Contemplating Oblivion

I recently took in the new Joseph Kosinski film Oblivion. It's the director's second feature film after Tron: Legacy, and his creative sensibilities are already showing marked growth.

I enjoyed the Tron sequel--mainly for its rich visual style. Despite lacking the name recognition of a readily identifiable franchise (or perhaps because of this fact), Oblivion is the superior film. Sure it's a Tom Cruise vehicle, but those have a surprisingly good track record. After all, Cruise has proven himself a shrewd businessman with a keen eye for winning scripts. Even his critical failures almost always turn a hefty profit. The fact that he chose to appear in a risky sci-fi feature by a rookie director hints at the film's appeal.

Oblivion is Kosinski's second major release, but it's the first he's written. Here the comparisons to Tron: Legacy are most striking. The Tron sequel was a mix of disjointed, poorly paced scenes populated by a bland ensemble of stock characters upstaged by a dazzling visual setting. Oblivion is a mix of familiar yet serviceable science fiction tropes convincingly held together by characters who actually have something relatable at stake, and whose inner and outer conflicts are directly relevant to the breathtaking backdrops (Oblivion's visual design gives Prometheus a run for its money).

For all its strengths, I can't give Oblivion unreserved praise. Like I said, its plot is fairly contrived and salted with cliches. Every ten minutes or so you'll get the nagging suspicion that you've seen all of this before (and if you've seen The Time Machine, Independence Day, and The Matrix, you have).

It is with more dismay than excitement that I recommend Oblivion, if only for the fact that this film stands alone among the recent crop of corporate-engineered marketing and incoherent, nihilistic ramblings bandied about as serious science fiction. It's easy to see how Oblivion could have ended up like its more vapid genre mates, and it avoids total self-indulgence only through narrative meditation on a verse of ancient Roman poetry (go figure).

Final analysis: there are worse ways to spend two and a half hours than seeing Oblivion. You've already seen most of it, but the action is grounded in believable characters, good performances, and genuinely beautiful visuals that reinforce the narrative instead of detracting from it.

Have you seen Oblivion? If so, feel free to share your thoughts.