Cruiiiiiiis-eeeeeee

Opening with an information-heavy monologue detailing how basically Earth got destroyed by nasty aliens and that he’s the only one of few people still left on the planet, it isn’t difficult to see just where Oblivion is headed. And we fear that it’s not due to end up in a happy place any time soon. As is the case with many science-fiction films, humans don’t exactly fare well, in the beginning at least, and the mention of “memory-wipe” further complicates things and puts a darker spin on an already ambiguous set-up.

Even though Joseph Kosinski’s $120-million sci-fi blockbuster looks like your typical post-apocalyptic, big-budget shambles, there is a much more potent underlying background story that is happening to Cruise’s Jack. What he thinks he knows, his dreams, his memories, are all jumbled in his head, as he is frequently plagued by visions of a woman (Kurylenko) who is not his partner. Jack has been left behind with Vicki (Riseborough), and the two are tasked with overseeing the final few operations left on Earth before they can safely escape to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

But just why is he unsure of all the commands that is being given to him by the creepy Sally (Leo)? Why does Vicki fail to share in his curiosity? Where are these supposed “Scavs” who destroyed humanity? And just who is this woman he’s seeing in front of the Empire State Building? Plus why is he being followed by someone wearing what can only be described as a Darth Vader suit?

All legitimate questions, all of them properly addressed to, but not without Kosinski taking his time in taking us through the harsh, barren lands of what once was our planet. It’s beautiful yet unsettling at the same time, as the sweeping cinematography wonderfully captures all the details in many single long takes.

The cast all do an excellent job in bringing to life the deep imbeded love story that is wrapped around all the sci-fi madness. Headlining the whole project, Cruise is as usual a reliable lead with a touch of instability and curiosity to make his character work. Of the two women, the one faring better is Riseborough, who ends up as a tragic heroine in this twisted tale and it’s her highly effective cold, steel-like quality that brings out the overall sadness in the narrative. And once again Leo proves she only has to open her mouth to send chills down our spine. “How are you all doing this beautiful morning?” “Are you an effective team?” both seem like harmless greeting questions, but with Leo’s delivery, you can instantly tell there is something a lot more sinister happening. And it’s always good to see Morgan Freeman pop up in a film to provide his voice of exposition for some calm, chilled out explanation on what the hell is going on.

A healthy portion of the production budget seems to have been spent on building the spotless sets; all cold and silver on the edges, smooth and shiny on the exterior, so perfect in a way that makes us doubt the cleanliness of it all.

Fans of kinetic sci-fi action will also no doubt get their fair share as Jack pilots a funny looking bubbly plane, often hunted by nasty drones which have fierce speed, high fire-power and persistence.

The film’s main weakness comes when it has to wrap things up. Instead of taking the logical route, it forces an awkward, senseless happy ending, one that doesn’t do the rest of the film justice. With so many holes punched into the plot to make the Hollywood ending fit, it underminesall the hard work and build-up the film has put together previously.

Minus the final 10 minutes or so, Oblivion is an often thought-provoking piece, onethat also makes sure everything looks perfect, as well as the right amount of fun delivered.