OBLIVION

OBLIVION

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Out on DVD this week from director Joseph Kosinski and Universal Pictures comes the story that will have you talking about OBLIVION.

This film tell the story of Jack (Tom Cruise), a drone repairman that is assigned to earth along with his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). Living together in an enclosed apartment high above the Earth, each day she helps Jack find and replace any of the machines that protect the spacecraft that hover over the ocean taking seawater.

Victoria is looking forward to finishing the tour on Earth and going to the base on Saturn’s Titan. Jack has memories of Earth that he cannot understand and doesn’t share her enthusiasm of leaving.

The base needs protecting from the Scavs, people who hide in the wreckage of Earth gathering anything they can to survive. It is Sally (Melissa Leo) that guides the two keeping them safe. It all changes when a band of rebels bring down a spacecraft and Jack’s life changes when he sees what’s inside.

The leader of the Scavs is Beech (Morgan Freeman) who, along with Sykes (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) point Jack in the direction beyond the forbidden zone. In that zone are answers to questions he never thought to ask.

What he finds will change everything!

FINAL WORD: Cruise has no problem jumping into these roles. Here he once again plays a man looking for something he knows is out there. Following that voice inside him Cruise brings Jack to his ultimate shock and no one can pull a look of shock off like Tom Cruise.

Riseborough is just completely scary. Her emotions are all over the place but she does it with a steely-eyed stare and huge sweet smile. The fears about Jack are well founded but not for the reason one would think. Riseborough’s performance is spot on.

Leo as Sally is another character that is just too good to be true. If I saw/heard Sally in a dark alley I’d run the other way! Freeman gets a chance to be the usual leader that this actor excels at and at the same time have a little fun. Coster-Waldau is usually found in a kingdom as Jamie Lannister in GAME OF THRONES. This role is small and I have to admit it was awesome to see him.

Other cast include: Zoe Bell as Kara, David Madison as Grow Hall,  John L. Armijo as NASA Ground Control and Abigail Isabelle Lowe as the child.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give OBLIVION three and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. I really did enjoy the twists and turns of the storyline. It starts out very dry and sterile with practically no emotion or, shall I say, emotions that are less than honest.

Of course I read other reviews of this film and I must strongly disagree with much of what has been said. Though the story of space, memory, wars etc., are out there – this film is carried completely by the actors with the special effects not a huge part of it.

Yes, its there, obviously its there, but it doesn’t weigh so heavy that it does what many special effects films do which is drown out the story and the actors. I waited moment by moment to see where the story was going and when I thought I had the plot nailed down – I didn’t. That’s what a good sci-fi film can do!

The DVD contains the making of featurette, VOYAGE - Discover the Bubble Ship, Combat - action-packed stunts, M83 Isolated Score that allows the viewer to watch the entire film accompanied by the evocative music track. There are also deleted scenes, Destiny – How the film was shot, Illusion – Groundbreaking visual effects, Harmony – The music of M83, and feature commentary by Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski.

In the end – Earth is a memory worth fighting for.