A thing of beauty

Rating: 9/10 (26 May 2016)

First and foremost, Oblivion is a visual experience. The locations, set design and prop design are all absolutely stunning. The languid pacing allows the viewer plenty of time to take it all in which is great if you like that kind of thing but probably quite annoying if you don't. Luckily I'm in the former camp. It evokes memories of 2001: Space Odyssey at times, even if the movies are quite different in tone.
The soundtrack also really works for me. I am a sometime fan of M83 and he does some of his best work here. Sound design in general is also very impressive.
But visual and aural stimulus alone doesn't make for a great film. So, does it hold up in terms of plot and acting? Plot-wise, it is somewhat derivative. But the script is interesting enough to keep my attention and has enough twists to keep things interesting.
As for the acting; Tom Cruise does what he does best, which is being Tom Cruise. I'm not a huge fan but he does this kind of thing very well. No qualms about his performance here, he is very good in this. Certainly among his very best performances as far as I'm concerned.
Of the supporting cast, only Andrea Riseborough is given enough material to shine. She does very well as the somewhat tragic figure of the movie. Olga Kurylenko is a bit more wooden and her performance is merely serviceable. Morgan Freeman is always a joy to watch even if he doesn't have a lot of screen time. The minor characters have very little screen time but are convincing enough. I wouldn't call this a character driven movie but I can't fault the acting.
Overall, there is not enough heft to this to call it an absolute classic but it's certainly a very enjoyable movie. I have watched it three times now; once at the movies, once on DVD and once on TV. I will definitely be getting the Blu-Ray at some point so I can watch it again with the good picture quality and great sound it deserves. A visual and aural feast indeed. 9 out of 10 stars.