From the obvious to the oblivious

Rating: 6/10 (7 October 2013)

"Oblivion" starts out with scope and size but shrinks through trite dialogue, too many drone battles and an actor who could have given it depth, but instead played it at his most superficial level.
Tom Cruise performs this one in the hyperactive manner that was fine at the beginning of his career, but is wearing a bit thin now that he has hit the 50 mark. Warning bells sound early in "Oblivion" when his character talks to the head-nodding dashboard figurine in his spacecraft. By the time he makes the imaginary long shot to replicate an old Super Bowl game followed by the touchdown, you know this movie isn't the new "2001".
The biggest problem is the script, and as it is partly by Joseph Kosinski, who not only directed the film, but also created the graphic novel on which it was based, I guess there just weren't enough people around to say, "Hey man, this isn't working". Moreover, did we really need all the repetitious, video game-like battles with the drones – even after one battle you can feel your brain starting to slide into, yesoblivion.
The concept behind the movie is intriguing, and the special effects are simply ravishing – just about the cleanest and best in any sci-fi movie. The story is seen from the point of view of Commander Jack Harper, Tom Cruise's character, who narrates the story and informs us how although humans were victorious after an invasion of Earth by the alien Scavs, the planet was so devastated that mankind was forced to relocate to Saturn's moon, Titan.
Jack and his teammate, Vika Olsen, played by Andrea Riseborough, man a space station above Earth in order to maintain the drones that send the planet's remaining resources to the Tet, the huge space station above Earth that is readying the human population for the journey to Titan.
When Jack discovers a female survivor, Julia Rusakova, played by Olga Kurylenko, and encounters the Scavs, who turn out to be human, he learns that he has been the victim of a huge deception; the real aliens have used him to help take Earth's resources for themselves.
There's a lot more to the plot with mind-washing and cloning playing a big part in the story. However, "Oblivion" is undermined by superficialities in the script, which jumps from high-minded concepts to dialogue so juvenile that it must surprise everyone in the audience including juveniles.
As Malcolm Beech, the leader of the resistance on Earth, this is the sort of performance that Morgan Freeman just about phones in. Although he explains much of the background of the story, the fantastic voice is also asked to deliver lines such as, "That is one p***ed off weapon". Better luck next movie Morgan.
Even when appealing to a young audience, surely it isn't necessary to dumb your movie down with anachronistic jargon and out of place references to today's teen lifestyle in the belief that they won't get it otherwise? As any parent who has ever dealt with a teenage son or daughter knows, exasperatingly, they can deal with complex argument on many levels.
Audiences these days understand the language of film, they can handle obscure and non-linear concepts, but they will always react to the jarring note, and "Oblivion", despite the dazzling visuals, has more than a few jarring notes.