"Oblivion" pays homage to 1970s and 1980s sci-fi films while dragging it out of the dark and into the light

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2013)

Tom Cruise never ceases to amaze me. People can go on and on about his crazy behavior and couch-jumping antics all they want. The bottom line is the guy is a good actor and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. It's obvious he loves his job and goes to great lengths to do it, which includes doing his own stunts as much as a director or producer will allow. "Oblivion" is another excellent example of Tom Cruise at his finest.
The great thing is "Oblivion" benefits from having Cruise in it but doesn't rest on that alone. It's a great movie with beautiful scenery, above-average CGI, and an interesting blend of several different plot lines from classic sci-fi films of the past. The story elements aren't breaking any new ground. However, director Joseph Kosinski's concept of taking science fiction into the daylight should be recognized as a step in a different direction.
Jack Harper and his partner, Victoria, are the last remaining humans on the war-torn Earth. They're assigned to watch over powerful machines used to collect what's left of the planet's natural resources for use on a moon being colonized by the survivors of an alien invasion. As the job is wrapping up and it grows closer to time for them to leave and move on to their new lives, bizarre dreams and occurrences awaken Jack's suspicions about his mission and who he is.
Most sci-fi films take place in a constantly dark world that conveniently helps hide any CGI limitations filmmakers might run into. Kosinski's "Oblivion" embraces the light and no doubt made it a bit more difficult on CGI artists whose jobs it is to blend the animated images with the real. They did a good job for the most part and the movie looks breathtaking.
It's interesting to see how Kosinski incorporated the stark whites and bubbly numbers of the 1970s and 1980s science fiction classics without making "Oblivion" look aged. Any number of those films will come to mind while watching it. It's hard not to draw comparisons to "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Alien," "Outland," and many others.
The story isn't the strong point of the movie, although it shouldn't be looked at as a straight retread of anything before. It's more a conglomeration of several plots from different sci-fi movies of the past. There are key ingredients from "Highlander 2," "City of Ember," and any number of movies addressing the issue of cloning or an alien race's need of our natural resources for survival ("War of the Worlds," "Battle: Los Angeles," and "Independence Day").
Cruise's supporting cast in "Oblivion" includes Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, and Andrea Riseborough. Freeman plays the leader of an underground resistance in the same way he plays everything. He's the wise man who doesn't take crap from anybody. Kurylenko and Riseborough play the two women in Cruise's life. They portray their individual characters with convincing emotional ranges.
The last thing I'd like to address is the musical score by M83. It sounds very much like the music heard in "Tron: Legacy" by Daft Punk. The soundtrack here resembles "Tron: Legacy" layered on top of Hans Zimmer's score for "The Dark Knight Rises." it fits the film's tone and enhances the viewing experience for the audience.
"Oblivion" is an entertaining journey into a grim future that doesn't look as dark as most genre films make it out to be. There's no real lessons to learn here, except maybe don't trust anyone at face value. It's just a good old-fashioned sci-fi action piece with a bit of a twist and more emotional depth than we're used to from these types of movies.