Movie Review: Oblivion

A man living in a post-apocalyptic world gradually realizes the lies around which his world is built. If you already have a sense of deja-vu, then you are not the only one. We have seen similar themes several times before. I don't know why this theme is so attractive to a filmmaker when the genre is science fiction. This is what has inspired the director Joseph Kosinski while conceptualizing the movie. If you are wondering who Joseph Kosinski, his last directorial venture was Tron Legacy.

When you connect Joseph Kosinski to his previous movie, it is natural to conclude this one will also be heavy on Computer Graphics. If you have reached this point, I have one more surprise for you. The movie is based on an unpublished graphic novel by the director. So, the  stage is set for stretching imagination blurring the lines between real and virtual. This is where the director succeeds. We have breathtaking visuals, amazing locations and even a highly mesmerizing swimming pool (of course with a naked woman in it).

Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper. This is the second time he is playing a character named Jack in the past few months. Remember he was Reacher before and now Harper. Jack Harper is the guardian of natural resources constantly checking the installations, guarding them in person and using drones along with his colleague Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). The world is run over by alien life forms and hence the need for protecting the resources. Jack and Victoria forms an effective team with only 2 weeks of duty remaining on the earth. That is when everything goes wrong. One of the reasons for the snafu is the mysterious woman who keep appearing in Jack's dreams Julia(Olga Kurylenko) and the other a man named Malcolm Beech(Morgan Freeman).

Although the posters and previews might have given the impression of an action movie, there are very few action scenes. The focus is on the emotional turmoil of Jack Harper. This is what disorients a normal movie goer going in expecting the onslaught of adrenaline. For a drama, the movie feels very long because of the pace. The first act contributes to it. There is a lack of clarity on the villain which makes the audience leave the hall with a feeling of something amiss. As for the performances, there is nothing much to write about.

Stay away from this enterprise

Language: English

Genre: Drama

Rating: *

For trailer, click here.

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Comments

  1. people like this theme a lot because of the philosophy of Plato's ''Allegory of a cave''. this is a good concept and the story writers just produce their example in the form of a movie. this is what I feel. The only movie directed well in this theme was matrix. thanks for the oblivion review.

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    1. Interesting. Before you mention it, I have not come across "allegory of a cave". I checked it in wikipedia. It is an amazing concept. But the theme has been done to death in movies. So if there isn't something new, we can easily get bored. That is what happened with this movie.

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