A Reel Review: OBLIVION

 

Joseph Kosinki’s second directorial effort, OBLIVION, is a Frankenstein of a film; made up of many different pieces and parts from many different places, or in this case, movies. Films such as STAR WARS, STAR TREK, WALL*E, THE ISLAND and MOON are all borrowed from here. Such a method of storytelling is nothing new in the business, so OBLIVION should not be judged on that alone. What it should and will be judged upon is if the film can make all those familiar science-fiction elements work for its own self.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his lover/work-partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are stationed on a devastated Earth, which has been evacuated after an alien attack 60 years before. Just before their mission of caretaking the machinery to harvest what’s left of Earth’s resources ends, Jack rescues a survivor (Olga Kurylenko) from a recently downed spacecraft, which throws everything he knows about himself and his surroundings into question.

As stated, OBLIVION borrows many themes and ideas from what seems like a thousand different science fiction stories and films. For the most part, the movie works because all of these borrowed ideas are put into a fresh setting (more on that in a minute), and set into a motion which never feels predictable. There are a few points in the second act which are a tad predictable, but by the third act the film veers into many shocking twists and surprising turns which keeps the territory fresh and new. As familiar as the story elements are, the film never gets dull.

At its core, OBLIVION is a tale about one man’s journey to discover himself, and in that the film stutters a little bit. The characters are a bit shallow and only develop to a certain extent, which makes their eventual resolutions less impactful. The film certainly tries its hardest to do so, but because of who the characters are in the story, they are not allowed to move past their first dimension. Without going into spoiler-territory, the filmmakers wrote themselves into a corner as their story kept their characters from being emotionally engaging.

Joseph Kosinski has put together a visual stunner of a film. The production design is awesome as it brings us some never-seen-before visuals and design. The design of the dwellings, weapons, and vehicles are fun enough to make you want to play with your old action figures, and the landscapes of the devasted Earth (mostly taken over by nature) are lush and breathtaking. Kosinski makes good use out of a plot point of our Moon being destroyed; the lack of a moon means tidal waves go awry, which gives the film a very good reason to have the landscapes they way they are and not just for showing off. There is also great care taken to keep a sense of geography around the characters as you always know where they are and what’s around them. Action scenes are fun enough, but some just drag along a little too long.

Tom Cruise gives a good performance and is tempered enough where he doesn’t go into his stock freak-out mode at any time. Morgan Freeman eventually shows up, but his time is basically an extended cameo and he gives a standard Morgan-Freemany performance. The best work comes from Olga Kurlenko, who shows a surprising amount of depth.

The ending wraps things up nice and tight, with any or all questions answered bluntly or requiring a little bit of thought. The lack of an emotional trigger suppresses the impact of the ending, which makes the film better suited to science-fiction enthusiasts. The film reaches high and succeeds as many times as it misses. OBLIVION is equal to the sum of its parts.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it