 |
| Courtesy of Universal |
I don’t
mind when movies steal from other sources, as long as they do something new
with the material. That’s why Oblivion, Tom Cruise’s new sci-fi adventure, is
such a disappointment. The film’s breathtaking visuals come as no surprise,
considering it was directed by Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy). But instead of
coming up with a story to accompany them, the screenplay by Kosinski, Karl
Gajdusek and Michael Arndt takes a bunch of better movies, appropriates their
most famous elements and expects them to work in this new environment. It’s an
unsuccessful endeavor.
Cruise
plays Jack Harper, whose job on a post-apocalyptic Earth is to repair drones
tasked with searching for the remaining aliens responsible for the end of the
world. He and his partner, Victoria (the stunning Andrea Riseborough), have two
weeks left to finish up before they rejoin the rest of humanity on Titan, one
of Jupiter’s moons.
However,
the plan changes when Jack discovers a crashed spacecraft containing a single hibernating
survivor (Olga Kurylenko). She leads Jack to even more mysterious individuals
(led by Morgan Freeman) who tell him everything he believes is a lie. What he
discovers is a clumsy fusion of WALL-E, Planet of the Apes, The Matrix, 2001:
A Space Odyssey and Independence Day, with some Moon thrown in for no discernible
reason.
If
you’re a special effects junkie, Oblivion will blow you away. It’s been a
while since I’ve seen a movie that so seamlessly integrates CGI into real-world
environments. But the sleek vehicles, weaponry and costumes are no substitute
for a soul. The film certainly asks big questions, but does so in a cold, clinical
fashion. Fear, anger and love are communicated through dialogue and exposition.
The characters themselves don’t express any sort of emotion whatsoever.
At
this stage in his career, Cruise never has to play anyone other than “Tom
Cruise as cop” or “Tom Cruise as spy.” He’s basically “Tom Cruise as WALL-E”
here, but I give him credit for at least attempting to change things up. Sci-fi
generally tends to work for the actor (Minority Report, War of the Worlds) but
he doesn’t quite pull it off this time. Too bad, considering he’s clearly
throwing everything he’s got into the role.
Also
elevating the material are Riseborough and Kurylenko, as two very different but
equally compelling women. It takes a lot of talent to upstage Cruise in a
scene, but these actresses manage it quite a bit. Melissa Leo is also quite
good, delivering a nuanced, menacing performance with only a few minutes of
screen time. Freeman plays yet another version of his go-to persona: the
inspiring figure who has all the answers. I’m sure he can do it in his sleep by
now.
I
didn’t love Oblivion, but I won’t fault anyone who wants to see it for the
eye candy. It’s spectacular to look at, which arguably makes it worth a
matinee. But with all the heavy-duty talent involved, a better script could’ve made
it amazing.
Oblivion is rated
PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some
sensuality/nudity.
Grade:
C+
Comments
Post a Comment