Oblivion is built around 2 strengths, visual effects and surprises. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion is a thought-provoking piece of sci-fi cinema that uses ideas and intelligence to drive the plot. It doesn’t hurt that you have a veteran of the genre, Tom Cruise, as your lead.
Oblivion takes place in 2077. Earth was attacked; humanity survived, but they now live on Titan, Saturn’s moon. The only inhabitants of the planet are twofold: scavengers and maintenance. Jack Harper (Cruise) is a drone repair technician going back to Titan in two weeks with his partner (in more ways than one) Vic (Andrea Riseborough). Vic is very excited to return to Titan; Jack is not. He made a safe zone for himself on Earth and he is haunted in his “dreams” by a mysterious woman (Olga Kurylenko). Jack is also watched by the scavenges, who have plans that involve Jack in a big way.
My oh my is this one of the best cinematographs in recent memory. Claudio Miranda’s post-apocalyptic landscape is littered with wonderful images of a broken New York and Washington that drive home how little is left. The paradise that Jack finds refuge (if it isn’t Yosemite National Park, it looks eerily similar) is a breathtaking amalgam of senses. The visual effects department creates wonderful action sequences involving lightning, lunar attacks, and multi-directional vehicles and drones. In addition, the juxtaposition of the vast planet with claustrophobic hiding spaces of the “scavs” gives the landscape a consistent threat since enemies could pop up from anywhere. It also makes the attacks on the scavs much more intimate and terrifying (plus keeping the budget smaller).
Even with the previews, Oblivion does a great job hiding plot details. I was genuinely surprised at the twists the story took at the halfway point. To get to that point, however, there is a lot of back story to be described. The first hour can be a bit slow with stakes-setting and character development, which jars with the second half chases and firefights. Oblivion walks the line between explosion centered and idea centered. Some explanations are kept to a minimum to keep the story moving, but sometimes at the expense of Oblivion’s story. The screenplay execution succeeds more than it fails, but it is a weak point for the movie.
Even in the weaker sci-fi movies, Tom Cruise is usually captivating when he is on-screen. In Oblivion he doesn’t quite disappear into his character like in Minority Report, but he is very good as the everyman Jack Harper. His chemistry with the two women varies wildly. Andrea Riseborough and Cruise have no chemistry due to the way Riseborough’s character is written (as a plot driver and future indicator). Any chemistry would have provided more complication for Cruise’s character casting doubt on some plot developments. Olga Kurylenko works very well with Cruise; they pop on-screen. Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones) take turns playing the sidekick to Cruise and the two women as necessary.
While not a game changer for the sci-fi genre, Oblivion is a solid entry into it. It won’t leave you with lots of questions, but it also makes you think about what it’s doing. I was only left with two questions leaving Oblivion: why do New York and DC always get destroyed in film and who taught Tom Cruise how to shoot a jump shot? Spoiler alert: he shoots with one hand. I mean, who does that?