Review: Oblivion

I remain among the minority that still think that Tom Cruise is a fantastic leading man.  I have pondered about his films he has made over the last few years, and there is actually a decent lineup.  I adored Knight and Day and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a masterful piece of work.  Also, I will watch War of the Worlds any day of the week!   Cruise is so charismatic that I can't do anything BUT enjoy his performances.  Do I disagree with his religious views, among other things?  Yes.  But, if we, the viewing public, were to boycott films that star people that we disagree with, we would end up not seeing any movies.  As a minority among critics (I'm a conservative Mormon), I would have to limit myself to Michael Bay movies.  So, I think that when considering any form of art, we shouldn't discriminate based on the artist's beliefs unless they are forcing them down our throats.  

Oblivion is directed by Joe Kosinki, the director of a little known film called Tron: Legacy.  I adored said film, and was determined to look past the early negative reviews of his new venture because of my love of Tron.  Ultimately, the only prep that one should have going into this film is that it is a love letter to the sci-fi genre and in particular to that genre's best films.  People are complaining about this and the plethora of plot twists.  Neither bothered me.  

THE BAD

The first act and much of the second drags.  I actually blame this on the trailers: I've seen the film's many trailers many times and it gives away the revelation that happens in the first act.  Also, the trailer was deceptive in giving false impressions of how the mood of the film would be.  It was REALLY different than I was led to believe it would be.  

THE GOOD

The plot twists are fantastic.  I really felt that the actual reveals were subtle enough to evoke real emotion and allow the audience empathize with every one of the characters.  I compare the twists to the ones in The Village in that all the problems that many of the character and verisimilitude issues that I thought were present in the first hour were explained and actually well done.  

The music is really quite good.  It feels like it could have been by Daft Punk and has a similar feel to Tron: Legacy.  I wish that the trailer that we as regular movie-goers were bombarded with had included this because I think it would have been a good selling point.  

Morgan Freeman phones in his performance, but even his phoned-in performances are spectacular!  Also, I feel like Cruise gave a great performance.  

It seems that every review that I read mentioned how beautiful the film looks, and they weren't kidding.  The special effects are breathtaking.  The lighting is really good too.  Also, the sound effects (a trivial thing, I know) were well above average.  I wouldn't be surprised if this film takes the Oscar for sound editing. 

CONCLUSION

I started out not caring for this film, but as the plot progressed and I reveled in the reveals, I found myself to be really satisfied.  It's still not one I will own, but it's worth seeing.  4/5 Stars. 

PARENTS GUIDE

This has a pretty intense sex scene for a PG-13.  It has sexual nudity.  Also, it's pretty violent.  NOT FOR CHILDREN.  The sex scene is pretty pointless.