Feel free to read the article below or click on the embedded YouTube video for a comprehensive review of Tom Cruises new sci-fi action film Oblivion.
Oblivion is the latest futuristic sci-fi action film featuring veteran movie star Tom Cruise. Directed by Joseph Kosinski of Tron: Legacy, a sequel that divided critics and fans alike, Oblivion takes place in the not so distance future of 2077. It follows Jack Harper, a former astronaut turned maintenance man who’s part of a small yet crucial drone mechanic crew assigned to assist in the clean-up of an earth, now abandoned after an alien invasion sixty years prior.
Jack holds an affinity for the earth that once was, with his natural obsession and curiosity for the past leading him to defy orders and rescue a survivor of a shuttle crash he feels connected with for reasons he can’t explain. Played by Olga Kurylenko, her and Cruise head a solid cast comprised of Andrea Riseborough, Melissa Leo, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Morgan Freeman.
Those looking for your typical Tom Cruise Mission Impossible style action flick as hinted at in the trailers may be surprised to find this film, running at 124 minutes, is happier to meander along in quite contemplation for a lot of it. The first hour sees the camera often panning slowly over the landscape taking in long lingering (and quite stunning) shots of a desolate and abandoned earth rather than expose the audience to intense action scenes. It could just as easily be likened to Moon, Duncan Jones early foray into science fiction with perhaps even shades of Pixar's Wall E rather than some like your JJ Abram's Star Trek.
There are three stand out things at play in Oblivion, the scenery on display is captured beautifully, perfectly melded with elements of CGI and practical effects. To the films credit blue screen is used sparingly, so much of this is shot on location in Northern California and Iceland and the film is stronger for it. Secondly the special effects, the mixture of practical and CGI effects mentioned are all beautifully designed, Jack’s bubbleship, an actually physical prop wherever possible, being a real aesthetic high point.
The final element at play here is Tom Cruises performance. Despite any criticism people may have of Tom Cruise as a person he is very well suited to this role. Putting aside the talk of Scientology, strange personal rumours, and his bizarre muppet sprint it’s hard to believe that at fifty he can still run and gun with the best of them. Actors of his generation age range rarely fare so well and it’s a credit to his ability as a performer to play the part of an action hero so convincingly.
Oblivion could be criticised for the slow burn nature of its narrative. It’s not until a good hour or so in that we get a sense of what has really been going on in this post-apocalyptic future. Patience is a definitely a requirement here, with a good argument to be made that a large chunk of the first act could have been removed in its entirety. There’s not a whole lot of narrative there and yet with that there’s a whole lot of time that it’s stretched over. But at around the half way mark is where this film really starts to shine.
Some of the twists and turns you may see coming, especially those alluded to in the promotionally material, that’s not to say they aren't pulled off effectively. But if you’re familiar with Duncan Jones Moon, as mentioned earlier, you may find the overall similarities between the two a little hard to swallow. Especially considering that Moon did come before this and is the better film of the two.
Overall though, Oblivion is an impressive and effective movie experience. Joseph Kosinki has stated this is very much a homage to the sci-fi films of the seventies before Star Wars changed what people consider to be a sci-fi film, and with that in mind it does well. It’s definitely a better film than his previous attempt Tron: Legacy, but the methodically plodding nature of the first act before its Independence Day style finale will no doubt put some cinema goers off. One person sitting behind me went as far to state to the audience to “wake him when it’s over.” Though I don’t share his disdain for the slow burn nature of this film I can understand where he is coming from. And yet at the same time, that guy should shut up, we’re in a cinema, I’m not your friend watching a movie in your living room, I’m the guy who’s going to clock you in the side of the head if you don’t shut up for the duration of this film.
So if you have seen Oblivion what did you think of it? Now my understanding is that Oblivion will not be out in some countries including the United States for another few weeks so if this relates to you based on what you know will you be seeing Tom Cruises latest 120 million dollar sci-fi epic. Leave a comment below, contact me via twitter @mrsundaymovies or click on the link below to visit my Youtube page that covers all things movies including film news, reviews and my ongoing series Making Movie Franchises Not Terrible. Thanks everyone, take care.