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filmOA | out now
Oblivion
a beautiful and thoroughly entertaining ride in the future
Director Joseph Kosinski crashed into Hollywood with Tron: Legacy in 2010 and he hasn’t looked back since. Not only did his first feature cost Disney well over $200 million including advertising. It also instantly established him as a truly unique director, capable of creating stunning worlds most wouldn't even dream of. Disney didn't just take a gamble by appointing him as the director of course — and letting him do the 2014 sequel after its success. They knew him from his work on Oblivion, well before he even imagined working on Tron.
They bought the rights to his graphic novel Oblivion in 2010, but wanted to make it PG friendly. Unable to get anything milder than PG-13, they sold the rights to Universal. A rating you’ll also find on the recent Pirates of the Caribbean films by the way. So after seeing the film, it's safe to say Disney shot itself in the foot with this one. And except for some brief, mild nudity, I can’t see why Disney wouldn’t release this.
Stunning yet again
One minute into Oblivion proves Kosinski isn't a one trick pony. There are some similarities to Tron, sure, but it’s a whole new world to explore. And it’s more Prometheus-like than Tron-like actually. It’s a real world, our world, but in 2077. A war has ended and we’ve won. But our planet has been destroyed — a fact you probably know by now if you’ve seen any of the trailers.
Tom Cruise is Jack Harper, one of the mop-up crew. He keeps the droids running, while his partner/girlfriend keeps an eye out from base — also their home. She seems a bit off, but Harper thinks she’s just sticking to the rules of their mission. Not going off base, she just wants to keep following routine until they can finally go home in two weeks. To Titan (one of the moons of Saturn), where everyone apparently went to after earth was destroyed.
Not what you’d expect
Now the story doesn't sound highly original until here. But that changes when Harper brings back a girl he rescued in the field. I can’t say too much without spoiling anything — which I won’t — but the story goes much further and deeper than you would expect. It’s not a brilliant story, there’s too much focus on the visuals for that. But it is a constantly entertaining and satisfying ride. More so than the average Tom Cruise film.
The best films take you to a world you’ve never seen before and completely suck you in. And Oblivion does that brilliantly. As last years Prometheus, it isn’t perfect. But it's a stunning film that intrigues from beginning to end and is worth it for the looks alone. 
Oblivion is out now (US). + more dates
filmOA | score
77%
worth the popcorn
