At the Theater - "Oblivion" - Although it's a pastiche of a myriad of ideas from a host of past Sci-Fi films, it's a very well made one. Excellent effects work, gorgeous cinematography, a pulsing OST from M83 and Tom Cruise giving it his all highlight this Asimov-esque tale of a post-apocalyptic maintenance man questioning his mission on a shattered Earth. Of the (relatively) limited amount of films I've seen at the theater this year, it's thus far my favorite.
Director Joseph Kosinski's eye for striking visuals is once again on par with the best effects-heavy auteurs in the business, with Oscar-Winning Director of Photography Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) providing consistently stunning work of his own. The film features a multitude of excellent set pieces and impressive props while the human aspect of the story is substantially warmer to the touch than Kosinski's previous effort, TRON: Legacy. I had a difficult time finding anything involving the FX work that I didn't like- there's nothing gaudy or excessive to speak of. Furthermore, there wasn't any moment throughout the film that I second-guessed the logistics at hand- it's one of the more efficient films of it's nature that I've seen in quite some time.
I don't mind Tom Cruise- I actually believe he's putting in some of the best work of his career and could care less about the offscreen baggage that seems to interest and rankle so many others. Comparatively, I also believe he's currently amongst the very best leading men in film. He's terrific here as "Jack Harper" (generic name, I know), the sole drone repair tech working to harvest a war-ravaged Earth's remaining resources for the benefit of an orbiting space station harboring the planet's remaining survivors. Cruise exhibits the presence and charisma of a seasoned vet with nary a false note to speak of. He's not one of my favorite actors, but I struggled to think of someone who could have done a better job in the role.
Andrea Riseborough portrays Harper's base coordinator and love interest, "Vicca"- I've honestly never seen the actress before but felt she was pretty damned good throughout.
Olga Kurylenko (Quantum Of Solace) is only a baby-step better than the last time I saw her in a film- she's decidedly uneven as a figure from Harper's past who throws events into motion. Morgan Freeman is as dependable as ever in a limited supporting role, while Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (HBO's Game Of Thrones) isn't given nearly enough to do. Melissa Leo (The Fighter), as the space station's mission control agent who's constantly checking in for status updates, sports a Texan accent that I found annoyingly phony and wholly unnecessary. My biggest disappointment was finding that Kiwi Stuntwoman/Actress Zoe Bell (Death Proof) has somewhere less than a minute's worth of screen-time- there's no good reason for that.
I'm guessing most who've had the pleasure of watching Duncan Jones' Moon will recognize a substantial plot development and feel that this film copies it- I do seem to recall that Oblivion's story was a long-gestating graphic novel from Radical Comics which preceded the release of Moon by a couple of years, though. Expect certain other parts of the story and visual design to emulate other films of the Sci-Fi genre like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet Of The Apes (1968) and Independence Day. I actually enjoyed the many similarities and references.
Although the narrative is at times familiar, Oblivion is an entertaining, logistically sound and aesthetically pleasing bit of escapism featuring some impressively sharp production values, fluid direction and a fine lead performance from Cruise. Highly Recommended for fans of the Sci-Fi genre- it deserves a viewing in a quality theater.
8.5 out of 10
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