Thoughtful, Beautiful, Well-Acted, Stunningly Designed Science-Fiction Action Drama

Rating: 7/10 (23 April 2013)

In the year 2077 the world has been devastated following an extra-terrestrial invasion. Jack and Victoria are two technicians left on Earth to supervise water fuel production for colonists on Titan. All is well, but Jack is haunted by vivid dreams of a woman he can't remember and an unshakeable feeling that some great secret is being kept from him ...
This spectacular, intelligent and highly original movie is a must for science-fiction fans - it's gorgeous to watch, but also beautifully played by the small cast and is a truly thought-provoking story. In an era when far too many big-budget genre films are either remakes, spinoffs or other variations on old themes, it's lovely to have a movie with plenty of new ideas. The key thing here is how to handle the what-is-really-going on question, and the scene where Jack crashes in the dunes but then sees a familiar figure in a familiar vehicle is both a fantastic twist and seamlessly takes the story from the introspective first half to the action-packed second one. More importantly however, both Cruise and Riseborough give marvellous, heartfelt and deeply affecting performances; as both their personal and professional relationships crumble into tragedy, it's the humanity (in a world devoid of humanity) which gives the movie bite. Not enough sci-fi films devote sufficient time to character development, but Kosinski doesn't make that mistake. Freeman is fun as the head of the resistance, and Leo - despite only being seen in jerky video transmissions - is wonderfully sinister, surely the first ever alien conqueror with a laid-back southern drawl. The movie also looks stunning, an incredible contrast job between smoothly high-tech and geologically blunt; the work tower in the sky and Jack's bubbleship at odds with the scarred and arid landscapes (exteriors were shot in LangjÃ¶kull in Iceland and Inyo Forest in California), not to mention the coolest swimming pool in cinema. The film also sounds as good as it looks - the music by French electronic composers M83 is superb, adding the scope and depth the story needs, and Ren Klyce's sound effects are equally impressive. The drone robots are terrifying as they hurtle around, smashing everything in their path, accompanied by blasts of deep discordant noise. Based on an unpublished graphic novel by Arvid Nelson and Kosinski (whose debut feature, Tron: Legacy, is just as good), and not to be confused with the identically titled 1994 cheesy-but-fun Full Moon B-movie or the 2006 fourth game in Bethesda Softworks highly successful Elder Scrolls RPG series. This is a first-rate science-fiction film which scores on all fronts and will satisfy both die-hard genre lovers and blockbuster action fans. Top-notch.