Movie- Oblivion
Actors- Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Nikolaj Coster- Waldau
Director- Joseph Kosonski
Running Time- 124 minutes.
Ever since Tom Cruise’s bizarre couch jumping episode on the Oprah Winfrey show, his star power has dwindled considerably. Every movie he has laid his hands on since ‘Couch-Gate’ has failed to bring him back to the top of the Hollywood mountain including hid latest sci-fi flick Oblivion.
Just like Will Smith, Tom Cruise’s latest sci-fi movie is a dud. Set in the future, 2077 to be precise, Tom Cruise is an engineer by the name of Jack Harper who repairs drones in a post apocalyptic Earth. The remaining survivors are in a new galatic shelter where Jack Harper and his partner Victoria (played by Andrea Riseborough) will be heading to after their maintenance duty is over. They live in a sky pad where they monitor the locations of the drones who take up the last few resources on Earth. The bad guys in the movie are Scavs or aliens who destroyed the moon and made a large chunk of the earth radioactive. Despite the comfort of his surroundings and the love of Victoria, something is eating at Jack Harper- the need to connect with humanity before the invasion which is tied up with the recurring dream he is having featuring the lovely Olga Kurylenko. It is this unrest that makes him discover the great deception.
Judging on paper value Oblivion has enough twists and turns to make you raise your eyebrows. The disappointing thing is that the twists and turns are clumsy on screen which leaves a giant mess for you to figure out. By the time you piece it all together you realize that the movie has been poorly done and is a waste of your time.
While the plot of the movie is scattered which makes you frustrated, Tom Cruise’s acting is the major let down. There are several scenes which,Tom Cruise’s acting borders on Emeka Ike‘s type of acting. He reels out the words with no life and dull facial expressions. Even acting alongside Morgan Freeman Tom Cruise doesn’t step up his game. With a disjointed story and bad acting from the lead character Oblivion is a boring futuristic tale.
The only great thing about the movie is that it is aesthetically satisfying to watch. Post apocalyptic Earth has never looked so empty and beautiful before. With Tom Cruise and co brandishing their high-tech equipment Earth looks so beautiful despite the hollowness. The landscape is beautifully constructed. The visual effects are also superb. Sadly the futuristic imagery means nothing when used to narrate a tale as frustrating as Oblivion. Just like so many Sci-fi movies before it, the depth of the plot was sacrificed for special effects. The two go hand in hand and without the other there is an imbalance that will surely be magnified on the big screen.
Oblivion is disappointing. There is beauty in the film but it is only skin deep. What lies underneath is poorly put together story and poor acting. The future doesn’t look bright for Tom Cruise.
Rating-2.5/5
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