OBLIVION (B)

Bottom Line: MINORITY REPORT meets THE MATRIX by way of WALL-E, TOTAL RECALL and THE ROAD WARRIOR (as well as a few other titles better left unmentioned so as not to invoke any potential spoilers).  So, yeah, it’s not entirely original – but it remains a methodically moving, vividly splendid and absorbing piece of sci-fi cinema that showcases Cruise’s star wattage and thrives off the minor twists and tweaks of its enthralling yet creatively dependent script.  The efficient, scarce, mysterious, thought provoking and vividly envisioned first half is sure to have you on the edge of your seat and offer a bit of solace as the melodramatic middle covers you like a scratchy blanket and the thunderously convoluted, semi-overcooked and action-packed last half makes you long for the simplicity and sanctity of the previous hour. Tremendously tense, tepidly tantalizing and at times way too tedious this post apocalyptic, sci-fi saga may march to the eerily familiar tune of a half dozen or so classics – yet it still finds a way to feel fresh without (unfortunately) seeming out of this world.

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski (TRON: LEGACY)

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 125 minutes

Story: On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind. 2077: Jack Harper (Cruise) serves as a security repairmen stationed on an evacuated Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying alien threat who still scavenges what's left of our planet, Jack's mission is almost complete. In a matter of two weeks, he will join the remaining survivors on a lunar colony far from the war-torn world he has long called home. Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, Jack's soaring existence is brought crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Drawn to Jack through a connection that transcends logic, her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he thought he knew. With a reality that is shattered as he discovers shocking truths that connect him to Earth of the past, Jack will be pushed to a heroism he didn't know he contained within. The fate of humanity now rests solely in the hands of a man who believed our world was soon to be lost forever. (c)Universal

 

Trailer: www.oblivionmovie.com