OBLIVION FILM REVIEW

Release Date: 19th April 2013

Age Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 124 mins

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writers: Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt

Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko

Another Sci-Fi film review and Oblivion hasn’t really got anything else new to offer in terms of its story. It has a good concept when it’s eventually unraveled, but you get the feel it has been taken from other films. 

Tom Cruise plays yet another protagonist called Jack. He is one of the few remaining drone repairmen assigned to Earth, its surface devastated after decades of war with the alien Scavs. He discovers a crashed spacecraft with contents that bring into question everything he believed about the war. It may even put the fate of mankind in his hands. Jack lives with Victoria, played by Andrea Riseborough to help him fix and maintain drones, also to keep each other company. They live in a penthouse basically on top of the Earth; they were certainly ‘born’ not to be afraid of heights. These drones in question that scan Earth for resources or danger can sometimes go down and Jack’s job is to fix them, sometimes with a bit a chewing gum. However, Jack begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself. 

 

The special effects in Oblivion are top class and couldn’t be done much better. It is standing in the same league as Watchmen, Prometheus and Sunshine. The soundtrack also does an excellent job of enhancing the action scenes and suspense scenes. Oblivion was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who bought us TRON: Legacy, which I didn’t like at all but overall this film I enjoyed much more.

The film seems to go on much longer than it actually does; Oblivion is 124 minutes long but feels like 140 minutes. It takes a while to get into its stride but when it does it’s certainly a good watch. There are many twists and turns imbedded, which will keep you guessing throughout the film. The thing what a regret most is watching the trailer just before. This is because they show Morgan Freeman, which is supposed to be a surprise in the content of the film. Unfortunately, it isn’t as you know he is lurking in the shadows. 

I would recommend seeing Oblivion on the big screen if you have the chance; it won’t be the same at home. Its script, not original and a bit clichéd, is still decent in what it is trying to achieve. It’s more of a visual masterpiece than a scripted one. 

7.5/10