Better than the critics say

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2013)

This film is a feast to the eyes for every SciFi fan around the world. Kosinski once again showed us that he is one of the most visionary directors in Hollywood. After two movies. The visuals are stunning and the huge camera pans over the landscapes show Iceland in all its beauty. Yes, there is a place on earth which really looks like this. Most of the landscapes were no CGI, they were real. The set design is interesting as well. Very sterilized, clean but high-value. This also counts for the design of the bubble ship, which every helicopter fan would love to fly with.
M83 and Trapanese made a fantastic soundtrack which fits to the film perfectly and even is very enjoyable when listening to it separated. It differs from TRON Legacy in its style. The electronic elements are far more in the background, the orchestra is more in the front. Which is fine, despite the fact that the theme / melody is not as catching as the TRON Legacy main theme. Other than that, M83's score is on par with Daft Punk's work and I hope this time, the score will be a candidate for the award season.
The story is good as well. First of all, it is better and quicker and with less slow-downs in it than the TRON script. The SciFi elements are nice and interesting and everything is explained within the movie though some are clearly SciFi and only make sense within the movie's logic. Some questions however need to be interpreted by the audience. The film wants the audience to think about it after the movie is over. Which seems to be a problem for film critics. "Needs more than 1 brain cell? That's a PLOT HOLE!" In fact, there are no plot holes if you just pay some attention to what's going on.
The action sequences do their job quite well. The camera is not as shaky as in other action films in recent history and the sequences are well paced and well positioned during the 2 hours length.
The plot has a lot of references to older SciFi classics (those critics interpret them as rip offs, which is not true). However, the film still has its unique feeling, although you can pick out every reference quite easily. For me, the final climax is no rip off. It is just a huge tribute to one of the most iconic SciFi films of all time.
The characters are above average, though some actors could have done a better job. Some emotional scenes do not add up because of the very 'dry' acting.
Oblivion is better than Tron Legacy for me and I hope the film will become a success despite the unfairly bad reviews by "top critics".
Shame on the (american) film critics who only seem to be able to bash Tom Cruise and the 'full-of-tributes' plot. This film is way better than its Rotten Tomatoes score. It is a great, not perfect start to the 2013 blockbuster season and one of the best SciFi films in the past years.
Visuals 10/10, Soundtrack 9/10, Story 8/10, Characters / Actors 8/10