Oblivion

OBLIVION

Director : Joseph Kokinski

Year : 2013

Genre : Science Fiction

Rating : ***

Based on his unpublished graphic novel of the same name, 'Oblivion' is a thrilling but somewhat overly complex science fiction epic from director Joseph Kokinski who also made 2010's 'Tron : Legacy'. Starring Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman, the movie tells the story of two scientists who are left on Earth to extract the last of the planets natural resources after an apocalyptic event causes the rest of humanity to leave for Titan. Acting as an homage to many classic movies of the genre, 'Oblivion' is a visual and audible feast for the senses that should entertain any die hard science fiction fan and thanks to Kokinski's subtle but adept direction, the picture moves along quite briskly, despite being just over two hours long. However while the special effects are nothing short of spectacular, the narrative and the acting are not as accomplished and this does make 'Oblivion' feel somewhat empty and vapid. Having caught this film on DVD a few days ago, I am glad that I did not see this theatrically and if the box office figures are anything to go by, maybe this would have worked as a straight to DVD or Blu Ray release instead.

Earth. 2077. The planet has been all but destroyed by a race of supernatural beings known as Scavengers who have blown up the moon and sent the entire planetary tidal system and seismic activity of the crust into chaos, causing widespread earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and immense tsunamis. The only way in which we could defeat these beings was with the use of deadly nuclear weaponry, which have incinerated the ground and killed all living things on it's surface. To survive the holocaust, humanity has migrated to Titan, one of Saturn's moons and now only a choice few remain on Earth. These are scientists who are charge of repairing drones; sentient robots that protect the giant ocean borne power stations that suck up what remains of the seas for the use of fusion power on Titan. Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough play Jack and Victoria respectively; the last scientists on Earth to leave for mankind's new home. Carrying out menial tasks on the various drones that break down on a daily basis, Jack and Victoria lead a somewhat peaceful existence in their home above the clouds and look forward to leaving their station for a brighter future on Saturn's moon. However, when a group of drones bring down a spaceship containing several human beings, Jack realises that there may be more to this seemingly simple mission that what means the eye.

Clearly a fan of the genre, Kokinski manages to successfully create a world that is noticeably different from our own but is still somewhat recognizable thanks to the great designs and high production values. Showing us an Earth completely overrun with deserts and scorched landscapes, the director evokes the ghosts of many more mainstream and popular movies, such as 'Planet Of The Apes', 'Independence Day', 'The Omega Man' and even 'Wall - E' and this helps to add to the already established nihilistic tone of the film, as well as also serving as movie bingo for sci - fi fans. The designs of the machinery and the drones themselves are very well done too and the CGI used to generate these robots and giant structures is integrated seamlessly into the real life footage. With sweeping camera moves, inventive zooming techniques and a thunderous score from composers Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese, 'Oblivion' looks and sounds great; not to mention various clippings from both Led Zeppelin's 'Ramble On' and Procul Harum's 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' which makes 'Oblivion' the best soundtrack of 2013 for me. 

Tom Cruise is perfectly fine in his role as the central protagonist but lacks the charm and charisma that made him a star in the first place and the supporting cast is very forgettable and rather generic, especially Morgan Freeman who really does nothing to serve the story but feature as a name on the poster. However, Andrea Riseborough is a highlight and while not on screen as much as Cruise or even some of the supporting cast, does a very good job of playing his right hand woman.

With a twisting, turning narrative, 'Oblivion' is one of the more thematically complex and certainly more challenging sci - fi films of the year and for the first half, the character developments and story arcs function quite well. But comes a point about three quarters of the way through the movie where things become more and more vague, various plot lines aren't fully developed and some omissions begin to expose some major plot holes and eventually it trips itself up completely. Now, these kind of narrative subversions and and non linear story arcs can work well if there is enough emotion and hope invested in both the characters and the story; Christopher Nolan did it with both 'Memento' and 'Inception' and their plots were just as labyrinthine as this is. But those films had enough characterisations and intrigue to hold attentions and keep us gripped to our seats. Conversely, neither Tom Cruise nor the supporting cast do enough to create three dimensional personalities to allow us to fully invest in their characters so that when these various twists and turns finally happen, we don't really feel much at all. Judging by the tone of the underscore and the solemnity of the camera work, we are clearly meant to feel something. What that is, I'm not exactly sure.

The first third of 'Oblivion' is brilliant. Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough have great chemistry together and Kokinski shows us that he is clearly at home with this calm and relaxed material that still has enough invention and intrigue to fully hold our attention. But as the half way mark comes and the twists come thick and fast, 'Oblivion' started to lose me. It's an ambitious attempt to expand on the somewhat conventional go-to idea of post apocalyptic science fiction, but sadly an overwritten narrative and underwritten script fail to raise the film beyond a very good looking mess.