(Short) Oblivion Review

Yes, I saw Oblivion, starring Tom Cruise, and more Tom Cruise.

First, the films coming out will get better.  Assuredly.  It's been a 3-star at best spring, with the exception of Beyond the Pines, which should be a candidate for Best Oscar.

Next, sci-fi movies come will a waiver: if you go see them, there's only so much "reality" you can hope for.  If they want to change the laws of physics, well, that's what "science" "fiction" is about.

Given that, Oblivion is actually pretty good.  Three stars, for sure.  The shots, the tech, the grit of a dystopian Earth are all well done.  Visually, it's great, though the Tom Cruise uniforms could use some work: let's hope 60 years in the future uniform designers will do better.

And Cruise is good as the near-drone-like mechanic left alone (sort of) on the planet, repairing guard drones that may at any time go off and decide they need to terminate (how many times does the word appear on screen?) him.  Cruise's Jack Harper (wasn't he just Jack something-else in his last movie?  was it a "thing" he had in mind?) is clearly torn by dreams that seem more like memories.

Counter his "partner," Victoria, played chillingly by Andrea Riseborough, who seems to lack humanity.  She reminds him of their memory being wiped clean, but it's not clear that hers is either, it's just she's willing to focus on a different set of them from Jack.  Weird.

The plot is convoluted.   The bad guys need Jack's help to blow up the good guys (you can tell they must be the bad guys, they are dressed a lot like Dark Vader) & it turns out there's another love interest (Victoria's cool melts when she sees Jack with Julia, played dully by Olga Kurylenko (who wasn't scintillating in Quantum of Solace either -- maybe they should stop acting like she can act like a femme fatale)) & there's another set of repair people and...

Well, I warned you about sic-fi.

But it keeps you watching.  Morgan Freeman has the second billing but hardly the second role -- is another variation on his Batman role as Q -- and Oscar winner Melissa Leo is a mere cameo.

But director, co-screenplay writer Joseph Kosinski (his second directorial bit after Tron), makes a good adventure.

Be warned, it opens slowly.  Too much Jack voiceover narration, too little real tension.

Yes, see it.  Three solid stars.