Oblivion - Unique sci-fi movie with a unique title. Deserves a watch! (NO Spoilers!)

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2013)

Tom Cruise is one of my favourite actors. And he collaborating with Joseph Kosinski for OBLIVION makes it even more exciting as I was extremely impressed with Joseph's debut directorial- 'Tron Legacy' which I missed watching on the big screen. So I had to watch OBLIVION in a theatre for sure.
I won't write any spoilers because otherwise it won't be a must watch film. Oblivion is a sci-fi fantasy with full on suspense, thrills and the sci-fi part is just the vessel carrying the story with an emotional core that has a beautiful connect to the audience. It gives out a loud message that no matter how hard we try to be like practical machines in the modern era, we are still only humans with feelings.
The cast is small but effective. Tom Cruise as Jack Harper is as usual a brilliant protagonist and gives the film a replay value. But its my personal wish to see him for a change in a complete drama, romance or a historical epic again. (like Vanilla Sky, Jerry Maguire and The Last Samurai). Andrea Riseborough gives some steamy scenes with Tom, specially the unique swimming pool scene is to look out for, which is aesthetically shot. I found her performance far better than Olga Kurylenko (the ex Bond girl). Morgan Freeman in his brief role is memorable.
The cinematography & VFX shots are spectacular. Reminds me a bit of 'Prometheus' which is good in a way and adds to the realism of the plot. The 'shattered moon' shown in the sky is a brilliantly creative example of the visual effects.
The story is quite unique though I wish the duration could have been decreased and the climax could have been more interesting than it is. Some amazing futuristic gadgets are shown in the movie like Jack's ship and his cool bike which are visually appealing on the big screen.
I can't forget to praise the amazing sound and background music. Tron Legacy's soundtrack is already a hit and Joseph Kosinski made sure this was no less. He as a director has shown excellence again and Oblivion is entertaining enough to question that this was his second movie only! Really impressive.
Oblivion is a good movie, a commendable attempt for bringing an air of freshness in sci-fi genre, even though it falls short to be a masterpiece. Must watch experience.