Not bad, but then again not very good.

Rating: 5/10 (11 April 2013)

Oblivion is a hard film to pin down. so lets do this in two parts - good and bad.
First off I would say that the acting performances are solid. Cruise is as good as ever and the supporting cast fill their roles well. Second I would say that the cinematography is rather good also. At some points I found myself wide-eyed, admiring the image on screen. Last but not least I would also say that the overall aesthetics of the film are pretty decent. The design of the world is interesting and eye-catching. The special effects are pretty tip top. All of these elements save the film from being a complete failure.
The dark side to this film however lies in it's story, it's narrative. The film is far too long - it has too many acts. The audience is slowly spoon-fed each tiny detail even though is only takes the first 20 minutes (AT MOST) to figure out basically whats going on and what will happen (this isn't helped by the trailer for the film as it reveals too much). There is nothing really hidden in this film for too long (even if you haven't seen the trailer) as you are suspicious of just about everything that the main characters take for granted and (hopefully I'm not giving anything away or *spoiling* the film) you are right to suspect these things. I don't believe this film gives the viewer too much credit. As I have said it is slow. This is not only due to the endless details being spoon-fed but also the relentlessness of the action scenes, where you will find yourself sitting around waiting for the next plot point to come up. It distinctly feels as if the audience is faster than the film and the audience is just not being challenged at all.
So, should the film be cast into oblivion? Or does it deserve a chance? Well I would say that it's average. Not really worth paying to see but in a few years if it's on television on a quiet Sunday afternoon maybe watch it and see what you think. If you really like it then fair enough, but in the end you can't really argue that it's much more than a film factory Tom Cruise vehicle - with some sci-fi bells and whistles on it.