thoughtful and enjoyable sci-fi

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2013)

Tom Cruise has starred in yet another excellent sci-fi movie (cf. "Vanilla Sky" and "Minority Report") that is dramatically entertaining and very thoughtful and relevant to our world today, as the best sci-fi is. Its examination of the ramifications of using drones clearly reflects on the Obama administration's use of the same, including the difficulty of defining the enemy, etc. On a larger level, the film examines the necessity of cultural and personal memory (see the title) for individual and social identity, stressing the importance of tradition and books, as opposed to the electronic distractions of the moment. Finally, all of this is related to the environmental disaster of our own world that is allowing its irreplaceable resources to be exploited. Add a complex love story, and the result is a very good movie, indeed!