Oblivion reaches for the stars – and almost makes it

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 2013)

Based on an unpublished graphic novel written by director Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion is set in the year 2077, on an Earth rendered mostly uninhabitable due to sixty years of war with alien invaders known as 'Scavs'.
Most of humankind has migrated to Titan, Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), are stationed on Earth to maintain drones that service gigantic power reactors which supply energy for the new colony. From station Tech 49, Jack flies down to the surface to locate and repair the drones, while Victoria monitors him from the station, hundreds of feet above the surface of the planet.
Due to security protocols, Jack and Victoria's memories have been wiped, and their only human contact, albeit by radio, is with Sally (Melissa Leo), who is based on the orbiting space station the 'Tet'. Although Jack's memory has been wiped, he continually dreams of a young woman in a New York untouched by war.
When a drone goes missing, Jack descends to the surface to locate it, but what he finds makes him question everything he believes in.
Oblivion is visually stunning. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda - who won last years' Oscar, and also worked with director Joseph Kosinski on 'Tron Legacy' – has done an amazing job in his first sci-fi movie.
The script, written by Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt is solid, also attempting to be as accurate as possible concerning the science involved within the story. An important element for many sci-fi fans.
Tom Cruise does a fine job as Jack. No matter what you may think of Cruise personally, he is a fine actor, and one of the few that can easily make the transition between drama and action and pull it off successfully. Or, as in the case of Oblivion do both.
He is ably supported by the rest of the cast which besides Riseborough and Leo also includes Olga Kurylenko as Julia, and Morgan Freeman as Beech.
Joseph Kosinski has done a fine job of bringing his graphic novel to the big screen. Although the film is a sci-fi flick, there is enough drama and twists in the plot to appeal to a broader audience.
Oblivion may not be the best sci-fi movie ever made, but it holds its own compared to many in this genre, and is a highly entertaining couple of hours. 7.5/10