Directed and co-written by Tron: Legacy’s Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion is set in 2077 after earth had been evacuated due to a massive war, which the humans won, against aliens. Needing resources for the lunar colony, Tom Cruise stars as Jack Harper, a security repairman whose sole job is to monitor and fix downed drones that patrol he and Victoria’s (Andrea Riseborough) section of earth, that kill the aliens that are left scavenging the planet for resources and that protect the precious water vacuums that are the lifeblood of the lunar colony near Saturn.
When a ship crash lands near his sector, Jack goes against protocol and discovers a bunch of humans in sleeping stases, one of which is a woman named Julia (Olga Kurylenko) who he has been dreaming about lately. Soon his past will catch up to him, blowing his mind and leading him on a path of redemption and potentially one that could save the human race.
The first half of Oblivion is very strong and is definitely an improvement for Kosinski when compared to Tron: Legacy. The film distinguishes itself from other post apocalyptic sci-fi features story-wise and creates distinct characters that utilize incredible and realistic looking technology that makes watching it a wonderful cinematic spectacle, but the same can’t necessarily be said for the second half. While I didn’t mind too much, it is easily understandable how people might say the movie isn’t as good as it should have been and that’s a result of the second half which comes off as generic and uninventive.
SPOILER (needed to explain the downfall)
Even with a solid setup, when the big reveal happens to Cruise’s character that’s when things get fishy. The action in the film might increase and boy does it look good, but the story takes a generic turn that leads to a faceoff with a giant single red-eyed machine that controls everything, much like Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey, AUTO in Wall-E or even the Red Queen in Resident Evil. In fact, I probably would have been content with a giant one eyed machine had it not been the color red; every sci-fi film feels the need to pay tribute to Kubrick and I’m starting to get a little sick of it.
End spoiler
One of the other bits that might deter people but that I appreciated was the pace. I went in only having seen one trailer months ago, so basically I didn’t remember anything and had no preconceived notions. That being said, Oblivion is a slow burning sci-fi mystery. Yes, there are moments of awesome action and the chases in Tom Cruise’s Bubble Ship are terrific, but this is a character driven mystery piece that takes place in an expansive world and people probably aren’t going to expect it to move as slow as it does. Another deterrent is that Morgan Freeman only appears in the film for about 10 minutes, a letdown for some I’m sure.
I beg you though, please don’t let the above deter you as the film has some amazing qualities to it. The p
roduction value is outstanding and the world Kosinski and Co. have created is more than just stunning. The future New York that we witness isn’t desolate but instead clean. Sure it has its rustic treasures like a buried Empire State Building but the areas that surround it are perfectly intact with nature completely taking over. Exploring this expansive world from Jack’s ship is visually compelling. Additionally, the technology used throughout the film is flawlessly designed, looks fantastic and allows for some pretty cool shots, particularly one when Jack and Victoria go swimming in their pool which just so happens to be at least a mile off the ground and completely transparent.
On top of all of this, the score by Anthony Gonzalez of M83 is terrific and while at times it may sound like something out of Inception, you can hear the subtle differences through the usage of electronic beats and drum kits that M83 is known for. The score does a great job of setting the tone and matches the slow but steadily climbing pace of the feature until it reaches its impactful climax.
Overall, Oblivion is a decent film; one that I enjoyed for the most part but it’s also a film in which some will be understandably bored and put off by it. I don’t think it’s for everyone, especially if you don’t enjoy sci-fi, but the experience is great, the characters are interesting and having the chance to explore our world in a future where humans have been relocated is pretty cool (especially when it’s in IMAX).
Rating: A slow burning sci-fi mystery that, when given a chance, proves that it’s a pretty solid feature (6.8/10)
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