My reviews are my own opinions and are merely posted as my own thoughts to the likeability of the movie. I will never tell you that you SHOULD or SHOULDN’T see a movie. You have to judge for yourself. What follows is what I liked or disliked about OBLIVION.
When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought to myself, “finally an original thought in Hollywood.” That didn’t take too long to end. But more on that in a minute.
The visuals were stunning, the story was intriguing, and I wanted to see what would become of it. It seems that we’ve had nothing but vampires, zombies, wizards, and super heroes for so long, that I’d forgotten what a good science fiction movie looked like. The fact that it had Tom Cruise in it did not deter me from wanting to see it. His private life, quirks and all, are just that, his private life. He’s a good actor. Give him a screen and let him play.
The length of the movie seemed to be a little long, but it only clocks in at two hours and four minutes. I think that what lends to the time perception is the long lead into the meat of the movie. It takes a while to set up, but that’s a good thing. During this set up period, there is a lot to look at and digest and there is some action to make it not boring. My movie partner, on the other hand, thought that it was slow in the beginning.
Once it gets going, it’s pretty much a fun movie. Some folks have said that there are too many sci-fi movie clichés, and yes, you can point out some, but you’re going to get that with any movie you see. It does not detract from the overall movie.
The soundtrack for this movie was amazing. Very 70’s and 80’s sci-fi. The rock band M83 put it together and should get some award nods on it. It truly reminded me of old sci-fi movies I had seen as a kid, which just reinforced my enjoyment of the movie. It really helped to set the scene and the mood when coupled with the powerful visuals.
As for this being original, it seems that the graphic novel it was based on was an unpublished one that producer, director, and co-writer Joseph Kosinski had in the works about eight years ago. Thanks to a writer’s strike and the movie rights getting snapped up, it never got finished. Read the details of OBLIVION, the graphic novel, according to Bleeding Cool.
All in all, this was a good movie. There are a few little details that leave questions, but it doesn’t ruin the movie. I’d give it a three and a half or four out of five. Check it out and enjoy.
If you’ve seen it and didn’t like it, tell me why! If you saw it and loved it, what was your favorite part or parts?
