what’s left of our planet, Jack’s mission is almost complete. In a matter of two weeks, he will join the remaining survivors on a lunar colony far from the war-torn world he has long called home.

Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, Jack’s soaring existence is brought crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Drawn to Jack through a connection that transcends logic, her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he thought he knew. With a reality that is shattered as he discovers shocking truths that connect him to Earth of the past, Jack will be pushed to a heroism he didn’t know he contained within. The fate of humanity now rests solely in the hands of a man who believed our world was soon to be lost forever.

Release Date: April 19, 2013; MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity); Genres: Action/Adventure, Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy; Run Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writers: Joseph Kosinski (original story); Karl Gajdusek and Michael DeBruyn (screenplay)

Actors: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo, Andrea Riseborough

The new film from the director Joseph Kosinski who directed 2010’s Tron Legacy, has two things going for it, his great visual style and a fanstastic score provided by M83. The film is beautiful, having been filmed with 4K cameras which is definitely the way to see it as it was stunning. Underneath the film is an amalgamation of a number of sci-fi films that came before. One reviewed said it was the most expensive episode of “The Twilight Zone.” I couldn’t agree more. It is definitely not a masterpiece, but to the open-minded viewer it provides more than enough to give you an easy two hours of entertainment and interesting landscapes.

The film stars Tom Cruise who brings a familiar face for foreign territory, as the world has been devastated by a war for earth. He is joined by Morgan Freeman who does not feature as much as the poster would have you believe, also Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko. Cruise plays a fairly typical Cruise character, but that’s not bad in and of itself.

As usual, the trailer is full of explosions and set pieces, but the movie is a different beast that shows a human story and characters driven by a purpose. While the cast is tiny, I found plenty to enjoy. The ending was rushed, clichéd and a little cheesy. But I enjoyed the film. The pacing was a bit slow, but I understand the mood the Director was going for. At over 2 hours I think that it’s too long by about 10-15 minutes. A shorter cut would tighten things up, and improve the overall rhythm without hurting the effect being sought.

Overall, I would definitely recommend going to see this movie in the cinema, on the biggest screen that you can find. It just won’t be the same on TV. The visual appeal alone is reason enough, but combined with a clever (if not entirely original) script, a great soundtrack for a good theater sound system and some exciting action and suspense, you should be entertained.

(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)

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