Why I Saw This: Only new nation-wide release and Tom Cruise in sci-fi generally yields good results.
Cast: This movie doesn't get made without Tom Cruise, so I'll start there. This is not his strongest outing. He's a good leading man, so that carries a lot of the movie, but he doesn't appear to be trying all that hard. Morgan Freeman, I'm afraid, is not in nearly as much of this as the previews suggest. He's Morgan Freeman as a wise black sage in this, so, what you'd expect. Andrea Riseborough, I was not familiar with before this. I found her to be the best person in this. She's rigid and damaged and they resist the urge to make her an outright villain. Olga Kurylenko plays a love interest and is more engaging than she was in, say, Quantum of Solace (although that's hardly reaching for the moon).
Plot: I need to come up with some new things to say about movies, because, just like I said 42 was last week, Oblivion is essentially every other movie of its ilk mashed up in a blender with no new ingredients. I'll say this. The previews don't give it all away. Then again, and twists turn familiar quickly. Overall though, my biggest issues with this had to do with the reason I can't watch most sci-fi: I get too caught up asking about the plausibility of this world rather than focusing on the commentary of the plot (of which there is little).
Elephant in the Room: This looks like a summer movie. Why is it being released in April? That's a great question. The April release is not any of this "we're getting a jump on the summer" nonsense they've been saying. It's a response to the quality of the movie. No two ways about it.
Random Irritation:
I am so tired of seeing characters from the future or alt. worlds where characters have a record collection. It's getting about as irritating as every character who is a writer using a typewriter.
To Sum Things Up:
This is not great science fiction. I get the sense that the budget doubled as soon as Tom Cruise signed on. It will be pretty quickly forgotten. There's nothing new to this movie and I certainly don't want to think too much on it for fear of poking more holes in it. Fans of sci-fi will find a fair amount to enjoy, and frankly, "lazy" is hardly the most damning thing I can say about a movie. I'd suggest anyone save their money until Iron Man 3.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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