There are a lot
of problems with Oblivion, but you
would be hard-pressed to find a moment during the 125-minute running-time where
I cared about these shortcomings. It is no surprise that this film kicked off
the summer season, as it is the quintessential piece of Blockbuster cinema.
From big stars to big effects, Oblivion
hits all of the elements of glossy Hollywood
filmmaking, but none drive the film more than the energetic electronic
soundtrack by rock band, M83. One of the Blu-ray’s most spectacular additions
is a viewing option for the film which isolates the score alone.
The storyline
for Oblivion is bound to seem
familiar, combining elements of plot from a variety of science fiction films
from the past several decades. The one thing that can be said of Oblivion is that it presents these
typical plot twists in a manner which is somewhat easier to swallow. We are not
immediately immersed in the lunacy of the plot, but instead allowed to go one
step at a time. It is only upon further inspection that Oblivion falls short, while the spectacle of the theater is
precisely what patrons shell out money to see. The Blu-ray is nearly as
spectacular, assuming your home theater is up for the task.
The storyline
follows a security repair operator living on a desolate post-apocalyptic Earth.
We are told in voice-over about the war which ended a possibility for humanity
on the planet, and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) explains his task of fighting off
the alien invaders who attempt to sabotage the machines taking all of the water
from the planet for humanity’s move to another home. Mostly Jack just repairs
the machines that are equipped to do all of the fighting, drones which fly
around the planet like sentries. The plot becomes more complex, though these twists
are better experienced rather than being told about them. There were several
moments during the film when I knew that there was a surprise around the
corner, but a few times the direction of the shift actually surprised me. This
is not to say that any of it was original, but the approach in filmmaking by
Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) made
it feel fresh in the moment. Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo and Olga Kurylenko
co-star.
The Blu-ray
combo package includes a DVD and digital Ultraviolet copy of the film.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray is the isolated score track, as well as two
featurettes. The first is about the making of the Bubble Ships predominant in
the film’s action sequences, with the second focused on the film’s stunt
sequences. Also included in the special features are a number of deleted
scenes, a commentary track with Cruise and Kosinski, and three additional
making-of featurettes.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Disc Features: 7.5/10
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