When I first saw the trailer for Oblivion, I was downright giddy: Tom
Cruise was fighting aliens in a post-apocalyptic Earth setting while trying to
solve a conspiracy mystery with Morgan Freeman…how was that not going to be one
of the greatest sci-fi movies EVER?!? If
I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Tom Cruise’s personal life
may have severely weakened his public image, but the man is still an insanely
talented actor who consistently delivers enjoyable characters and downright
awesome movies. Admittedly, it was a
little strange that Oblivion, with
all the markings of a high-profile summer blockbuster, was relegated to an
April release, especially when initial scheduling had the sci-fi adventure
hitting theaters this upcoming July. And
I would be remiss if I didn’t at least point out the obvious associations
between Oblivion and last summer’s Prometheus, which enjoyed immense buzz
during its development, only to thoroughly piss-off the collective demographics
of sci-fi purists and comic book aficionados.
So despite tremendous potential, Oblivion
still needed to be approached with some caution, but by all early appearances,
it looked like the critical and financial bar had been set pretty high for the
upcoming Summer Movie Season.
Benefiting from an impressive and
imaginative production design, Oblivion
offers strong acting and a gutsy narrative that likes nothing more than to toy
with the viewer’s mind, but overall quality is largely objective and depends
heavily on personal perception of unanswered questions. As anyone could have predicted, Tom Cruise is
instantaneously likable as our troubled protagonist, but the biggest surprise
was undoubtedly Olga Kurylenko, who held her own against the A-lister and
proved talent beyond what was showcased in Quantum
of Solace. And the world that these
two inhabit is visually gorgeous and hauntingly rendered, demonstrating a
profound respect for the sci-fi genre that even the skeptical of moviegoers
have to respect. Unfortunately, probably
the biggest speed bump hindering overall momentum has to do with the confusing
nature of the narrative; to put it simply, Oblivion
requires a great deal of patience and faith on the part of the audience that
the numerous questions raised will be ultimately answered (a promise that, for
many, was broken). Looking at the
project in its entirety, Oblivion may
have overstepped its bounds, but the film still remains thoroughly enjoyable
and well worth seeing.
Overall
Recommendation: Medium
