Oblivion (8/6/2013)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity.

Staring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy)

A memorable sci-fi film with plenty of heart at its core.

Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete.

Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

One of the more impressive elements of this film was the scenery. Whether it is Jack’s home above the clouds or the iconic landmarks that are now ruins, Oblivion is visually stunning. And the attention to detail is extremely impressive. Everything from Jack’s clothing to his vehicles and weapons are very sleek and very cool. I’m sure you would agree that there are plenty of science fiction movies that look very cool, but have no substance, no character development and/or no story. Oblivion is not one of those films.

Another downside of countless science-fiction movies is a storyline so riddled with holes that you either need to check your brain at the door or make huge illogical jumps in order to just get through it. But Oblivion has enough of the plot based in a plausible reality that you’re willing to accept the story and enjoy the ride.

Speaking of the story, I have to admit I was very skeptical walking into the theater. If you are a reader of these reviews, you know that I am very critical of trailers that “show too much of the movie”. So as I sat down in my seat and the theater darkened, I arrogantly thought I knew exactly what I was going to see. I won’t give away any of the surprises, I’ll just say there is more to this film than the trailer shows. And I for one truly appreciated that!

I recently said that I was not a fan of Tom Cruise, well today I am willing to retract that statement. Cruise has started in 14 films (not counting Tropic Thunder) since 2000, and I love ten of them. We have all seen his “nutty behavior” but you have to admit he is a solid actor…and once again delivers a top-notch performance. And finally, I can’t forget Morgan Freeman, who is surprisingly good as older Mad Max type of character.

Oblivion is fantastic from beginning to end, for me it was Theater Worthy.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
It’s difficult to give a cut and dry “yes or no” answer to this one. The overwhelming majority of the film is fairly clean however there is a scene where Victoria is swimming naked and we can see her silhouette and blurred backside. There is also a shower scene where we see Jack’s chest and Victoria’s back.
The violence is definitely on the mild side as well. In fact most of the shootouts are between humans and machines.

There is 1 F-word, 6 S-words, 9 hell and damn and 4 uses of the Lord’s name in vain.

The alien scavs are a bit disturbing as well as the ruins of the Pentagon, the top of the Washington monument, Statue of Liberty and other iconic landmarks.

CONVERSATION STARTER
In the movie we watch as Jack begins to question some of the things he has been told by Command.

Did you think his curiosity was disrespectful?

Have you ever questioned something that your parents told you? What about your youth pastor?

If your parents or youth pastor said something that you did not believe was true what would be the best way to handle that?

Read Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

How did the Bereans handle their questions?

What can you and I learn from Jack and the Bereans?