Oblivion (2013) Review by Shivom Oza - The Title Says It All!

2/5 Stars

'Oblivion' is a science fiction film based on an unpublished graphic novel of the same name by writer-director Joseph Kosinski. Drone mechanic Jack Harper has been assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources (after its surface has been devastated following an alien invasion 60 years earlier). In the process, Jack discovers a crashed spacecraft, wherein he discovers a female stranger trapped inside a space-coffin. Post this incident, he begins questioning everything that he knows about the invasion and its repercussions.

The title, 'Oblivion', means 'state of being forgotten'. And yes, the movie is quite forgettable. Too many sci-fi films have been made on the 'dystopian' theme, so even the concept isn't novel. The lone good thing about the film was the background score. The half-baked climax added insult to injury. The 120-million-dollar-worth project is a criminal waste of resources.

According to the film's premise, planet Earth was invaded by the aliens in 2017, which left its surface nearly destroyed. 60 years later, former Marine commander Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is one of the last few mechanics stationed on the planet. Jack repairs the drones, which patrol the skies and protect the planet from warring aliens.

He and his colleague Victoria Olsen (Andrea Riseborough) are a part of the operation to clean up the remaining forces of the invasion and extract the planet's remaining resources. Almost reaching the culmination of the mission, Jack rescues a female stranger, Julia Rusakova (Olga Kurylenko), from a space-coffin inside a crashed spaceship. Following this incident, he comes in contact with the mysterious Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman) and is forced to question everything that he knows about the alien invasion.

The film takes too long to establish its plot and premise. Most sci-films made in 2012 focused on the 'dystopian'/post-end-of-the-world theme and a majority of them were major disappointments. While this film makes a hash of the subject with its long-drawn and inconsequential screenplay, most makers should question the feasibility of the concept as well. The '2050/2060/2100 etc.' films do not intrigue the audiences anymore. So, no matter what the star-cast, budget, story or maker, there are more chances that the film will carry a strong 'been-there-seen-that' undertone.

In 'Oblivion', the plot moves on sluggishly for the first 90 minutes, until the makers realize that they have to give the 120-million-dollars spending some sort of justification. The writers have tried to incorporate several twists in the climax, but the damage is done and the sudden developments purely add to the viewer's chagrin. Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman are completely wasted in the film. The background score by Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese is quite nice, but that's about it.

The title says it all!

Shivom Oza