So, I don't post for a good week or two, and when I do, it's
a movie that's already been out for two weeks?? How does THAT make sense?
Again, college life. But, hey, summer's about to start, and I intend to do
everything I can to hit as many summer movies as I possibly can (including
video reviews :D) so, that should make up for it. That said, let's talk about
Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman in space. Do I really need to elaborate on that??
Oh wait, that's...kinda why I'm here. Here's my review of Oblivion.
It's the year
2077, and the earth has been decimated by a war with the alien race knows as
the Scavs. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his romantic partner Victoria (Andrea
Riseborough) are part of a "clean-up crew," given the task of
surveying Earth for any survivors, retrieving any salvageable resources, and
staving off any potential threats left on the planet. While out doing a
surveillance run, Jack comes across a woman named Julia (Olga Kurylenko), who
they discover has been in cryogenic sleep for 60 years. Julia leads Jack to an
underground militia of humans led by Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman). There,
Jack's understanding of the world and reality is turned upside-down, and now he
must fight to stay alive and preserve the human race.
What can I say? I
didn't expect much from this film. I expected this to be a typical sci-fi
popcorn flick. I mean, no offense to Tom Cruise, I think he's a talented guy,
but...I just didn't see him and science fiction mixing very well. I would like
to now shake Mr. Cruise's hand for proving me 100% wrong. I did not enjoy
Oblivion on a fun, goofy standard, but on the level of a legitimately
interesting and commendable film. I'm sure others will disagree and present
their cases, but, personally, I was really drawn in by this one.
First of all, Tom
Cruise simply oozes charisma. That's just what he does. It's what he's good at.
He sucks you into his character's dilemmas without much effort at all. Morgan
Freeman is Morgan Freeman, not much to say there, other than to gush about his
appearance in the film. His outfit is just simply awesome. Victoria and Julia
both serve their purpose well, although I think Riseborough could probably
afford to work on selling emotions other than confused. She looks really lost
through the majority of the movie.
The way Oblivion
was advertised, my expectations plot-wise were pretty low. I now understand why
the trailers gave the movie such a basic outline. There are so many twists and
turns in this plot that if the trailers gave away any more than they did, it
would've been too much spoiled. What Jack comes to learn about the world and
the history that he thought he knew is really fascinating, and keeps the film
from being anywhere near predictable. I simply adore a plot that makes you
rethink an entire hour of story that you just watched, and that's what Oblivion
does really well. It keeps you guessing.
Now, why don't we
get into the one thing everybody presumably picked up from the trailers:
visuals. Visually speaking, the film is breathtaking. I'm a really visual
person, and I can never get enough of those moments in a film where there's no
dialogue, no action or conflict, and it's just a sweeping orchestral score
complimenting a beautiful backdrop. When a film lets you breathe and take in
the scenery it has to offer...that just demonstrates so strongly for me the
power and depth of film as a medium. This movie definitely has that element to
it, and it is wonderful.
Oblivion really
came as a surprise to me. It went so far beyond the simple fun ride I had
anticipated. I think it's safe to call this the first summer blockbuster of
2013, even though the summer season doesn't actually kick off until this coming
weekend, 2 weeks after Oblivion's release. It's gonna be difficult for the bulk
of this summer's line-up to beat Oblivion, in my case. This is a film that is
always interesting, very endearing, and visually stunning to no end. The flaws
are few and forgivable, and you're left with a truly memorable science fiction
experience. Sci-fi fans, be sure to seek this one out. And, as always, thanks
for reading!! :D
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