"Oblivion" - directed by Joseph Kosinski
Sometimes when a movie arrives in cinemas and there appears to have been a lack of pre-release reviews I get nervous.
When the movie is released in little ole New Zealand a week before the United States I am doubly concerned.
And honestly, looking at the trailers for "Oblivion" it does have the look of a movie that could go either way.
A quick check of the credits reveals that it is directed by Joseph Kosinski who is most well known for "Tron: Legacy".
He also wrote the graphic novel that this film is based on and shares a screenplay credit with Michael Arndt.
Arndt is a fine screenwriter having already done great work on the likes of "Toy Story 3" and "Little Miss Sunshine" and hopefully about to do so again with Star Wars Episode VII.
So, with little pre-release hype, an as yet unproven director (Tron was perfectly good without being great) but wielding a talented screenwriter this one really was an unknown quantity for me.
But what a pleasant surprise "Oblivion" turned out to be.
It is not at all the film that the trailer presents to us with its action sequences and hints of a pilot stranded on a desolate, post-nuclear war Earth.
No, it is not that - it is much, much more.
And much, much better than I had dared hope.
In fact I am prepared to say that "Oblivion" is easily one of best films of the year so far.
What makes it so good is first and foremost a damned clever script.
The central concept is pretty good - Earth has been invaded and has defeated the alien invaders using nuclear weapons.
The side effect is of course a planet that is no longer fit for humans to live on.
En masse the human race has fled to one of Saturns moons.
Giant machines have been left to convert the oceans into power and a two person team has been left to make sure that the remnants of the alien invasion don't damage them.
We are introduced to Jack (Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) as they wake up in their sterile glass fortress high above the ground and prepare for one of their daily missions.
Jack will fly down to the surface to check on things and Victoria will act as mission control from her high-tech console.
She has help from her own mission control from the orbital base from which the evacuation of Earth has been coordinated.
The ever calm voice of Sally (Melissa Leo) requests updates and provides drone support should things go wrong.
So that is the basic setup and any detail beyond that is likely to spoil this movie for you.
It plays out as you would expect from that plot but not for long.
It has many, many surprises for us along the way.
I wouldn't dream of so much as hinting at what they are because this film is a little gem that I sincerely hope finds the large audience that it truly deserves.
Success will require word of mouth and as much as I intend doing my part I hope that as many people see this as possible without knowing too much about it.
It's a hell of a ride.
Whenever you start to settle in to the story it throws another little detail at you that refocuses your attentions and changes your perceptions.
And it keeps on doing this right up until the end.
Typically the danger in this sort of thing is that you get one twist too many and it loses you.
You sit in your seat sipping your drink and rolling your eyes as the plot jumps the shark- going that silly lit bit too far.
But not this one- it is far too smartly written and directed for that.
Joseph Kosinski is without a doubt a director (and writer) to watch.
After "Tron: Legacy" it should surprise no one that his follow up film is a visual treat.
"Tron" was a great looking movie - specially in 3D.
"Oblivion" tops it with some incredible production design providing terrific spacecraft, weapons, costumes and architecture.
The visual effects are fantastic and peak with a dogfight sequence set deep within a canyon.
This is as exciting an action sequence as I have seen of late.
The swooping aircraft, endless bursts of gunfire and hyper kinetic pace of the entire sequence had me gripping the arm-rests of my seat.
When this film wants to thrill it does it with supreme skill.
But as with the best science fiction (and this surely qualifies) there is a very human story at the heart of it.
It is hinted at in the opening black and white sequence but with every new reveal it builds and builds into a genuinely moving and fascinating human drama.
Tom Cruise is a personality that attracts a wide range of responses.
Those that don't like him do it with some vigour if my circle of friends and workmates are any indication.
For my part I like him as an actor and producer.
He is one of the hardest working in the business and even just in the Science Fiction genre he has already given us "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report".
Excellent films matched easily by this latest one.
It's easy to take Cruise for granted. It's tempting to see him merely as Tom Cruise the guy who jumped on the couch and belongs to that religious group.
I couldn't care less- I'm a movie fan and the man has entertained consistently for thirty years
He never turns in a poor performance.
"Oblivion" finds him in top form.
His co-stars are similarly impressive.
Lovely English actress Andrea Risebourough plays Victoria as a by the book perfectionist but she imbues the character with an appeal despite her cool reserve.
Some of it is her soothing voice but there is no doubting her physical appeal - particularly in an early naked swimming scene.
Points for the design of this entire sequence - it's an amazing example of the visual effects that this film pulls off so well.
For me the real standout is Olga Kurylenko.
Up until Neil Marshall's excellent "Centurion" Kurylenko was just another beautiful actress for me.
With her role as the mute Etian in the Roman epic she won me over.
I feel that she may be one of the most underrated actresses working today.
As Julia in "Oblivion" I hope that this changes and she gets the kudos her talent warrants.
She displays a range of emotions with apparent ease.
I loved her performance.
Sure- she is still a staggeringly beautiful woman and she'll no doubt get offerened plenty of roles that show this off but I hope that she continues to take parts that stretch her range and give her a chance to prove what a talent she is.
She has a role opposite Ben Affleck in the upcoming Terence Malick movie "To The Wonder" that I hope gets her more recognition.
Morgan Freeman gets a billing higher than is perhaps warranted by his screen time but hell- he's Morgan Freeman.
There is typically strong support in smaller roles from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kiwi Stunt great Zoe Bell.
"Oblivion" has a small number of characters - it doesn't need many to tell its story.
It's lean, exciting, surprising, moving and oh so clever.
One thing that I noticed about the score is how derivative it seems of "The Dark Knight", "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises".
The music works wonderfully well but there are entire pieces that seem almost lifted from the three Nolan films.
In one sequence I swear I even heard the deep, bassy "Inception" sound.
Music seems to be another strong suit of director Kosinski.
"Tron: Legacy's" use of Daft Punk was a master stroke and in "Oblivion" the dense, pounding score adds an extra layer of foreboding.
"Oblivion" is the best sort of surprise that one can have with a movie.
Going in with no expectations, it rewards by blowing them away.
Joseph Kosinski has made a film that surprises in the same way that "Rise of the Planet Of the Apes" did.
There was plenty of scope for that movie to be terrible but instead it was one of the best of the year.
"Oblivion" is an early contender as the same for this year.
It's just a damned well made movie.
I loved every second of this one and I can see it becoming one of those movies that I slip into the blu-ray player once or twice a year to soak up again and again.
For now though - see it as soon as you can before any of its many wonderful secrets are revealed.
Utterly Fantastic.
When the movie is released in little ole New Zealand a week before the United States I am doubly concerned.
And honestly, looking at the trailers for "Oblivion" it does have the look of a movie that could go either way.
A quick check of the credits reveals that it is directed by Joseph Kosinski who is most well known for "Tron: Legacy".
He also wrote the graphic novel that this film is based on and shares a screenplay credit with Michael Arndt.
Arndt is a fine screenwriter having already done great work on the likes of "Toy Story 3" and "Little Miss Sunshine" and hopefully about to do so again with Star Wars Episode VII.
So, with little pre-release hype, an as yet unproven director (Tron was perfectly good without being great) but wielding a talented screenwriter this one really was an unknown quantity for me.
But what a pleasant surprise "Oblivion" turned out to be.
It is not at all the film that the trailer presents to us with its action sequences and hints of a pilot stranded on a desolate, post-nuclear war Earth.
No, it is not that - it is much, much more.
And much, much better than I had dared hope.
In fact I am prepared to say that "Oblivion" is easily one of best films of the year so far.
The central concept is pretty good - Earth has been invaded and has defeated the alien invaders using nuclear weapons.
The side effect is of course a planet that is no longer fit for humans to live on.
En masse the human race has fled to one of Saturns moons.
Giant machines have been left to convert the oceans into power and a two person team has been left to make sure that the remnants of the alien invasion don't damage them.
We are introduced to Jack (Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) as they wake up in their sterile glass fortress high above the ground and prepare for one of their daily missions.
Jack will fly down to the surface to check on things and Victoria will act as mission control from her high-tech console.
She has help from her own mission control from the orbital base from which the evacuation of Earth has been coordinated.
The ever calm voice of Sally (Melissa Leo) requests updates and provides drone support should things go wrong.
 |
| The lovely Andrea Riseborough |
It plays out as you would expect from that plot but not for long.
It has many, many surprises for us along the way.
I wouldn't dream of so much as hinting at what they are because this film is a little gem that I sincerely hope finds the large audience that it truly deserves.
Success will require word of mouth and as much as I intend doing my part I hope that as many people see this as possible without knowing too much about it.
It's a hell of a ride.
Whenever you start to settle in to the story it throws another little detail at you that refocuses your attentions and changes your perceptions.
And it keeps on doing this right up until the end.
Typically the danger in this sort of thing is that you get one twist too many and it loses you.
You sit in your seat sipping your drink and rolling your eyes as the plot jumps the shark- going that silly lit bit too far.
But not this one- it is far too smartly written and directed for that.
Joseph Kosinski is without a doubt a director (and writer) to watch.
 |
| The visual design and effects are top notch |
"Tron" was a great looking movie - specially in 3D.
"Oblivion" tops it with some incredible production design providing terrific spacecraft, weapons, costumes and architecture.
The visual effects are fantastic and peak with a dogfight sequence set deep within a canyon.
This is as exciting an action sequence as I have seen of late.
The swooping aircraft, endless bursts of gunfire and hyper kinetic pace of the entire sequence had me gripping the arm-rests of my seat.
When this film wants to thrill it does it with supreme skill.
But as with the best science fiction (and this surely qualifies) there is a very human story at the heart of it.
It is hinted at in the opening black and white sequence but with every new reveal it builds and builds into a genuinely moving and fascinating human drama.
 |
| Olga Kurylenko - with every role proving herself so much more than merely a beautiful presence |
Those that don't like him do it with some vigour if my circle of friends and workmates are any indication.
For my part I like him as an actor and producer.
He is one of the hardest working in the business and even just in the Science Fiction genre he has already given us "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report".
Excellent films matched easily by this latest one.
It's easy to take Cruise for granted. It's tempting to see him merely as Tom Cruise the guy who jumped on the couch and belongs to that religious group.
I couldn't care less- I'm a movie fan and the man has entertained consistently for thirty years
He never turns in a poor performance.
"Oblivion" finds him in top form.
His co-stars are similarly impressive.
Some of it is her soothing voice but there is no doubting her physical appeal - particularly in an early naked swimming scene.
Points for the design of this entire sequence - it's an amazing example of the visual effects that this film pulls off so well.
For me the real standout is Olga Kurylenko.
Up until Neil Marshall's excellent "Centurion" Kurylenko was just another beautiful actress for me.
With her role as the mute Etian in the Roman epic she won me over.
I feel that she may be one of the most underrated actresses working today.
As Julia in "Oblivion" I hope that this changes and she gets the kudos her talent warrants.
She displays a range of emotions with apparent ease.
I loved her performance.
Sure- she is still a staggeringly beautiful woman and she'll no doubt get offerened plenty of roles that show this off but I hope that she continues to take parts that stretch her range and give her a chance to prove what a talent she is.
She has a role opposite Ben Affleck in the upcoming Terence Malick movie "To The Wonder" that I hope gets her more recognition.
Morgan Freeman gets a billing higher than is perhaps warranted by his screen time but hell- he's Morgan Freeman.There is typically strong support in smaller roles from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kiwi Stunt great Zoe Bell.
"Oblivion" has a small number of characters - it doesn't need many to tell its story.
It's lean, exciting, surprising, moving and oh so clever.
One thing that I noticed about the score is how derivative it seems of "The Dark Knight", "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises".
The music works wonderfully well but there are entire pieces that seem almost lifted from the three Nolan films.
In one sequence I swear I even heard the deep, bassy "Inception" sound.
Music seems to be another strong suit of director Kosinski.
"Tron: Legacy's" use of Daft Punk was a master stroke and in "Oblivion" the dense, pounding score adds an extra layer of foreboding.
"Oblivion" is the best sort of surprise that one can have with a movie.
Going in with no expectations, it rewards by blowing them away.
Joseph Kosinski has made a film that surprises in the same way that "Rise of the Planet Of the Apes" did.
There was plenty of scope for that movie to be terrible but instead it was one of the best of the year.
"Oblivion" is an early contender as the same for this year.
It's just a damned well made movie.
I loved every second of this one and I can see it becoming one of those movies that I slip into the blu-ray player once or twice a year to soak up again and again.
For now though - see it as soon as you can before any of its many wonderful secrets are revealed.
Utterly Fantastic.
| Rated | M for gunshot and disintegrations and one instance of profanity |
| Running Time: | 125 minutes (1hr, 58 mins without end credits) |
| Starring: |
| Tom Cruise | --- Jack Harper |
| Olga Kurylenko | --- Julia |
| Andrea Riseborough | --- Victoria |
| Morgan Freeman | --- Beech |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | --- Sykes |
| Melissa Leo | --- Sally |
| Zoe Bell | --- Kara |
| Abigail Lowe | --- Child |
| Isabelle Lowe | --- Child |
| David Madison | --- Grow Hall Survivor |
Good Review but personally I didn't really liked it. It is beautiful visually but that is it. The story is a clone of other movies and I found it a bit sentimental too.
ReplyDeleteHi Erik. Understand your thoughts on this one and obviously we disagree somewhat but thanks for posting.
DeleteAlways like to hear other peoples opinions.