Oblivion left me oblivious

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2013)

First of all let me say that I think ten or twenty years from now Oblivion will be right up there with Blade Runner, or Moon or any other sci-fi movie that becomes a cult classic that a select group of people rave and worship. There were certainly things about Oblivion that was stone cold brilliant but I'm going to be perfectly honest and just say that I didn't understand a lick of it. I am still desperately trying to figure out the entire concept. The scenery and setting of the film was brilliant. There was this amazing feel of desolation and apocalyptic wasteland that is not to be ignored. The film makers together with their star create this bizarre but so important feeling of melancholy and nostalgia for the way earth used to be. The problem with the film for me was that it dragged significantly. The pacing felt entirely off for much of the film. On top of that this incredibly complex story never really explains itself. Maybe I missed something but it was far more difficult than it needed to be. I guess I just wanted more...more explanation, more details, more background. But that wasn't their intent so I can't fault them for something that maybe I just missed.
Say what you will but Tom Cruise is still a superstar. I love the guy. He's had way more amazing movies than bad ones. This film is really perfect for him. He shows an intensity and appropriate emotional level for his character. And of course being Tom Cruise he switches that into action flawlessly. He is still very versatile and makes this film better than I really thought it was. Andrea Riseborough is his partner on the desolate earth station. They have good chemistry and she is very good in a role that I think is meant to be a little wooden. She is almost robotic in her actions but her lack of emotion or at least very stoic emotion is on purpose I believe. In that way she does a good job. Olga Kurylenko is also as good as Riseborough as the mysterious survivor that has a tie to Cruise's Jack. They have good chemistry too although not quite good enough I don't think considering the angle of their relationship. She gets just enough character development to squeak by but I think she could have done more if she had been given more. Morgan Freeman shows up in an unfortunately small role as the leader of a group of rebels. He is good as he always is but the role is excruciatingly small. I wanted to see more dynamic between him and Cruise.
It is true that I had some high expectations for this film. I thought it looked awesome, I really like Tom Cruise and sci-fi films and I almost missed this in theatres and finally caught it last minute. Considering director Joseph Kosinski got his big break only a few years with the mega-anticipated sci-fi epic Tron Legacy, you can't say the guy doesn't know sci-fi. He is clearly a talented director. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the direction, the special effects and the world he creates. The only issue is how little I understood the story and the pacing of the film. It isn't that it didn't entertain me but it was just perhaps a little ambitious or perhaps less mainstream than I was expecting. I think I will watch it again when it releases on DVD and re-address the review and until then I encourage you to see it for yourself. I think sci-fi fanatics will love it and perhaps I missed something. For the time being I consider it average for the reasons I discussed. 6/10