The year is 2077 and Earth has been ravaged by a war with an
alien race known as the Scavengers. The invaders struck the first blow by
destroying the moon and devastating the planet's climate. The humans deployed
nuclear weapons to defeat the Scavs, but at the cost of rendering Earth nearly
inhospitable. The remnants of humanity are migrating to the Saturn moon of
Titan. This is all explained with painstaking detail in the opening narration
of Oblivion.
Tom Cruise stars as the live-action version of Wall-E, Jack
Harper, not to be confused with Jack Reacher. Harper and his partner/lover Vika
(Andrea Riseborough) have stayed behind to be the "mop-up crew." They
are tasked with repairing robotic drones that hunt down Scav stragglers and
protect massive machines converting Earth's seawater into energy for the new
colony. Both Harper and Vika have had their memories wiped as a security
measure lest they be captured by the Scavs. Yet, Harper is plagued by dreams of
a life before with a teeming New York City and a beautiful woman (Olga Kurylenko).
Unlike his dutiful partner, Harper waxes nostalgic about old Earth and ventures
off his usual patrol route. He's found a tranquil getaway within a hidden
valley where he shoots hoops and listens to vinyl records.
During another routine repair, Harper finds a crashed ship
that is decades old and carrying several human passengers in stasis. One of
them happens to be Julia, the woman from his dreams. When the drones open fire
on them, Harper embarks on a quest to discover the truth about the war and his
own identity.
Oblivion is the
second feature film from Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed Tron: Legacy. Kosinski has proven to be
capable of creating stylish sci-fi worlds though he has a weaker handling on
story. Oblivion transplants many of
those same new age ideas with a stronger screenplay by Kosinski, William
Monahan, Karl Gajdusek, and Michael Arndt. However, it is no less derivative.
The story is full of Twilight Zone-style
twists while paying homage to a laundry list of classic sci-fi films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running, The Omega Man, along with recent releases like Moon. Harper and Vika operate in the ruined remains of the Big
Apple with the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the ground ala Planet of the Apes. Morgan Freeman appears
in an outfit he apparently borrowed from Laurence Fishburne's Matrix wardrobe. And much like Morpheus,
Freeman seeks to open Harper's eyes to the truth. Even the superb score by
French electronic band M83 is reminiscent of Daft Punk's soundtrack for Tron: Legacy.
The movie progresses at a casual pace after a bloated
opening overloaded with exposition. This allows the viewer to feast in the
sumptuous visuals crafted by Kosinski, cinematographer Claudio Miranda, and
their special effects team. Oblivion
was filmed in Iceland and they've captured the natural beauty of the pristine
landscapes. Though it isn't a rip-roaring action flick, Oblivion does feature a few well-executed set pieces, one of which
sees Cruise flying his sleek airship through a canyon with drones hot on his
tail.
It's no coincidence that Cruise once again takes on the role
of a skilled pilot. His Jack Harper isn't too different from the characters
he's portrayed in Top Gun, Minority Report, or Mission: Impossible. He's the loyal trooper who eventually bucks
authority when it conflicts with his beliefs. Cruise is strong, but doesn't
make much of an impression. Morgan Freeman would have to have a really bad day
to turn in a weak performance while Game
of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Zoe Bell are underutilized as his
followers. Acting accolades should definitely go to Andrea Riseborough who
portrays Vika with a heartbreaking vulnerability along with a stern iciness.
She's the best thing in an otherwise lackluster picture, just as she was in
Madonna's half-baked W.E. Melissa Leo
has some fun as Sally, Harper and Vika's command officer, who only appears as a
face on a screen. There's something obviously sinister about Sally's sunny,
down-home disposition.
Oblivion is
certainly worth catching on the big screen (or at least on Blu-ray) for the eye
candy and the aural feast of M83's score. However, the story is far too
familiar to be wholly satisfying.
Rating: ** (*****)
No comments:
Post a Comment