Oblivion

The 363rd film I have seen in theaters…

A Tom Cruise vehicle directed by the Joe Kosinski (Tron: legacy) is on the menu for today!

Plot

We open in the year 2077. Cruise plays Jack harper, one of only two people on Earth. The other being Victoria, played by Andrea Riseborough. In the year 2017, aliens attacked the Earth, and a long war ensued. In a last ditch effort to win the war, humanity unleashed it’s nukes and destroyed most of the Earth. The human survivors flee to Titan, a moon of Saturn, to survive. Humans built a space station called “The Tet” orbits Earth as massive machines suck up seawater to turn it into energy for the Titan colony. Jack and Victoria oversee the operations of the drones that protect the giant Hydro-rigs from patches of Alien resistance that remain on Earth. All goes well, until a space craft lands that holds humans in suspended animation. Only one passenger survives- Julia, who knows secrets that will change Harper’s life forever!

Nothing groundbreaking is presented in this film. Many of the sci-fi themes dealt have been covered before, but they do a decent job of crafting a great story that keeps the audience engaged.

Cast

Tom Cruise plays the action hero- a role he knows well. Cruise is an odd creature. He can make so many crappy movies, and give me a general feeling of aggravation in many of his roles, but every now and then he pulls out an amazing performance. Like Valkyrie, Cruise sells the material as the human embodiment of WALL-E.

Andrea Riceborough’s Victoria is an interesting character. She loves Harper deeply, but is dedicated to the mission above all. As Harper begins to change, her world view is shattered.

Morgan Freeman plays Malcom Beech. Standing next to him is Jaime Lannister. I would tell you all about them, but I am actually not gonna spoil this one. They are both good in their roles.

Olga Kurylenko plays Julia. Her identity is the key to the story. Another well cast actress.

Melissa Leo plays Sally, The Mission Control person who maintains contact from the Tet Space station. She was also in Movie 328- Olympus has fallen.

Well. Not much a review this time out. It was a good movie, with great actors, great effects, and a decent story. Of the four new films I have seen in 2013, this one is the clear best so far.