Oblivion ★★★☆☆
Cue sweeping vistas of post-apocalyptic Earth, Tom Cruise zipping around in a sleek bubble ship, and M83’s soundtrack reaching for emotional grandeur. Sounds perfect, right? Well, hold your futuristic horses.
Set in 2077, Oblivion follows Jack Harper (Tom Cruise), a drone repairman stationed on a devastated Earth after humanity’s war with extraterrestrials. His mission is simple: maintain the drones that protect massive machines siphoning Earth’s remaining resources for humans who’ve fled to Titan, Saturn’s moon. However, things take a turn when Jack discovers a mysterious woman (Olga Kurylenko) in a crash-landed spacecraft, triggering a cascade of revelations about the true nature of his mission, the fate of humanity, and his own identity. Oh, and did I mention clones? Lots of clones.
The film juggles more themes than a college freshman in philosophy class: identity, memory, the ethics of artificial intelligence, and even a smattering of environmental guilt. On paper, Oblivion tries to be a reflective, thoughtful science fiction offering, evoking deeper questions about the human soul and the cost of survival. In practice, however, it feels like a greatest hits reel of better sci-fi concepts—Blade Runner here, The Matrix there, and maybe a sprinkling of Wall-E for good measure.
Director Joseph Kosinski, known for his slick work on Tron: Legacy, delivers a stunning visual feast. Earth, now an ash-draped wasteland, is both eerie and beautiful. The sterile, futuristic living quarters Jack shares with his co-worker-slash-girlfriend Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are bathed in cold blues and whites, contrasting sharply with the desolate land below. Kosinski excels at creating a mood, but when it comes to storytelling, it’s like admiring a beautifully wrapped gift only to find an empty box inside.
The visuals are undoubtedly the movie’s strong point—Kosinski knows how to make ruined landmarks and cloud-piercing towers look good. But for all its cinematic flair, the film often feels emotionally hollow, like one of its drones: sleek, efficient, but devoid of life.
Tom Cruise is, well, Tom Cruise. He’s physically commanding, whether he’s battling drones or riding a futuristic motorcycle through the ruins of New York, and he brings his usual charisma to the role. But there’s not much depth to Jack Harper beyond the surface-level cool. Olga Kurylenko, playing the mysterious woman from Jack’s past, offers little beyond looking confused and wistful in alternating doses. Meanwhile, Andrea Riseborough does her best as Victoria, but her character feels underwritten, serving mostly as a plot device rather than a person. Morgan Freeman makes an appearance as a cigar-chomping rebel leader, but he, too, is underutilized—a glorified exposition machine dressed in resistance chic.
The pacing stumbles between sluggish exposition dumps and frenetic action sequences. The first half is intriguingly atmospheric, gradually revealing details about this eerie future Earth. But just when you think Oblivion might have something profound to say, the second half devolves into a mishmash of predictable twists and explosive set pieces, culminating in a climax that feels unearned. By the time you reach the film’s saccharine, pseudo-profound conclusion, you’re left wondering where all that ambition went.
There’s something oddly relatable about Jack’s yearning for Earth, despite its desolation. Maybe it’s the makeshift cabin he builds—a nostalgic middle finger to the sterile technology ruling his life. As someone who occasionally daydreams about escaping the chaos of modern life (albeit without the apocalypse), Jack’s desire for simplicity struck a chord. But like an overcooked soufflé, Oblivion deflates under the weight of its own aspirations. It promises high-concept sci-fi, but delivers reheated leftovers.
If you’re a die-hard fan of glossy, visually-driven sci-fi and don’t mind a story that feels borrowed from half a dozen other films, you’ll find enough here to enjoy. For everyone else, Oblivion is like a drone: impressive at first glance, but ultimately mechanical and a little soulless. It’s a decent watch if you’re in the mood for eye candy and Tom Cruise doing Tom Cruise things, but don’t expect it to leave a lasting impression.
