You’ve seen Oblivion before—whether you know it or not. While it’s based on an original graphic novel from the director of TRON: Legacy, Oblivion’s plot definitely feels recycled.
Tom Cruise is Jack Harper, a drone maintenance worker with his memory wiped on Earth in 2077, decades after a massive war tore our planet apart. Part of an operation to extract resources, he’s stationed on Earth as one part of a couple putting in their last days before being sent home to the rest of the humans stationed either in a space station or living on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. But, standing in their way are leftover alien threats who sabotage drones left and right. When a mysterious spacecraft crashed onto Earth carrying a woman that Jack’s dreamed of—or is he remembering her?— all hell breaks loose.
While watching Oblivion, I found myself enjoying it, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a beautiful and slick film. The imagery is impressive with the Empire State Building almost buried in the ground and a football stadium in shambles. The house Jack and his sex partner Victoria live in above the clouds is straight up impressive looking. But that’s where the enjoyment ends. The film’s plot, which unfolds in pieces to try to make you think and figure it out, is mostly incoherent, and it borrows from much better sci-fi films, such as Moon and Blade Runner. The mood and feel of Oblivion is much greater than its plot and finished product.
Oblivion has the makings to be a great futuristic flick, but it just doesn’t quite live up to its potential. With a jumbled plot that rips off other (more coherent) stories, it feels like a spruced-up copycat that just isn’t better than the original—but it IS hella slick, though...
-- Darcie Duttweiler
Tom Cruise is Jack Harper, a drone maintenance worker with his memory wiped on Earth in 2077, decades after a massive war tore our planet apart. Part of an operation to extract resources, he’s stationed on Earth as one part of a couple putting in their last days before being sent home to the rest of the humans stationed either in a space station or living on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. But, standing in their way are leftover alien threats who sabotage drones left and right. When a mysterious spacecraft crashed onto Earth carrying a woman that Jack’s dreamed of—or is he remembering her?— all hell breaks loose.
While watching Oblivion, I found myself enjoying it, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a beautiful and slick film. The imagery is impressive with the Empire State Building almost buried in the ground and a football stadium in shambles. The house Jack and his sex partner Victoria live in above the clouds is straight up impressive looking. But that’s where the enjoyment ends. The film’s plot, which unfolds in pieces to try to make you think and figure it out, is mostly incoherent, and it borrows from much better sci-fi films, such as Moon and Blade Runner. The mood and feel of Oblivion is much greater than its plot and finished product.
Oblivion has the makings to be a great futuristic flick, but it just doesn’t quite live up to its potential. With a jumbled plot that rips off other (more coherent) stories, it feels like a spruced-up copycat that just isn’t better than the original—but it IS hella slick, though...
-- Darcie Duttweiler
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