Oblivion

Another summer released science fiction film with mixed reviews... "Oblivion" was certainly not the blockbuster that Tom Cruise and the producers had hoped for, but it was entertaining and worth a rental—though probably not worth the price of admission at movie theaters these days. So, why the mixed reviews and limited success at the box office? Tom Cruise, a huge star, probably brought a large audience to the film, but unfortunately, he is beginning to appear much to type cast and one-dimensional. His acting is sometimes good, but often dismal. He is pinned in the same niche again. Like Morgan Freeman, who was also in the film, these guys seem to always play themselves, which works well if you've only seen them in a couple of movies, but when they play the same role over and over again, their characters become too predictable and tedious. The story, sadly, was also extremely "used" and uninspired. It felt like the writers went to a movie script garage sale, and purchased parts of several past science fiction movies and threw everything into a blender... Where is the originality? "Oblivion" was just a mixed up remake of so many other End of Earth, Survived the Apocalypse, Save the Human Race movies—there was nothing new. However, not all was lost. There were a few good twists in the plot. The action scenes were fun! Also, the depiction of the future was very believable and extremely well designed, filmed and rendered. I loved the gadgetry, architecture and some of the imagery. The computerized special effects kept me most engaged. The obligatory shots of a totally destroyed New York City – the Empire State building, Statue of Liberty flame, etc. – were tiresome, but overall everything was visually pretty cool. So, in conclusion, If you don't like Tom Cruise, you will probably hate this movie. If you do like Tom, enjoy! Science fiction fans will find the visual aspects of the movie worthwhile, but may groan, like I did, at the unoriginal story.