Not brilliant, but moving and exciting nevertheless.

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2013)

It's been my experience that when someone says "I hate Tom Cruise movies" it's because they read too many trashy mags and have formed a negative opinion of the man himself; which invariably leads to a blind dislike of his output, regardless if its good, bad or somewhere in between. Well, Oblivion is the latest motion picture from Cruise - after the admittedly superior Jack Reacher and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - that many will unfortunately deny themselves the joy of viewing. It's not the world-beating sci-fi epic it so desperately aims to be (there's obvious nods to 2001, The Omega Man and even Total Recall), but that doesn't stop this futuristic tale from being thought-provoking, visually beautiful and largely entertaining. A sagging middle period slows proceedings down after the opening act so capably sets the tone, yet a rousing and surprisingly affecting climax ensures it finishes on a very strong note. The Cruiser is solid as curious drone maintenance man Jack Harper, so too Olga Kurylenko as a mysterious human whose space-pod crash lands onto the dilapidated Earth and Andrea Riseborough as Jack's straight-as-an-arrow co-worker and lover; it's Morgan Freeman who lets the side down in a clichéd and predictable role as leader of the underground resistance. The film's greatest asset though? The superb techno score that, coupled with Daft Punk's phenomenal musical work on Tron: Legacy, proves director Joseph Kosinksi knows how important a memorable beat is in these visionary worlds of his. Moments of brilliance outshine the sporadic flaws to establish this as a moving, exciting and worthy sci-fi yarn.