Without shame or remorse, I’m a Tom Cruise fan. I can see why the films of his “questionable years” aren’t fan favorites, but he has been back on a roll since Knight and Day and Ghost Protocol – and Oblivion doesn’t put an end to it.
The elaborate world of Oblivion is established during the opening sequences, so what I’m about to explain isn’t spoilery. Don’t fret.
Oblivion is obviously set in the future. A lot has happened between our time and theirs. Earth was attacked by an alien race looking to destroy humankind and steal its resources. In the process, they destroyed the moon, throwing Earth’s climate out of whack. The off-kilter oceans ruined the eco system, so with nothing to lose, the humans decided to use the only weapon strong enough to warrant a win – nukes.
With Earth left uninhabitable, the surviving humans relocated to a massive orbiting space station before commuting to a colonized moon of Saturn. Like Wall-E, Tom Cruise’s character, Jack – no not Jack Reacher – has been assigned to Earth. With the support of his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), Jack’s job is to repair the weaponized droid units that protect power stations from the remaining violent alien stragglers.
Everything that Jack and Victoria know is questioned when an antique NASA ship crashes near their station. Amidst the wreckage, Jack finds a cryo-pod with the ship’s sole survivor – Julia (olga Kurylenko). What lies ahead is full of twists, turns and unexpected revelations.
Oblivion is not perfect – it hits turbulent times – but it’s still fun and worthwhile. With IMAX showings expanding the aspect ratio to fill the screen with its stunning visuals, I highly recommend paying the extra couple bucks to see it the IMAX format – especially since it’s not in 3D.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
