Oblivion from director Joseph Kosinski, is a futuristic tale of an Earth that won a massive war with aliens but payed a heavy price. The star of the film is former Marine commander Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) who now serves as a drone mechanic and is one of the last few humans on the planet, or at least it appears that way. Below, Cruise discusses a few things about his role and the film.
On what attracted Tom to the role. Tom Cruise: Jack is a futuristic blue collar guy, basically. At the start of the film he believes he’s the last man on Earth. He’s a guy who fixes drones and he’s in charge of security for the resource gatherers and those big machines that are gathering up Earth’s sea water, to be utilized for the new colony on Titan. And that’s his job, everyday he goes down to Earth while Victoria stays in the Skytower and he’s essentially just fixing the drones and trying to not get killed (laughs). But Jack, he feels such a pull to Earth, that this is his home – I think that’s a big theme in the film: what is your home? And Earth is his home, he is questioning whether he wants to leave or not, even though all the resources are going. Victoria can’t wait to go to Titan, she’s done the five year tour of duty and she’s ready to move on.
On what's pulling Jack to Earth. Tom Cruise: Yeah (laughs). Jack doesn’t know why he feels nostalgic for certain items that he has, whether that’s the hat or New York, and I think that’s part of the mystery of the movie. With something like The Empire State Building, which features largely in the film, and is a romantic element to the picture and a tragic element and a dangerous element, he’s intrigued by it. But he doesn’t know why, and Jack is curious, Jack wants to know, he wants to understand things. He’s not satisfied with not knowing the answer to something. He’s a guy who fixes things and he understands how the drones work and he’s a very curious guy. Also, in the story, all of a sudden this woman arrives and obviously she’s a mysterious woman, she’s a human. This spaceship has crashed in his zone of operation and suddenly there’s that woman that he’s dreamed about. He’s tried to block it out, but he feels this pull to this woman and now she’s here.
On performing his own stunts. Tom Cruise: That was awesome! With the Skytower, not acting with green screen does help as an actor. It’s interactive, so it was without a doubt the most beautiful and peaceful set I’ve ever shot on. This natural lighting became our lighting. With the clouds projected all around us, it gave the set a very ethereal, yet organic, feeling. It’s so vast and so beautiful, hauntingly beautiful. The aesthetic is so cool.
Being on the Bubbleship, Joe showed me the drawings and the concept art, and I just thought, “This is so cool.” I’m a pilot, and I love the way he designed it. It’s as beautiful as it is on screen. Every piece of it was so smooth and elegant, and they designed it to fit my body for all the action. I want someone to build it so we can fly it for real (laughs)!
Then with the Moto Bike, it’s a tricky design because when I was riding there were moments that I had to carry Olga. The guys that designed this did a sensational job with not just the look of it, but changing the balance of the bike. Since I was doing jumps and running through Iceland, it had to be safe enough for me to travel at very high speeds without a helmet. I know it was tricky for them to figure out the balance of that bike, and I had a blast riding it.
Much more in the interview with Tom at the source so click the link below to read the full transcript. And be sure to write and post your reviews here when the film his U.S. theaters on April 19th.
Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind. Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth.
Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. Living and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands. Oblivion was shot in stunning digital 4K resolution on location across the United States and Iceland.
Oblivion by Teaser-Trailer.com Running Time: 2 hrs 9 minutes
Release Date: April 19th, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olga Kurylenko, Zoe Bell,
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Written by: Joseph Kosinski (screenplay) Karl Gajdusek (screenplay) Michael Arndt (screenplay) Joseph Kosinski (comic book) Arvid Nelson (comic book)