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Oblivion (2013)



Oblivion (2013)



6/10




Starring
Tom Cruise
Olga Kurylenko
Andrea Riseborough
Morgan Freeman


Directed by Joseph Kosinski

The movie is more of a visual spectacle than a riddle for the inquisitive mind. Packed with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, Oblivion leaves you wondering where the threat is really coming from and whom to trust. The movie is okay, but the problem is that it got way into itself.

With its stunning visuals and breathtaking settings, Oblivion’s wonderful scenery and sleek bubble crafts will make you sit back and enjoy what’s happening on the screen more than the story it’s trying to tell. Tom Cruise seems to be in top form here. In Jack Reacher (2012), he showed his acting prowess and dominated the film from start to finish. Here, he does the same, even making Morgan Freeman feel more like a sideshow compared to the uprising between Cruise’s character, Commander Jack Harper, and the alien threat (wherever it’s coming from).

Oblivion is based on an unpublished graphic novel of the same name by the director and producer Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy 2011). Joseph was able to bring his idea and concept to life, thanks to the $120 million production backing from Universal Studios. While I still stand by the fact that the movie is a sight to see, it falls short in its storytelling. It’s not that the concept isn’t nice or grand—it’s just that the screenplay feels boring at times. That said, there are action scenes to liven the mood, but the length of time you have to wait for the movie to truly pick up may be worth it for some viewers and not for others.

The storyline is set 60 years after Earth was attacked by aliens known as Scavs. It focuses on one of the few remaining survivors, Commander Jack Harper, who works as a drone repairman on Earth. While fulfilling his duty, he discovers a crashed spacecraft containing something that calls into question everything he believed about the war. Soon after, he’s captured by the very aliens still on Earth and uncovers a truth that shakes his entire existence.

In the end, I liked how the movie turned out. It concludes on a poetic note, and Tom Cruise’s performance might be the greatest thing this movie has to offer, aside from its beautiful set pieces. So, if you’re a fan of the Mission: Impossible star, you’ll definitely have fun watching him here. But my final take is this: Oblivion could have been better.

2 comments:

  1. It just was what it was, it served the needs of the film and that was it. Nothing special, but I guess fine for what it is. Good review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, the movie nothing special at all...

    ReplyDelete

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