AT A GLANCE: In the year 2077 Earth is a largely deserted wasteland, the end result of an alien invasion that started with the destruction of our moon. Humanity won the war by sacrificing the planet, leaving behind their ancestral home to make a new life on Saturn’s moon, Titan. Jack and Victoria are the last humans stationed on Earth, tasked with maintaining the drones that protect the machines harvesting Earth’s water supply from attacks by the remaining aliens. In a few weeks they will be ordered to leave, and as the time approaches Jack’s dreams begin to intruding on his waking life and his desire to leave behind the Earth begins to wane.
PROS: Stark, clean, gorgeous sets and special effects; breathtaking cinematography; a story that relies more on mood and build up than shiny gizmos and excessive explosions; a great start to the summer science fiction film season.
CONS: Story elements have been done before; those hoping for action over mystery will be disappointed; easy to pick out flaws if you are so inclined; Tom Cruise haters should save their money (and opinions).
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited about the look of Oblivion from the moment the first trailer was released and the film lived up to the expectations I had built for it. I am not a Tom Cruise fanatic but admittedly enjoy his movies because of the consistent entertainment quality of the movies he chooses to get involved in. The movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at and the pleasure derived from the look of the film does not waver throughout the full two hours. The story may be derivative of other science fiction books and films but the way in which the mystery and suspense built slowly made the revelations interesting and kept me actively engaged from start to finish. When the final credits rolled the first word out of my mouth was “Fantastic!”. Having slept on it I feel the same way. I would easily see this again on the big screen.
MY RATING: 4.5/5 stars
