Movies: Oblivion

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B)

Long Story Short:  Oblivion is a pretty typical modern sci-fi action film, with the twists and turns that those movies have incorporated as standard practice.  However, whereas many of those films shoot for the stars and go straight into the mud, Oblivion holds it together for an entertaining event:  a veteran, skilled action star (Cruise); noteworthy visual effects; restrained, effective suspense; and a plot that holds together long enough to keep the suspension of disbelief.


Well, I didn't plan to have another extended delay between movie reviews, but that's what happened.  I hope to see another film from April, 42 (the Jackie Robinson film), sometime, and I had hoped to catch this one sooner than I did.  But as of this week, the "official" summer movie season has begun, so the reviews should start to come in a lot more regularly (starting with Iron Man 3).  About this film:  when I saw the trailer for it in the theater, I was quite intrigued:  an interesting sci-fi premise, plus Tom Cruise whom I enjoy as an actor.  Unless it got terrible reviews, I was determined to go see this - a warm up to the summer blockbusters.  Oblivion was directed by Joseph Kosinski (only his second feature film!) and stars Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, and Olga Kurylenko.

Some sixty years in the future, technicians Jack (Cruise) and Victoria (Riseborough) are alone on a very different Earth from the one we know.  This one has been devastated by the destruction of the moon, and the alien invasion that followed.  What remains of humanity has fled to a space colony near Jupiter, and Jack and Victoria have the mission of overseeing the salvage of whatever resources can be collected from Earth.  Jack goes down to the surface, spotted with half-buried artifacts from bridges to skyscrapers, each day to maintain the fleet of drones that look for remaining aliens, while Victoria keeps watch from their base high in the atmosphere.

With just two weeks until their mission is complete, Jack and Victoria begin to feel a strain in their relationship.  Victoria is eager for more human company, but Jack feels a growing pull toward his home planet and isn't so sure he wants to leave.  Meanwhile, mysterious beings watch silently from the shadows...

Obviously, there isn't a huge cast in this sci-fi dystopia, but there are some interesting characters.  Tom Cruise as Jack is the lead, as Cruise typically is.  There really isn't much about Jack that distinguishes him from a generic male lead:  he is physically and mentally very capable, and somewhat rebellious.  But Cruise has gotten so good at this type of role that he makes Jack likable and fun to watch, even if unoriginal.  Riseborough as Victoria actually gets a more interesting, though far smaller, part.  She loves Jack to the point of obsession, and is fiercely protective of the relationship.  You can tell she winces internally each time Jack resists their orders, fearing that they will be separated.  Neither Olga Kurylenko's acting nor her character, Julia, add much to the film.  I won't give any details about her since it would spoil things, but even in a raft of similar small parts for women in action films, this is a poor one.  I was hoping that Morgan Freeman would have a larger role than he did, but even still, it's good to see him.  I do hope he gets more to do in the next of his film's that I see.

Like last year's Looper, the makers of Oblivion seemingly took pains to really remake Earth for the purposes of the film.  The most obvious effect is in the sweeping landscapes through which Jack flies his nifty hovercraft.  Nature has reclaimed almost all of the land; Jack lands in the stadium where the last Super Bowl was played, and it looks like the Colosseum.  there's also the Empire State Building, Washington Monument, bridges, and so on.  The massive emptiness also helps to heighten the suspense, showing how exposed and alone Jack is as he does his work.  The action in the first half or so is used cautiously and effectively, although in the second half it turns more to sci-fi cliche.  One thing I liked about a lot of last year's films was that, although they were not intended as comedies, many had great humor; Oblivion really doesn't have much at all - but at least it doesn't make horrible or cheesy attempts at it, either.

***

Oblivion makes the fourth "good but not great" film I've seen in a row in 2013 (although the year began with the excellent Zero Dark Thirty).  I'm perfectly happy that I went to the theater to see it as it's an entertaining film and one meant to be seen on a big screen.  Tom Cruise is an eminently watchable actor, in my opinion, even in a role without distinction.  The film has great visuals, as well as some nice suspense and an interesting plot.  The writers were smart:  they knew the audience would be able to see twist(s) of some kind coming even if they tried to hide it, so they downplayed the importance of keeping them secret and unveiled them in a mostly reasonable fashion.  Oblivion is also nicely paced.  On the down side, the writer and director seemed to grab for more sci-fi cliches for safety in the second half as events speed up and become larger in scope.  What is an entirely personal story in the first half becomes a little confused as to its priorities in the second half, dragging even the best parts of the story down a little bit.  Still, Oblivion is a very solid sci-fi action flick, where many in the genre start with good intentions and completely fall apart.  You'll be able to tell by watching the trailers if you would like this, so if they interest you, I recommend you give it a try.