A Surprisingly Enjoyable, All Around Well Made Sci-Fi Film.

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2013)

I never seem to have a consistent view on sci fi films. From hard sci-fi based in real physics of a highly possible future to the polished sheen and constant explosions of the blockbuster sci fi, I feel like I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it. It also helps if the film has enough serious tones to solidity that mood and allow me to completely suspend my disbelief in order to really enjoy the film. And unfortunately the beginning of Oblivion put none of these elements in place. Maybe it was the film I had previously seen, The Place beyond The Pines. Maybe it was the somewhat cheesy, generic Tom Cruise character. Maybe the sci-fi world wasn't fleshed out enough. However, before long these notions had dissipated and I become fully enthralled in what would be a thoroughly enjoyable, well-made sci-fi film.
Oblivion follows Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). on a wasteland version of earth. Earth has become a wasteland, mostly destroyed by an alien race with the majority of surviving humans living in a massive pyramid shaped version of the International Space Station called the TET. Jacks mission, job and life purpose is to oversee that the remains of earth are utilised by watching over and maintaining the vital energy and resource gathering mills on earth and repairing the armed robot drones that protect these mills. The "Skavs" creatures that seem akin to the Sand People of Star Wars are implied to be the remains of the aliens and are placed firmly in the role of antagonist as the film gets starting But as the plot thickens, Jack runs into a great deal of problems, from the mysteries behind humans found alive in hyper sleep chambers, to, gunfights with Skavs, and chases scenes and battles against rogue drones before discovering that maybe everything he has been told is not quite as it seems.
The entire visual design and look of this film is where it shines the most. The drones, certainly do seem futuristic with the first person computer screen view cementing them as an Artificial Intelligence with high powered weapons to boot. The contrast between the earth turned wasteland setting and the futuristic highly maintained drones and the bright, whiteness of Jack and headquarters makes each setting stand out and become more interesting than they would be alone. These settings also help to give the feel that this really is a different time to where we are now. Lasers replace bullets for the most part adding to the sci- fi future elements, but with bullets occasionally returning for use with the less well-equipped waste landers that appear.
Plot wise, it begins with the typical story of a man with a job to do, but curiosity and mystery interfering with the job and the character questioning the line of duty. Thankfully this plot thickens throughout the movie, with some great twists, each twist further taking the movie into deeper sci-fi territory but never becoming too complex. Cruise plays the hero character well, and although a somewhat generic American hero, a reasoning for this character is given in some revelations throughout the film. The other characters played their parts as they needed to be played but nothing really stood out. Sally (Melissa Leo), although only appearing on video has some gradual changes in personality as the movie continues with some great change coming near the end and ... does this perfectly. Not much more can be said about the plot without spoiling the surprise of the twists but the plot provides enough depth to be interesting but keeps enough action to keep everything exciting too. A word should also be given to the varied electronic and orchestral soundtrack, provided by French electronic artists M83. The score provides ambiance when needed and also some huge sounding orchestral parts when actions revelations or even just huge landscape shots appear.
Overall, Oblivion is a great sci-fi film, with a well written story full of twists and revelations, some acting that is perfect for the role and an amazing overall look. The score is brought done slightly by some small plot holes, the acting of supporting characters and the fact that maybe everything is a little too coincidental.